Modern Sublimations

For unparalleled views and mild weather conditions, the hills that encircle Lake Garda are one of the most sought-after settings for residential properties. In this area full of promise, where olive groves and vineyards provide glimpses and scenes of unrivalled beauty, modern day construction projects are moving away from traditional building styles to develop less invasive architectures that exist in harmony with their surroundings. The desire to follow the natural morphology of the land led architect Gianfranco Sangalli to design a home whose essence lies in its perfect balance. The property, which is in Toscolano Maderno, has been laid out across three levels, and carefully planned to mitigate its presence in the surrounding greenery, to the extent that it is scarcely noticeable from the road or from the lake. Introduced by an inviting swimming pool, the main part of the building is open to the view thanks to its huge glazed walls. The terraces and colonnades create a balance of solids and voids, transforming the garden into a sort of patio overlooked by both the day zone and the night zone, which lie on the ground and first floors respectively. The most interesting aspect of the building lies in its ability to connect the landscape in which it lies to the external and internal spaces. On one side, the large windows that make up the main facade (designed with Schüco aluminium solutions) guarantee an unimpeded view and a connection between the home and the nature that surrounds it.

On the other side, the walls, faced in Pietra Piasentina (Iaconcig), create a reference to the surrounding hill terraces through their texture, as if wanting to surround the home in a protective tectonic shell inspired by the landscape. The layout of the internal space is inspired by the outer shell, with a stark yet balanced layout. A long corridor separates the different zones of the day area (living area, dining area and kitchen) and the night area, comprised of three large rooms with wardrobes and bathrooms. Behind the minimalist lines of the furnishings, in which stand-out items are the Budapest sofa by Baxter and the Doge table by Cassina, are hi-tech control systems, including the elegant glass home automation systems from the Ave Touch collection by AVE. The perfect combination of a building that meets all the requirements of a home while evoking a dreamlike atmosphere, the residence adapts superbly to the landscape that hosts it. The polished slabs of Pietra Piasentina distinguish the flooring on the ground level, while matt slabs distinguish those outside. The night zone, on the other hand, is floored with bevelled oak boards, while the bathrooms are panelled in sheets of turtledove quartzite, with sinks hewn from a block of the same marble. The key element around which the kitchen is designed is a large Boffi island (365 x 112 cm and 112 cm high), covered in scratch-resistant stainless steel, lit by height-adjustable counterpoised lights by Kreon. Visual continuity between the kitchen and the rest of the living area represented another key consideration for the project, resolved by adopting as a room divider a large window that does not interrupt the view between one setting and another. Privacy is guaranteed, though, by the presence of a roller blind in white technical fabric. The entire project is perfectly in keeping with the contemporary articulation of the home: through the large windows, the interior engages with the colonnade and the enchanting surroundings, with a consistency of style achieved in the living area through a perpetual game of analogies and echoed materials and colours between one zone and another.

Architect Gianfranco Sangalli has designed this villa and designed many of the furnishings that form part of it, including the upholstered furniture in the night zone.

Pitra created: the indoor fire pit in stainless steel, the upper structure with cover in plasterboard, the loadbearing structure of the stairs and the crystal banisters, the corridor banisters, the glass kitchen divider, the window for the all-glass door, the sliding window, all the windows on the ground floor, first floor and facade, the terrace handrails in stainless steel, stairs, balconies, and more besides.

Artstyle created all the bathrooms, the living area, the bedrooms, the furniture in the different rooms, all wood furnishings except for the kitchen.

Zenucchi supplied the Boffi kitchen with Sub Zero and Wolf appliances. The two sets of wall units have white fronts and stainless steel worktops. The central island, on the other hand, is entirely in stainless steel.

Red Pool designed the technical and practical approach to the swimming pool, with materials to meet the result desired by the client.