The country house is a very important theme in interior architecture and it is usually characterized by a rustic atmosphere, bound to tradition and to the territory, as it is conceived as a hideout from the city and the constraints of metropolitan chaos. Nonetheless, not all country houses show antique rural architectural characteristics or traditional materials to recover: a large portion of the Italian landscape is the result of less valued buildings and small houses built during the economic boom, especially in the lower Piedmont area, where this project is set.

The intervention consists in the conversion of a small warehouse, originally meant to stock agricultural products on the ground floor of a country villa built in the 1960’s on the hills of Tramontana, a hamlet of Parodi Ligure. Even though the villa does not have typical rural features, the main objective of the project is to create a refuge, in harmony with nature and with the external space, in a context of hills and vineyards. As the original plan was rectangular without any partitions, we chose to build as little as necessary using traditional masonry techniques, to obtain a fluid space that spreads from the living room facing the porch overseeing the garden to the area of the bedrooms with their balcony, offering view of the hills.

The only two strong traits we introduced are represented by a long curtaining that goes for the whole width of the building and reflects itself infinitely in the central volume of the bathroom, which separates the cooking area from the living room. In this way, this textile division becomes a scenic yet light element and its movement modifies the perception of the space according to its use and the moment of the day. The curtain hides a bedroom and a studio, but above all it blends the view over the green areas cultivated on the sides of the building and it allows the natural ventilation to run from one side of the hill to the other.

Both features can be enjoyed from the central relax area. If at first sight this may not appear as a classic country house, this is due mostly to the unconventional choice of colours, especially considering the context. The traditional oak wood is enphasized by contrast with the matt black of the kitchen with island, that represents another dramatic backdrop. The complex is made vibrant by the light apple green of the central cube, that intensifies the light coming through the windows. Finally, inside, a surprise : the bathroom is divided in two areas and reveals the private and precious sacellum for the client, a space for well being inside the refuge, a deep shower niche fully covered in gold glass mosaic.

Material Used:

1. COREtec – Luxury Vinyl Flooring – Wood+ Oak

2. IPERCERAMICA – Bathroom Tiles - Gold glass mosaic -

3. JACUZZI – Bathroom fittings -

4. IKEA – Kitchen Furniture – Metod Ekestad /Kungsbacka