Private Villa

Almost nothing in this house touches the floor. The stair is cantilevered, the hallway storage is lifted above the stone, the beds sit on plinths lit around the perimeter, the vanities hang clear of the ground. Heavy materials are assembled to look weightless.

The palette is dark and dense: figured marble across floors and walls, brass, walnut veneer, fabric panelling. Almost all the light is concealed, running as lines in the ceiling, contours inside the niches and a strip under every suspended volume. Ceiling fixtures are few and work as accents.

The living room rises to double height and opens onto the terrace with the pool. The glazing sits in a minimal profile, so the line between house and garden is read through the change of surface.

The clients are a young couple and the house is built around them. Collectible art in the living room, a study of its own, a guest suite upstairs. The island enters through light, greenery behind the glass and the way the plan opens to water.

The upper floor moves into warmth. Wood replaces stone underfoot, the walls lighten, the lighting softens, and the private rooms sit in a different register from the ground floor.