La Serenissima is a contemporary home located in Attard, Malta, redesigned in 2022 by Valentino Architects.

Description
La Serenissima converts a studio space designed by 20th century artist Frank Portelli ? a central figure in Malta?s post-war art scene ? into a sun-filled contemporary home.
This retrofit project revives the self-made sanctuary of one of Malta?s most compelling modern artists ? Frank Portelli (1923-2004), known for his mural art and tonally faceted paintings. His work was informed by an international world-view and expressed through a style he coined ?crystallised cubism?. During his active years, he designed and built a Post-Modernist building in the village of Attard as his studio-home. The building was called La Serenissima, named by the artist in tribute to the city of Venice. Defined by tall geometric windows and a strong north-south axial layout, Portelli?s original studio was designed to maximize strong southern and westerly light. Re-worked as a single-bedroom home, interiors have been guided by this central axis. A volley of rooms begins with bright, open living spaces to the south, and more intimate, private rooms to the north. Between them, a small home office and conservatory sit opposite each other on an intersecting east-west axis.
Rooms to the south, which were once used as Portelli?s principal art-making space, are bordered with 45-degree skylights and strips of high-set windows. The southernmost end has been conve...