House of Dust is a 2013 interior architecture project by Italian architect Antonino Cardillo, located in the Ludovisi district of Rome. The work juxtaposes classical orders and golden proportions with the metaphorical element of dust, expressed through a grotto-like vaulted ceiling and a palette of earth and pale pink tones.
The project was designed and built between 2012 and 2013 in a 115 mò apartment in the Ludovisi neighbourhood of Rome. Early coverage highlighted the projectâÂÂs material experimentation and its reinterpretation of historical forms.
House of Dust explores the relationship between proportion, materiality and memory. A vaulted ceiling finished in rustic earth-toned plaster evokes primordial caverns and Renaissance grotesques, while a sequence of elongated arches conceals doors and storage elements. The intimate rooms are characterised by pale pink walls and a pink glass doorknob marking the transition to the private areas.
The project has been widely discussed in international design and architecture media. Dezeen described the interior as an exploration of colour, texture and classical references.
In The Journal of Architecture, Ana Araujo interpreted the work as an example of architectureâÂÂs capacity to evoke sensory and emotional depth.
AIT Magazin noted the projectâÂÂs engagement with the architectural history of Rome and its atmospheric qualities.
The interior was also featured in Casamica (Corriere della Sera), which emphasised its symbolic and material approach.
The project was later included in the Phaidon volume ROOM: Inside Contemporary Interiors, which presented it among notable contemporary interior works and as emblematic of the 2010âÂÂ2015 period.
House of Dust has also been cited in surveys and lookbooks on contemporary uses of colour and plaster, including DezeenâÂÂs selections of pinkâÂÂhued interiors and exposedâÂÂplaster residential spaces.
International trendâÂÂforecasting agencies have also referenced the project in analyses of emerging aesthetic, material and colour tendencies. WGSN included it in the âÂÂData Divinationâ chapter of its macroâÂÂtrend report for Autumn/Winter 2015âÂÂ16, while LS:N Global discussed it within the designâÂÂdirection study AntiâÂÂMaterials. TexworldâÂÂs Spring/Summer 2015 trend book featured the project in the section âÂÂArchitectural CocoonâÂÂ, and the Noroo Pantone Colour Institute included it in the âÂÂFloating & Ambiguityâ chapter of its colourâÂÂforecasting volume Cover All 2018âÂÂ2019.
Elements of the project were exhibited in Rooms. Novel Living Concepts at the XXI Triennale di Milano (2016).