An analysis of the actual condition immediately revealed a need to connect the spirit of both aspects of the house - the living area (at road level) and the garden area with swimming pool (at a lower level). Before the renovation, only 50% of the residence's potential was being realised, and the two levels were being used separately. The layout of the living quarters was designed as if the house and garden shouldn't be communicating. The living room looked onto the north-facing road, and the view over the garden, swimming pool and valley was left to the southern-facing bedrooms. The idea for the design therefore transpired from the desire to create a space that capitalised on the leisure and relaxation areas, not just for a few hours of the day, but all the time - outdoor living any day of the year.

The architect Luca Lazzarotto created the design by swapping the layout, with the night area facing the road and the day area facing the panorama over the valley. The next step came fairly naturally, by connecting the day area with a recreation room situated at the lower level. To do this the designer took advantage of the extension possibilities provided by regional house building legislation, by combining the living room and recreation room and creating a large, double-height day area. Nature saw to the rest.

The desire for an outdoor living experience was so tangible that the natural elements, such as wood, stone and sunlight, were the aspects that guided all design choices. ArchSIDE places special focus on attention to detail. As the architect Luca Lazzarotto puts it, “We believe the detail is what shows the quality of the architecture." The powerful design of the wood for the ceiling, flooring and panelling, the essential choice of matt black for window and door frames, the ceiling beams and furnishings, the high-tech lighting and the raised glass walkway - each detail helps to create the unique ensemble desired with the outdoors, opening up impressive outlooks.

The large stone wall with warm tones and a generous amount of mortar features Geopietra's Alberese model. Its soft texture structurally supports the double height in the new day area, and separates it visually from the night area. With its delicate tones Murogeopietra also covers part of the villa's external façade, once again producing the perfect match inside and outside. The large windows bring the garden inside the house and project the house into the outdoors, helping to emphasise this relationship.

In this article: murogeopietra ALBERESE model.

Photo by: Vito Corvasce