PLACE
Versilia

STATUS
Achieved

CHRONOLOGY
2022

CATEGORY
residential, interior architecture, design

The intervention of functional enlargement and upgrading aims to give its own identity to a property originally conceived as a garage and service apartment of an adjacent manor house and later remodeled for the purpose of constituting an independent cottage.
The de facto state consisted of a quadrangular building on two levels, with a second floor set back, covered by a gabled roof and adopted a vernacular language typical of the Versilia coast.
The needs of the new property to have more rooms and toilets resulted in an increase in volume that the building regulations allowed localized only in a side edge of the street front and with a piecemeal appearance, with the risk of compromising the regular and symmetrical appearance that the building originally had.
The volume is schematically included within edges identified by masonry partitions perpendicular to each other, identifiable by their constituent material, and by the extension of one of the two roof pitches. The alternation of plastered surfaces, stone-clad partitions, and the insertion of metal elements embedded in the material made it possible to neutralize the potential imbalance caused by the volumetric addition, giving completeness to each part and characterizing the house by its contemporary appearance but respectful of the imposed landscape constraints.
Internally, the house has been completely redesigned; on the ground floor, it features an open living area in which two sliding walls modulate the space, concealing or revealing a kitchen and a study/jolly room. On the upper floor, two bedrooms with related bathrooms are located on either side of a staircase set in a barycentric position. A third guest room, with its own bathroom, is located on the ground floor in a more defiladed portion.
The interior design is characterized by the integration of standard and custom furnishings in an essential yet detail-oriented overall design, where the combination of materials, color schemes, and natural and artificial lighting entice living in a relaxing and welcoming atmosphere.