SHARES

Architect Francesca Perani has transformed the porch of an Italian villa into a 25-square-metre micro-apartment suitable for self-isolation with plenty of hidden storage.
 
Designed for a local couple, Urban Cabin replaces the porch of a house in Albino, a small town in the Italian province of Bergamo.
 
Perani's renovation, completed with the help of interior designer Ilenia Perlotti, turns the former storage space into a separate, self-contained residence that can be used for a number of purposes.
 
The clients can use it as a workspace, invite guests to stay or, one day, let their grown-up children move in. Recently, because of the coronavirus crisis, one of the pair has been using it as a self-isolation space.
 
Perani worked on the renovation of the main house back in 2008. Externally, this new addition is designed in the same spirit, with a red earth-coloured facade and details that reference the clients' Persian heritage.