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When London-based studio Manea Kella was enlisted in 2016 to renovate Casa Popeea, a storied property located near the Danube River in the Romanian city of Brăila, the designers knew that its tumultuous history would be integral to its new (and now award-winning) chapter.
Originally constructed in 1900, the 795-square-metre Art Nouveau structure suffered significant damage after a fire in 1923. Following the Second World War, the site was transferred to the then socialist regime, which allowed the once-lavish complex to fall into disrepair. By 2005, when significant efforts were taken to preserve it, it was on the brink of collapse.
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But instead of concealing this past or working against the heritage foundation, Manea Kella embraced the idiosyncratic turn-of-the-century details, returning the formerly palatial building to its previous glory. With an ornate facade now trimmed in brilliant white, the 11-room boutique hotel subsequently installed in it not only boasts strikingly pared-back interiors, but also exemplifies the care, craft and success of such a sensitive approach to adaptive re-use.
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In addition to painstakingly refurbishing the existing wood elements — from window frames that curve and bend in organic whiplashes to the dramatic oak stair that required specialist carpenters from Transylvania to update — Manea Kella also incorporated its own set of contemporary insertions that take the four-storey mansion’s historic elements as a point of departure.
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In particular, restrained oak millwork, an exquisitely tailored reception desk and finely executed portals that frame a succession of spaces define the new hotel — all of these features set off by crisp white walls and pale herringbone floors. Bespoke details continue throughout the property, including the luminous ground-floor café and subterranean spa.
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Now entering its 12th decade, Casa Popeea is a subtle yet effective reminder that new ideas can still find ample room in old — even long neglected — places.
AZ Awards Category Interiors: Commercial and Institutional Location Brăila, Romania Firm Manea Kella, London, U.K. Team Elena Kella and Adrian Manea with Tracon Construction
As the judges conclude, the winner in Interiors: Commercial and Institutional is “a stunningly crafted space.”