Casa Contadina

Text description provided by architect.

The restoration and expansion of a farmhouse on the terraced hillside of Cinque Terre in Liguria focuses on the recovery and emphasis of original materials and construction techniques in a contemporary perspective.

New concrete paving unifies the spaces of the house, white plaster for the interior highlights the stone on the original bearing walls, and the new black window frames create a balanced contrast with the interiors of the house and the framing of the landscape.

The furniture, refined but simple, plays on the combination of recovered and modern pieces, using colors that recall those of the surrounding landscape.

A simple volume of split stone, typical of Liguria, is hollow to allow for a generous full-height opening towards the sea, whose adjustable brisesoleil, the typical Genoese shutters, allow regulationof the light throughout the day.

Inside, the smallest spaces, the ‘garden rooms’ (the surface is approximately equal to Le Corbusier’s Cabanon at Cap-Martin) has no more than a bed, wc, sink, and shower. The scheme is repeated on two floors.