BWM Designers & Architects

The URBANAUTS Minelli Studios are located in Casa Minelli, a heritage-protected townhouse dating back to about 1801 (source: arch. Ermanno Dell’Agnolo), in the heart of Trieste’s Old Town. It is just a few steps away from the sea, in the up-and-coming district of Trieste known as Zona Cavana. And the city’s central square, the Piazza Unitá d’Italia, is also a mere two-minute walk away.

There are 36 flats in total, spread across 6 floors; the 4th to 6th floors offer a stunning view across the roofscape of Trieste all the way to the sea. With an average size of 33 to 45m2, the flats are the perfect solution for extended business trips. They have a bathroom, kitchen and one or two rooms, or are arranged as a studio with an open living-kitchen area.

“The design concept draws its inspiration from the typical colours of the city and celebrates the famous dolce far niente,” says Erich Bernard of BWM Designers & Architects. From the pale pink sky to the dark, shimmering sea, through to the classic red of an aperitivo – these are all included in the colour scheme. On top of that, BWM bring the horizon inside the flats by pairing up colours; in the vestibule, for instance, the walls are painted a dark blue on top and a warm grey in the lower section; and in the bedroom the colours are inverted.

BWM cite the motif of the citta degli scrittori – the city of writers – in the community space on the ground floor. It is a library, inspired by Trieste’s famous antiquarian bookshops, with cosy reading chairs and a community table at its centre, and connects the interior with the city.