- Interior
- Architecture & development
When the team of Studio Andrew Trotter first saw this home, they instantly fell in love with it. After a thorough renovation, which highlighted the charm of the residence and its surroundings, that love has probably only increased. The magic of Casolare Scarani will stay with you for a long time.
There is a special story attached to this home in Puglia, Italy. Marcello Martínez of Studio Andrew Trotter first discovered the residence when he was looking at some houses online with a friend who wanted to move from Barcelona to Puglia. A year later, he came across the same house again while on his way to the town of Carovigno. The house was impressive: old but with lots of character and not too big. In the area you find mostly lamias, small stone barns where the local landowners stored material, and very large masserias, where those same wealthy landowners once lived. Casolare Scarani was different: it had the style of a masseria, but the size of a small villa. For locals, it had a long history: the residence originally housed a girls' school, but was abandoned in the 1960s. 
At the time, the studio was busy working on other projects and decided not to buy the residence. However, a couple whom they are friends with did, on the architects' advice. Rather exceptionally, only the husband had seen the house before they bought it, as due to COVID his wife did not get the chance to do so. Fortunately, that turned out not to be a problem. Thanks to the charm the residence already exuded and the love and passion Studio Andrew Trotter put into the project, the owners immediately fell in love with the property. 
Scraping off years of peeling paint revealed the beautiful stone of the porch
The renovation tried as much as possible to leave the exterior patina where it could. Scraping off years of peeling paint revealed the beautiful stone of the porch. The inside had to be plastered completely, so the studio engaged an artisan who makes his own lime plaster and lime paint. All the old stones were re-laid, and the floors were fitted with new chianca tiles that matched the old ones perfectly. The new layout required a lot of thinking. The old garage was converted into a kitchen with a courtyard at the back. The stone oven was restored, and the donkey house was converted into a laundry room. Two new blocks at the back of the house were also added, transformed into two en-suites for the downstairs bedrooms. The two upstairs bedrooms became the master suite, which has its own bathroom. The living room has beautiful star-vaulted ceilings and a large fireplace. The dining room is now located in the old stable, with the kitchen to the side. 
Casolare Scarani's bright interior completely blends into its surroundings. With its well-thought-out layout and fairly simple design, this property once again exudes exceptional authenticity and a lot of character.
Photography by Salva López