An urban residential villa

This private residence is located in an urban area consisting prevalently of single-family detached houses near the centre of Trevignano Romano, a small town on the shores of Lake Bracciano north of Rome. To make the most of the residence’s strategic location in a quiet and charming natural area, the southern side facing the lake and the western side of the building were provided with a spacious porticoed area. This creates a sense of continuity between the garden and the interior of the large, brightly lit living room located on the ground floor along with the kitchen and the service areas. The first-floor night-time area consists of three bedrooms, the bathrooms and a large balcony overlooking the garden. The basement level houses a large hobby room together with some accessory spaces. In a tribute to some of the construction features typical of the local area, architect Giampiero Marricchi opted to build a central-plan villa surrounded by an olive garden. For the volumes themselves, the architect also chose to use traditional local materials, including artisanal clay bricks, wrought iron, Roman style roof tiles with recycled undertiles and overtiles, and porticoes made of naturally treated wood and “peperino viterbese” stone, a kind of volcanic tuff found in various areas of central Italy and used for the construction of plinths, bands, pavements, sills and stairs.
The interior spaces are painted white and appear to be flooded with light, largely due to the large windows that open onto the olive garden surrounding the villa. With the precise aim of creating large barrier-free environments, on the client’s request the architect sought to create a large, bright open space where the kitchen tends to conceal its function thanks to cabinets and doors without handles and strongly linear furnishings. For this reason, the accessories were chosen with great care, including an extraction hood that looks like a light fixture, a steel hob designed by Renzo Piano, and sinks and worktops with a continuous appearance. The ground floor has a small number of partitions and a point-like structural framework that enhances the unity and fluidity of the spaces. The entire space maintains a highly uniform colour. Coving installed slightly below the level of the ceiling serves to hide the perimeter light beams. These beams of light delineate the spaces and highlight the house’s structure consisting of simple, slightly offset units with recesses and projections that integrate well with the garden.
With the exception of the staircase and the ground-floor bathroom, both clad with rough travertine marble, the horizontal surfaces of the residence are tiled with wood-effect porcelain with the aim of creating a natural appearance. This “living material” runs seamlessly throughout the entire house, creating routes and living areas. The tiles were chosen in a large-format 20×120 cm size and colour Chiaro Liscio, which blends perfectly with the dominant white of the walls and furnishings. This surface is also used in the upstairs bathroom, highlighting the rounded, elegant forms of the Boing sanitaryware collection (GSG Ceramic Design). The Axis collection planks produced by Ceramiche Coem were installed lengthwise to create a strong sense of movement. With their soft surface texture and natural colour, they offer a faithful reproduction of the natural variability of wood. This surface coordinates with the fireplace and coffee table in the living room, unique items custom-built by a Campagnano-based craftsman using chestnut tree roots found in the woods of Tuscia.