Casa Bunker – Cini Boeri

Casa Bunker – Cini Boeri

I love magazines, especially vintage decor and architecture ones from the 50s-80s. Awhile back, I came across this incredible home featured on the cover of the July/August 1968 issue of the iconic itallian architecture mag Abitare.

I mean. Look at it.

photo by Gabriotti / Abitare July-August 1968

Located on a cliff right by the ocean. Super modern, yet earthy and home-y at the same time? Yes please.

photo by Gabriotti / Abitare July-August 1968
photo by Gabriotti / Abitare July-August 1968
photo by Gabriotti / Abitare July-August 1968
photo by Gabriotti / Abitare July-August 1968

Unfortunately the article was all in iIalian so I couldn’t really decipher many details except that it was located in La Maddalena, a small island town in northern Sardinia, Italy.

However, a few years later, I was randomly flipping through an issue of British House and Garden magazine from 1971 and wait- I recognize that house! It was the same one from Abitare, and this time the article was in English!

photo by Carla de Benedetti / House&Garden (UK) May 1971

I learned it was designed by Cini Boeri as a home for her family (and fun fact: still enjoyed by them today). I was not familiar with her work but with some quick googling found out she was an incredible architect and designer. She started as an intern for Gio Ponti, but “rose to become Italy’s first prominent postwar female architect and designer.” (via) She just recently passed away in 2020! One of her most notable work is the “ghost chair” which is made from a single sheet of glass. She was also awarded the Compasso d’Oro Lifetime Achievement award in 2011.

The amazing thing is the house is still there. Here are some more recent shots:

Photography by Helenio Barbetta/Living Inside.
Helenio Barbetta/Living Inside.

I actually tried to google map it see a street view, and found it!

image capture via GoogleMaps

Dezeen did a great article about Cini’s work, and you can see another INCREDIBLE house “Casa Rotunda” in this recent post by Interior Design . It also has more recent shots of what Casa Bunker and Casa Rotunda look like today.