There is a space in Malo, a small town in the upper Vicenza area, where architecture, history and tradition come together. A house next to an old spinning mill that had been uninhabited for years came back to life last year, accommodating several families with their four-legged friends. Designer Rita Scarpinato, with Camilla, her inseparable little dog, opened the doors of her Casa Abitata (Inhabited House) to us!
Rita Scarpinato, designer by profession and a trained set designer with the soul of an artist, is an eccentric woman with a passion for high-quality handicrafts, who turns materials into refined and personal products. For just over a year, she has been living in the house that she had always dreamed of renovating, near the river, an essential element in her life and a source of continuous energy and renewal.
After long months of building, she was able to bring this magical place back to life. It is a place rich in history and in deep harmony with the area’s green landscape.
An historical building, four dwellings, four families and five animals. A place for families and encounters, a house inhabited by friends and shared with their dogs, cats and tortoises.
Let’s pay a visit to the first house, where Rita lives with Camilla, her greyhound-mix. A loft with very high ceilings, featuring three large windows with rounded arches that light up the whole room with warm natural light.
The kitchen is the simplest room: there is a beautiful contrast between the linear style of the steel worktops and the irregular texture of the Venetian floor, which is lit up here and there with warm shades of ochre and cooler shades of sage green. The fireplace provides a pleasant warmth in the winter. This is Camilla’s favourite place when she wants to take a nap!
The true heart of the house is the living room: in this large, bright room, there is a big, solid-wood table and the citrus plants next to the windows transform this room into an orangerie, giving personality to this space, creating a relaxing and bucolic atmosphere.
Camilla and Rita love looking out into the garden from the windows of this room, which is in a privileged position for watch the amazing adventures of the neighbours’ cats!
In the living room, there is also a space for study. A home office designed to make the most of the well-lit corner near the stairs. The furniture includes a minimalist table and two modern-design armchairs.
Going up the stairs, you come to the mezzanine floor, where the sleeping area is located. The walls painted in an intense deep blue, give the environment a cosy and soothing look. Camilla, who knows a lot about napping, fully approves of this choice!
Details are important, because they define the character of a house (it is impossible not to notice the wonderful lamps made by Rita and others made by her friend and light designer Paolo Donadello) but the true essence of the home is the memory of the past, which was not deleted by the restoration work. In fact, the Casa Abitata preserves the memory of yesteryear and the original flavour of the Venetian house!
