Chris Briffa Architects designed the interiors of a house in Malta where the original features mixed with the contemporary details.

After purchasing the property, budget was lacking, and subsequently the first phase involved restoring the building to its original design, save a giant skylight in the sala nobile. While the lower levels embrace the existing structure and features such as tiles, apertures and textures, the penthouse is a contemporary counterpart, defined by contrasts between soft and hard materials, light and shade, solids and voids.

The insertion of the beams was the culmination of excitement as they were slotted in, Lego-like. Subsequently, there was the designing and fitting of the steel railings, which follow the direction of the serrated edges of the beams. Their aesthetic success lies in their surface – cast over a carpet of timber slats – which gives them an ethereal, lightweight appearance in the sunlight, billowy and curtain-like. The master bedroom’s continuous, low window is sensitive to mood, with morning light bouncing off the oak floors, and a ten-metre long line of cacti, you are compelled to look outwards, whether in bed or taking a shower.

The sense of playfulness is demonstrated in the ‘tree house’, a low space located above the kitchen, where the children can be close by. The kitchen is the heart of this home, with a stainless -steel workbench that allows the cook to access tools in an efficient cooking-work triangle.