Casa B.V by CIMA studio: Minimalist Interior Architecture in Red Birch

Designed by CIMA studio in 2025, Casa B.V represents a personal exploration of minimalist interior architecture. Located within a compact 80 m² floor plan, the residence reflects both experimental design strategies and intimate lifestyle choices. The project, created as the architects’ own future home, balances raw materiality, warm finishes, and custom solutions to transform spatial challenges into opportunities for innovation.

Design Philosophy and Inspiration

The foundation of Casa B.V’s design stems from a guiding principle: architecture begins with place. The trapezoidal layout, L-shaped terrace, and compact proportions became the driving elements behind the project. By embracing these site-specific conditions, CIMA studio developed a space that is both functional and deeply personal.

Certain concepts remained constant from conception to completion. These include merging the entrance and living room into an open space and leaving structural concrete beams and pillars exposed. This decision frames the home’s material honesty while highlighting its architectural character.

Materiality and Spatial Warmth

Raw concrete structures are balanced by carefully selected materials that bring warmth and lightness. Oak, birch, grey, and white tones dominate the palette, creating a serene backdrop punctuated by red details and subtle accents. The interplay of textures establishes a minimalist yet inviting interior that shifts between restraint and surprise.

Custom parquet flooring enhances the individuality of each space. In the living room, darker oak introduces depth, while the main bedroom features birch-based “tatami” parquet (Fabrique by Listone Giordano) for brightness. The children’s bedroom uses a simpler oak variation, tying the home together with subtle differentiation. Grey gres tiles link these spaces, allowing the bathroom to glow with natural light while emphasizing the dramatic dark shower enclosure.

Functional Reconfiguration

Compact living demanded radical layout rethinking. To add an extra bedroom, the bathroom was split, separating the shower from other functions. The kitchen was relocated near the entrance, optimizing flow and spatial efficiency. These moves reveal CIMA studio’s ability to rethink domestic conventions while retaining comfort and usability.

The home’s window frames further express the balance of tradition and modernity. Wood-aluminum frames are finished in natural fir for French doors and bleached fir for flush windows, ensuring visual coherence and tactile warmth.

Custom-Made Interior Solutions

Casa B.V rejects off-the-shelf uniformity in favor of custom-made interior solutions. Bespoke details maximize storage, flexibility, and visual character, proving that individuality can enhance everyday life. This approach embodies CIMA studio’s philosophy: architecture is not only about defining space but about creating emotional resonance and functional joy.

By treating rules as frameworks for reinterpretation, Casa B.V transforms compact living into an architectural statement—one where rawness meets refinement, and warmth coexists with rigor.

With Casa B.V, CIMA studio redefines minimalist interior architecture through material authenticity, compact efficiency, and tailored solutions. More than a residence, the project is a manifesto of how personal architecture can embody comfort, experimentation, and design integrity.

All Photographs are works of  Stefano Maniero