Sometimes we find ourselves contemplating our preferences. Or, let?s be truthful here, that?s all we ever do. We keep re-evaluating our preconceived notions and questioning whether we still like what we used to like, or have we discovered something that has changed our earlier views.

One of the juxtapositions we have always loved ? and still do ? is mixing old with new. Currently, though, we are considering these options: Do we like old with new accents more than we like new with old accents.

The well-publicized Casa RJ apartment in Mantua pops up whenever we think about this. And inevitably, it helps us veer toward Old with New Accents. There is just something romantic and dramatic about walls and ceilings that have seen and experienced much. So, we think that Old is New Again will continue as one of our favourite topics for years to come.
Casa RJ is located in downtown Mantua, in a building from the early 1500s. Mantova-based Archiplan Studio renovated the entire building, including the 230 square-metre (2,475 sq.ft) apartment.

The designers maintained the original floor plan of the two-level apartment but opened it up by using glass partitions and doors in several places. We especially love the arched glass doorway that offers a full view of the beautiful stairs. It seems like a picture of the staircase, or a mirror image of an imaginary staircase across the hallway.

Similarly, the old exposed old wood ceilings, and the off-white wall and ceiling mouldings do doubl...