Designing Rome: Inside Our First Roman Grand Pied à Terre

From the moment you enter this apartment, the study sets the tone.

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Positioned directly opposite the entrance, it feels almost like a private library, lined with timber joinery and softened by books, objects and art. The existing wooden features gave the room a traditional quality from the outset, a sense of quiet formality that felt important to keep. Rather than simplifying it, the design leaned into its character, allowing the study to become one of the home’s defining spaces.

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Throughout the apartment, the original parquet floors were retained and made good, while the ceiling cornicing was continued into the hallway and bedrooms to create a stronger sense of flow. These details are subtle, but they give the home continuity, allowing each room to feel connected to the next.

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One of the most thoughtful gestures came from the apartment’s original fabric wallpaper. Rather than removing it entirely, sections were reclaimed, framed and returned to the home as artwork in the study. It is a small but important decision, one that captures the spirit of the project. The apartment’s past was not erased; it was reframed.

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This became the foundation for the design. The home already had weight and character, but it needed a clearer identity, one that could feel both rooted in Rome and comfortable for contemporary city living.

Rome is not a city of quiet minimalism. It is a city of stone, shadow, rhythm and scale, where ancient architecture sits beside everyday life and decorative detail feels entirely at ease. The interiors needed to carry some of that confidence without becoming theatrical.

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Samantha’s vision centred on three ideas: curated, comfortable and consistent. Across the apartment, this translates into a palette of terracotta, caramel, cream and deep red, layered with richly veined marbles, geometric forms and sculptural lighting. The result is warm and expressive, but still carefully composed.

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In the living room, the existing marble fireplace anchors the space, while deep red joinery and mottled antique glass at the back of the shelves introduce richness and reflection. The glass subtly bounces light around the room, giving the library style shelving a more atmospheric quality. Designer lounge chairs, a geometric rug and layered styling bring a more contemporary rhythm, while the marble side tables echo the tones and weight of the original stonework.

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Pattern also plays an important role. In the bedrooms, custom Schumacher headboards introduce a softer textile language, with patterns that connect back to the apartment’s stone, geometry and Roman character. There is a subtle nod to Italian textile traditions too, particularly in the use of bold pattern and rhythm, giving the spaces a sense of personality without overwhelming them.

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The bathrooms continue this richness through Calacatta Viola and warm caramel-toned tiling. The marbles are thick, heavily veined and sourced from Italy, bringing a sense of permanence and material confidence that feels true to the city.

As with all August homes, the final layer was not simply decorative. It was about making the apartment feel as though it had been gathered over time. This is the layer that gives August homes their sense of belonging, where antiques, books, art and sculptural objects make each residence feel rooted rather than newly placed.

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The library became central to this. Books were sourced from a bookshop in London, with so many chosen for the apartment that the team nearly exhausted their stock. Beyond styling, they give the room purpose, turning it into a place to sit, read and retreat from the city outside.

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Local antiques and sculptural pieces were layered throughout the home, chosen not to fill space, but to add depth. Art was framed locally, while a 19th-century gold frame with mirror was reimagined as a tray for the living room coffee table, an unexpected detail that brings a sense of history and charm into daily use.

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In the kitchen, custom artwork was created to blend with the tones of the terrazzo floor, while bespoke joinery at the end of the hallway and kitchen adds function without interrupting the apartment’s architectural rhythm.

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These are the details that stop the home feeling newly installed. The mix of antique, bespoke and contemporary pieces gives the apartment a more natural feeling, as though each object has found its place gradually.