This was what?
The building's former life isn't erased.
It's the brief.
Every project begins with a question: what did this building used to do, and what does that tell us about what it could become? A television repair shop becomes a bar where things get fixed differently. A gym becomes a different kind of training ground. The old use isn't decoration: it's the logic that shapes the new one.
None of these buildings were obvious choices. Most were overlooked, unwanted, or considered past use.
That's precisely why they're here.
Rescued. Renovated. Reborn.
Area 8 cocktail bar & bistro Sassi district, Matera
Former TV repair shop.
Vinyl listening room and seventies speakeasy. Events >250
Outside space: 100sqm private piazza with dj booth and outdoor bar
area8.it ↗
Palestra di Area 8 Historical centre, Matera
Former gym.
Theatre, events, dancing. Events >150
Outside space: 45sqm tropical winter garden
area8.it ↗
Area 8 Rooms Nardò Historical centre, Nardò
House abandoned for 30 years.
Sleeps 4
Outside space: 30sqm super private terrace with spectacular views
area8rooms.com ↗
MILK Matera Sassi district, Matera
Former cow shed, milk shop and farmer's home.
Supper club, gallery space, private club.
Sleeps 6 / events >60. Opening September 2026
Outside space: three terraces, 300sqm total, metaphysical view over the Murgia valley
milkmatera.it ↗
Corte dei Limoni Historical centre, Nardò
Former panel beater housed in XV Century building.
Sleeps 10 / events >30. Opening fall 2026
Outside space: 100sqm garden with sunken conversation pit and plunge pool
area8rooms.com ↗
tempa. Murgia National Park
Former tool shed.
Tiny house sleeps 4 / farm to table events >30. Opening spring 2027
Outside space: 1000 sqm panoramic terraced olive grove
BANGA Location TBD
Just landed.
Carlo Zappa 1971 Space Age fiberglass BANGA pod. Sleep 2 x 2.
Under restoration
Raba / tana Ancient Arab quarter, Tursi
Renovation of listed XVII Palazzo Donnaperna in former ghost town of Rabatana.
Sleeps 10 / events >30. Opening spring 2027
Outside space: 45sqm private courtyard, balconies, terraces
Innovation changes how we work. But where do we go when we are done?
Smart cities, fast connections, new technology: all of it changes how the south works. But none of it answers a much older question: when the day is done, where does a person actually go? This project is one answer: small, slow, and built from what was already here.