Villa Gi
The Studio oversaw the complete interior renovation of this 1960s single-family villa from an architectural, compositional, and design perspective, featuring exclusively tailor-made furnishings. The project involved a profound structural overhaul, including the total internal demolition of the original spaces to create a new, two-level residence. The first floor is designed as an expansive open-plan living area, while the upper level is dedicated to the sleeping quarters. Situated on the Orobic mountain slope, the villa is open on all four sides and surrounded by a 200-square-meter private garden, offering a privileged view of the city of Sondrio below.
The core design intent was to merge the new with the existing, making choices that respect the building's history and the family memories of the clients. Access to the villa is granted through a generous pivot door, internally clad in glass, leading into a petrol blue entrance. This chromatic "box" acts as a functional filter, marking a distinct volume within the neutral tones of the living area, further characterized by a late 19th-century sofa belonging to the clients.
In the open-plan living zone, the building’s original skeleton is proudly revealed. Two structural pillars and their connecting beam were stripped and finished with expert manual bush-hammering (bocciardatura). These raw elements create "portals" that define fluid pathways, emphasized by dedicated floor lighting. A double-sided fireplace with a heat-storage system separates the lounge from the dining-kitchen area, maintaining a visual continuum that prevents rigid compartmentalization. The central corridor, cutting from East to West, follows the house's original layout. A raw plaster finish was intentionally chosen for the walls to evoke a conceptual sense of "non-completion," adding a powerful tactile character to the space.
The kitchen features a play of solids and voids, anchored by a large island that interfaces with a high-design dining table. The lounge is defined by a modular three-piece sofa and a late 19th-century trunk, housing a 1970s vintage stereo and turntable. A small guest bathroom, finished in the same petrol blue as the entrance, is accessed via a full-height flush-to-wall door and features a micro-cement interior with bespoke cabinetry.
The staircase is a centerpiece of the home, crafted in micro-cement to contrast with the dark oak flooring found throughout. The first step is suspended and backlit with LEDs. The hand-designed iron railings—raw and suspended—conceal the steps while their oblique rhythm emphasizes the sense of ascent. These interact with irregular vertical pillars in the dining area, allowing the staircase (originally external) to integrate into the living space. Ascending to the night area, the user enters a double-height space where three sculptural pendants hang from the timber roof.
The sleeping quarters feature a central corridor that mirrors the floor below. While the hallway ceiling is set at 240 cm, it breaks at the flush-to-wall doors to reveal the soaring verticality of the bedrooms, where the exposed timber roof is clad in whitened fir planks, creating a bright contrast with the dark oak floors.
The master suite is organized into three fluid zones: a walk-in closet, a master bath, and the sleeping area. A custom oak wardrobe hides the closet access, while the other spaces interact through volumes and colors rather than traditional doors. The vanity area features the clients' antique furniture, leading into a master bathroom with a suspended, ribbed (cannettato) oak vanity, double sinks, and mirrors that follow the roofline. A large walk-in shower (90x240 cm), finished entirely in micro-cement and accessible from both sides, acts as a passage to the bedroom. Here, a central king-size suspended bed rests against a white tailor-made boiserie with integrated nightstands, blending seamlessly into the room’s backdrop.
