Casa SSX is a small house designed by La Leta Architettura for short stays. A pied-à-terre for the tourist in transit.

The house is located at ground level, inside the courtyard of a historic building in the heart of Palermo, an opportunity to confront the theme of the "minimum space for living", the existenz minimum.

The space is only 26 sqm. The intervention required the architects to think and design every part of the house to measure, thinking of purely ergonomic aspects in relation to the openly formal ones.

Firstly it was necessary to create a ventilated crawl space and use specific treatments on the walls, in order to eliminate the recurrence of the problem.

At the first inspection, the property was in a state of neglect with evident deterioration due to rising damp factors, which in an environment located on the ground floor and with few openings had the opportunity to develop easily.

This house has a rectangular plan divided into two rooms in succession: it was decided to organise the living area in the first and the sleeping area in the second, more reserved and less illuminated.

The living area is attached to a bathroom, covered with a system of lacquered wood paneling doors characterised by a sloping pitched roof.

An architecture within another architecture.

The rooms of the house are a juxtaposition of given and generated forms. The existing vaulted ceilings represent a given but at the same time decisive element of the project.

During the work it was decided to stake them by removing the deteriorated plaster and after having treated it, the decision was to leave it rustic, generating an unexpected texture in the ceiling in stark contrast with the white surfaces of the walls and furniture.

The soft shapes of the ceiling are therefore contrasted with the angular flaps of the volume covered in wood containing the bathroom.

A modification to a pre-existing space, which through its angular shape creates a singular play of volumes between new and existing shapes, highlighted by the contrast chromatic between walls, furniture and ceiling.

To these the kitchen cabinet is added: a wooden parallelepiped that integrates the cooking and work area, which can be opened on occasion with a small sofa.

A custom-made furniture necessary in terms of space optimization, but at the same time a characterizing element.

In the sleeping area, a single wooden system is designed to integrate bed, desk and shelves. The materials are few and simple: large-format stoneware for bathroom floors and walls, white and gray lacquered wood for custom-made furnishings.

It is a veil that organizes the small space of the room in a simple and orderly way, satisfying the needs. of the customer.