Project Description

This design concerns a large country building surrounded by a Tuscan vineyard: the building’s ownwers purpose was to support the rural commitment transforming the building into a farm holiday. I was charged together with engineer Giuseppe Salamone to plan this restoration work: the building was divided into two levels each one 250 sqm. large and included two apartments, a large area assigned to wine making with many big unused vats and other rooms for courtyard animals farming.

The design integrates the new function without any alteration to the exterior look (only diverting the way of an external stair) and recovers the old stone exposed façade walls, carelessely plastered during the past decades.

Doors and windows spaces are underlined using single wing metal frames. Indoor spaces have been divided into three double bedrooms ensuite and four two-room flats, an area used as wine cellar and a large area is conceived as common spaces: the living area is divided in two levels connected by a winding stair revolving around a great brick red fireplace hood, while the dining area was carved out in a small new space that is conceived as a white pure parallelepiped clearly contrasting with the existing stone façade: this new volume looks as floating in the country landscape and overlooks the pool area set slightly further down
Interior spaces design follows the same project approach highlighting existing elements (roof wood beams, exposed stone walls, cotto tiles windowsills ) and contrasting contemporary furniture elements such as Tokujin Yoshioka plastic seats by Driade.

I feel this project good final outcome descends by this design philosophy: the combination of different periods elements matched without any distortion attempt gives the building a stillness perception in which no part overcomes the others.