Widened windows create a frameless experience of interior and exterior space.
A dated villa in Northern Italy is transformed into a daylight-filled retreat that artfully blends with the surrounding landscape.
A quest to balance raw materiality with beauty and comfort informs Belgian architect and designer Bênoit Viaene’s work and his transformation of an ageing villa in Como through careful design interventions.
The original villa was built in the mid-1950s and designed by architect Carlo Mantegazza, who was favoured by many families around Lake Como. While part of the original concept was to blend the villa with the landscape through a low roof and single level, it had small windows and a disparate floor plan.
Viaene opened up the floor plan and widened the windows to create a frameless experience of interior and exterior space. The open-plan living, kitchen, and dining space is surrounded by glass, connecting the villa’s owners to daylight and views of Lake Como.
Part of the open plan living, kitchen and dining space with a balance of raw materiality and elegance—a hallmark of Bênoit Viaene’s work.
The villa’s interior reveals Viaene’s signature approach to combining natural materials and craftsmanship. Plaster flooring and custom furnishings, including a wooden dining table, Pietra dei Medici stone coffee table, and desk in Sira granite find balance with refined design pieces, such as the Pierre Augustin Rose sofa, a daybed by Mies van der Rohe, and a wall piece by Belgian artist Stan Van Steendam.
New seating outside creates a connection to nature. A new pool also forms a subtle part of the setting, ensuring the landscape and view always play a leading role. A set of steps leads down to a hidden guesthouse designed as a safe cocoon. Further down the landscape, a boat house and lake access are also located.
The villa’s interior reveals Viaene’s signature approach to combining natural materials and craftsmanship, such as plaster flooring and custom furnishings—including a wooden dining table.
In the villa’s living room a balance between modern and vintage; a Pietra dei Medici stone table, Knoll Barcelona daybed by Mies van der Rohe, sofa by Pierre Augustin Rose and Serax Organic rust stool.
The GUBI Pacha lounge chair and Fritz Hansen PK22 chairs in the living area.
A bathroom with a cohesive mix of materials and textures that enhance the sense of peaceful escape.
A connection to nature is created through new seating outside, where a new pool also forms a subtle part of the setting, ensuring the landscape and view, always play a leading role.
