This apartment renovation in Venice transformed La Caorlina, an independent building in the Cannaregio district, into two apartments for short stays. arcHITects rebuilt the interiors completely and kept what gives a Venetian house its character: the original timber beams, the herringbone floors, the proportions of the rooms and the relationship with the narrow streets and the light of the city.

One building, separate homes

The plan gives every apartment its own entrance and no shared spaces. Guests come and go without crossing anyone, and check-in and check-out are fully automated. The same layout lets the building work in two ways: as separate apartments, or rented as a whole by a family or a group of friends who want a house of their own in Venice.

Old structure, new comfort

The historic beams were cleaned and left in sight, and the original herringbone parquet was restored. Around them the building received new systems, bathrooms and kitchens, with air conditioning and wooden window frames that respect the Venetian façade. Green shutters and a terrace with an iron railing open the upper floor onto the roofs and palaces nearby.

A different character in each apartment

The two apartments share the same quality and differ in everything else: palette, materials and the piece you remember, from a turquoise kitchen to a black one, from a red sofa to a four-poster bed in black steel. Guests who return can choose the other apartment and find a different home in the same house.

Built for short stays in a fragile city

Like the whole of Venice, the building is protected, so every intervention was developed and approved with the Soprintendenza. Renovating here also means difficult logistics and materials that must resist humidity. The design used durable finishes, simple maintenance and furniture that can be brought in by boat and replaced without major works, so that the apartments stay in good condition season after season.

The apartment renovation in Venice of La Caorlina shows how arcHITects turns a historic building into a rental property that is easy to run. See more of our homes in Residential, our work on rental apartment design, and the studio.

Design: HIT arcHITects – Piantini