Seven years of MissClaire Home Trieste!

Discover my vacation home... and its news!

Seven years ago I opened the doors of MissClaire Home: it’s my little nest in the city center, designed to welcome tourists... and those four walls have seen so many travelers that I soon received recognition as a Super Host on Airbnb! Do you know what they say? That life proceeds in cycles of seven years, at the snap of which our cells renew themselves. Well, it was time for me to change too, modifying something but staying true to the initial design, which mixes crafts and recycling.

It's right in the center of Borgo Teresiano, on the top floor of an early twentieth-century building: here 75 square meters are ready to welcome with much comfort anyone who wants to rent it for their vacation. The building's lobby is one of those opulent ones from yesteryear, with a wrought-iron front door opening onto a marble staircase, which opens onto an old-time elevator. Pushing on number “five” will get you to your destination in the blink of an eye. Being on the top floor, the rooms, starting from the landing itself, are much brighter, and the sun rays ignite with their light all the windows, which, in white wood and ornate opaline glass, will immediately give you a taste of times past.

But let's not stop outside and let’s go inside. Welcome to MissClaire Home! Cross the threshold and a scent from Essenze (an artistic perfumery in Piazza Sant’Antonio, just a stone's throw away) will welcome you with refined fragrances and rare essences; their sought-after, niche fragrances will know how to accompany you throughout your vacation, both with room and personal perfumes.

In the hallway, the original light-oak parquet flooring creaks underfoot, while the warm whale-blue-hued walls rise to the soaring ceiling. And speaking of blue, a big fish hanging on the wall created by Alberto Rocca will catch your eye – I love these sculptures and couldn't help but have one in my home, also because I believe it matches beautifully with the winter-sea color of the wall! What do you think?

I couldn’t not use any recycled items, because as you well know my passion is to mix things from the past with modern ones. Thus, a small 1960s console table or a stripped wood panel can be practical to hold some "little gifts" for you. What are they? MissClaire's recommendations! A whole set of business cards from places I really love and where you will find small discounts reserved just for you; these are very useful "tips" for those unfamiliar with the city, from bars to restaurants, from stores to crafts shops... a big selection of all the best of the area, clearly following my own taste. And I thought of expanding the selection itself by also including spas, because during my vacations I love to be pampered!

Let’s continue exploring, shall we? Here we are in the living room, which can turn into a bedroom if necessary: this is the reason why I chose beds with an intermediate size (between a single and a queen-size, to be clear), opting for super comfortable mattresses, because we all know how important it is to sleep well (even) when away from home. Thanks to the chosen covers, if they are not used for sleeping at night, they look like sofas for all intents and purposes.

Doesn't that lamp ring a bell? It’s a floor lamp especially made for this house that could only be mine! And it was created for me by Sandro from Il Laboratorio degli In-Perfetti, a small craft store that has unfortunately closed, but that will always live in my memories

The coral-red velvet armchairs are two recycled pieces, as is the loom-mounted fabric, sourced from Studiocinque e altro, while the custom-made garment rack and shelves are Vud's creations. I wonder, do you remember him? I have shown you so many things over the years... you’ll also recognize Vud and his self-made design in the bathroom, with a custom-made mirror and a fir shelf. I love that cut and willingness to leave it with bark, as natural as possible!

Various musical instruments have "found a home" in the room/living room, because music is life, it fills and accompanies our days. That’s the reason why I thought to leave there a tuned guitar and a couple picks (soft and hard).

On the shelf you’ll find two wooden letters, an M and a C, both beautiful creations by Blue di Prussia. Vulcano is a well-known turner and restorer in town, which is why I wanted to have something of his here as well. His fiberglass wing is the first thing you notice upon entering MissClaire Home 🙂

As for the bathroom, I chose a large, comfortable shower, designer sink, a yellow kneeler that matches the recycled stool reupholstered in yellow faux leather by Studiocinque e altro. As I mentioned before, you can’t not try the scents of Essenze which are there at your service!

It was fun to collaborate with Alessio from Fontana Luce, as we indulged in creating hats for the lamps made with different lines and materials. His works are beautifully displayed throughout the apartment and are true one-of-a-kind handcrafted pieces.

In the bedroom, my guests will sleep like babes, since the mattress is top of the line: latex memory foam, aloe vera (you read that right), hypoallergenic, and orthopedic! Of course, I had to throw in there three different types of pillows, that you can choose according on your habits, a Swedish comforter, and Made in Italy shaved cotton sheets. If you do not sleep comfortably here, you will need a few drops of Bach flowers!

The piece of furniture on which the television rests is also a recycled piece, as are others I personally bought around the markets of Mitteleuropa (see the old suitcases in the corner that go well with the shade of the walls).

The window-side wall is this year’s news, where I wanted to pull away the wallpaper that was hiding a wall that bears signs of time... its mortar and colors draw a truly rich history of memories. And then the room is enriched by a beautiful selection of prints from The Triestiner. "A eulogy to beauty, art, and Triestinity." I’ve collected several perspectives of the city, hanging them on the walls like large postcards.

I’m also very proud of KAATIA's Laundry Bag, made of gray felt (if you follow me on social media you’ll know that I’d seen it and brought it with me from Ljubljana).

On the walls you will also find a painting by Andra Solaja, an artist of Serbian origin who has chosen Trieste as her adopted city for several years now. The theme she broaches is the unfortunately topical one of "Violence against women," in the hopes that it may lead to some deep reflection...

And, speaking of walls, we come to the color I chose for them... for this choice I relied on Sandtex, a company that has been producing the best paints in Trieste for more than a hundred years. Color chart in hand: Monet 5 (whale blue) and Cézanne 5 (mud green). To divide this large room, I had a set designer/carpenter build a sliding panel on site with French fern fabric, so that I could separate the double bed area from the small sitting room with sofa (which turns into the fifth bed in the house if needed).

Now, to end the tour, we only need to see the kitchen!

This is what it looks like, simple and functional, divided into two rooms. Small spots of light illuminate the chalkboard wall designed by Flavia, a creative window artist whose decor has best expressed the world of MissClaire, giving you a nice welcome!

Here, too, there is no shortage of recycled elements such as the wooden table and chairs (taken from a Slovenian Scout camp that wanted to discard them) and 1970s Limoges tableware that match my personal taste. The large silver hat is again a handmade product by Fontana Luce and recalls the bathroom lamps.

A wooden creation designed by Laboratorio degli In-perfetti hides the air-conditioning pipe, accommodating a structure where some paper flowers by Hana make a beautiful display, which changes according to each season. Also, from Roberta's saintly little hands came the crepe paper mandarins that I had made for the fall/winter season and that decorate the table with poor art.

From the little balcony  you can enjoy a magnificent view over the rooftops of the city, a view that encompasses the San Giusto Castle and the dome of the Serbian Orthodox Church, and you can also catch a glimpse of the sea.

In short, I restored this house as if I were going to live in it, putting all the love I had into this renovation and tripling the amount I set as an initial budget... but what is money when there is love? MissClaire Home is ready to welcome you in Trieste. To book you can go directly to Airbnb.

“I crossed the whole city. Then I climbed a slope, crowed to start with, empty further up, closed by a little wall, a corner where I sit all alone; I feel that where it ends the city ends. Trieste has a contrary grace; if it’s your taste it’s like a youth, voracious and uncouth, with blue eyes and hands too big to make a present of a flower; it’s like a love affair, tinged with jealousy. From this slope I can make out every church, every street towards the crowded beach, or towards the hill on which there clings to the stony peak, a house, the last. Round everything is floating past a strange air, a tormenting air, the air of home. My city that is everywhere alive, has a spot made for me and for my life, moody and secretive”.

Umberto Saba

Foto  Jessica Zufferli