About The Nook

We’re Zaffrin and Rocco, two friends with a shared love of tiny buildings, good design and slow renovation.

The Nook is a tiny stone house in San Donato Val di Comino, a beautiful hilltop village in central Italy. It’s an unusual little building, exceptionally small and full of character. We loved the idea of taking it on as a design project.

Our plan is simple: to see just how much we can make of one very small Italian house. We’re restoring it slowly, working with what is already there and thinking carefully about every part of the design. We want to create something beautiful within a budget.

The Journal is where we write about the project as it unfolds, and about the people, places and objects we come across along the way. We also share our designs and ideas, what we’re learning and some of the inevitable ups and downs of renovating a house in Italy.

You can also follow The Nook Italy on Instagram where we share videos of the renovation, the village and life around the Comino Valley.

One tiny house. Let’s see what we can make of it.