Grotta e Carrubo, Hideaway home
The dwelling is a small hideaway built into the rock walls of a cave, fully incorporated into the hill – on which the church of Saint Matthew is perched – in the baroque city of Scicli.
The project echoes the design philosophy of designer Margherita Rui and her husband, Alessandro. Grotta e Carrubo is a place that reflects its setting: the manifestation of a personal reconnect with the local old-fashioned way of doing things, whereby an aesthetic that embraces imperfection takes us back to a slow, time-honoured beauty.
From sourcing craftsmen to defining the material palette, the couple's every decision has been made with the aim of engaging the best local tradespeople.
When Margherita and Alessandro visited this little place for the first time, they immediately saw the potential for it to blend seamlessly into the rocky hillscape.
They decided to add to the existing carob tree and prickly pears by planting mastic, lemon and strawberry trees, ferns and regional Sicilian aromatics to enhance the built environment, with the aid of a skilled local landscape gardener (Alessio Bracchitta): the colours and fragrances of the native plants frame and define calm and restful spaces, nooks that are on ode to a new and slower paced way of life set between the slope and bare stone of the UNESCO World Heritage listed dry stone walls.
With three architect friends, they then turned their attention to the interior and outdoor design - with the help of Cristiano Urban and Rachele Sebellin - and lighting design (Eleonora Grigoletto). Leveraging his know-how and design talent, Cristiano has successfully brought Margherita and Alessandro's ideas to life, living on site over the months of the build.
Inside the house – built from white Modica stone, natural lime and timber from the region's chestnut trees – every detail has been designed through a slow and patient research process aimed at identifying the most suitable solutions sympathetic to the original materials.
Margherita has designed and produced the project's homewares, like fabrics in conjunction with Erimiti and the pendant light with Il Fanale, two companies from the Veneto region who promote custom design and a focus on the local. Even the lava stone and handmade terracotta project, Alfabeto – presented at design fair EDIT Napoli 2020, where it won an award – developed with Ninefifty was conceived right here, spawned by the desire to produce tiles punctuated by pattern, reminiscent of Caltagirone's famous staircase, but with a contemporary twist. For this house, the designer has also come up with a collection of ceramic tableware. The cushions have been hand embroidered with a nod to local nature in their style elements; olive twig baskets have been handwoven to a custom design in Caltagirone; the Liberta handblown borosilicate glass carafes are one of Margherita's designs for Ichendorf. A place that can be regarded as a collection of designs and objects all speaking the same language, a medley of purity and corrosion, a modern aesthetic and tactile vibrancy, light and colour; the fruit of a marriage of two regions – Veneto, where Margherita comes from, and Sicily – geographically distant yet united by solid craft traditions.
The house is spread over five levels, from the entry decorated with an iron pergola and outdoor pots – both custom designed by the owner – up to the roof sun terrace affording a view over the city and the surrounding hills. Inside, the house comprises a lounge with split-level built-in sofas sporting soft, sculptural lines, leading to the kitchen – decorated with ceramic tiles channelling the local tradition – and bathroom, both making a feature of antique feeding troughs. The top floor houses a double bedroom and a small mezzanine. Outside the kitchen, a staircase with risers decorated with Ninefifty's Alfabeto handmade terracotta tiles leads to the first terrace, home to an alfresco dining room furnished with a large lava stone table. Here, from the shade of a large carob tree, you can take in a glorious view over the surrounding neighbourhoods framed by the graphic lines of an iron railing, custom designed by the owner and crafted by an old local blacksmith. Also sharing this outdoor space are a plunge pool built into the rock and a washbasin set into a generous softly shaped block. From here, stairs climb to two more levels, ending on the roof sun terrace.
Concept and Interior design: Margherita Rui
