travertine wall punctured by arches forms 'greetings from rome !' residence in lithuania

in vilnius, the old town and capital of lithuania, ‘greetings from rome !’ by 2XJ architects takes form as a family residence with an attic space, occupying the second and third floor of a three-storey building. drawing from the well-known colosseum structure, the architects sought to preserve and highlight the inherited stone wall punctured on the ground level by arched openings. as this element formed in the middle of the apartment couldn’t move, the design has developed around it, separating the space into social and private areas.all images courtesy of darius petrulaitis

through this stone wall that runs the entire apartment, 2XJ architects divided the plan into two zones. the first one features the main living space with an open plan kitchen, living and dining area, while the other includes two children’s bedrooms and bathrooms. furthermore, built-in storage is incorporated into a hallway that flows between the children’s bedrooms and the stone wall. from the main living space, the owners can access a small home office that closes with sliding doors if needed and a large terrace with a view opening towards vilnius’s baroque churches. the upper level occupies the master bedroom with a bathroom and a large book collection.

‘the inevitability of the structural wall and the associative arched image of the colosseum became the ideological axis of the project,’ adds the studio. the architects repeated the arch motif in smaller elements such as the door handles and the dining table to highlight the concept. meanwhile, natural travertine stone slabs — like these used in the landmark of the colosseum, clad the wall, while equivalent materials such as polished concrete, wood, leather, and metal were selected to complete the interior, generating in a white hue to calm the complexity of the space.

project info:

name: greetings from rome !

architects:  2XJ architects

design team: jokūbas jurgelis, martina kriaučiūnienė, jūratė volkavičiūtė

location: vilnius, lithuania

year: 2020

area: 140sqm (1,507 sqft)

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edited by: christina petridou | designboom