Apartment Renovation - Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily

While this 3 bed, 2 bath 175sqm apartment is in a great location with terrific views, it had been neglected for quite some time, was illegally turned into two separate apartments, and needed major updates and renovations.

The front of the apartment with the best views had a closed-in kitchen (and an inconveniently placed door accessing the bathroom), a small dining area, a separate bedroom, and a fake ceiling to hide the water damage from the neglected terrace above.

The rear of the apartment had two bedrooms, a separate kitchen, and a bathroom with an outdated laundry tub.

We had three goals in mind.

1. Increase the amount of natural light throughout the apartment

2. Utilize the rooms more efficiently to make living arrangements more comfortable

3. Modernize the apartment from floor to ceiling while maintaining Sicilian accents to accentuate the history of the town of Castellammare del Golfo

Once we secured proper permitting, we removed the walls in the front of the apartment to open up the kitchen to include a large dining area and living room which allows more natural light to permeate the new and more efficient glass doors and windows. The original ceiling was repaired and restored which increased the height of the room by 14 inches (35.5cm). The old marble floors were replaced with a more modern look which included large porcelain tiles which are more durable and easier to clean and maintain than marble. Additional comforts were achieved by installing radiant heating in the floors and central air conditioning and the bathrooms were redesigned to maximize space with glass doors to allow more natural light to permeate the room.

All of the doors are now arched, including the small hallway, and vintage plaster cornices were added to many rooms with hidden LED lighting to provide a flow of light and movement while maintaining that hint of Sicily we were aiming for.

Unfortunately, the project was initiated a few days before Covid lockdowns, but without those delays, the project took about 11 months to complete from start to finish.

Needless to say, we are very happy with the results. What do you think? Let us know!