Villa am Comer See
VILLA REFURBISCHMENT, Como (IT)
On the shores of Lake Como, along the old road, stands a complex of villas dating back to the 19th century. One of these is Villa Gigli, which consists of an original volume to which the loggia and terraces on the sides have been added over the years.
The buildings north side is partly carved into a rock. The main façade, facing south, enjoys an idyllic lakefront panorama. Sunshine and natural light pervade almost every room, from early morning light to the last rays of the setting sun.
The ground floor consists of a spacious entrance hall with floor-to-ceiling arched windows. The spacious living room with a large dining table inside, leads on one side to the kitchen, on the other to the service rooms.
The guest bathroom and utility rooms are concealed within the wall-mounted wood panelling, behind the mirrored door. A carved marble fireplace embellishes the room.
On the two upper floors are four bedrooms, an office and three large bathrooms. Each room overlooks a terrace.
The architectural intervention involved the complete renovation of the building, in particular of the entire plant engineering, kitchen, bathrooms and surfaces. The roof was also reclaimed, replacing the old roof tiles. The original pantographed wooden frames, doors and skirting boards, were moderately recovered thanks to the professionalism and specific know-how of local Como craftsmen. All the original teak and panga-panga floors, laid in the Italian herringbone pattern, are also part of the recovery of materials that are now almost off the market.
The kitchen is located on the mezzanine floor, in a space annexed to the volume in the 20th century. The irregular shape of the space required careful planning in close collaboration with experienced craftsmen who made all the custom-made moulded furniture. The sapphire and ivory tones give it a classic look, in respect with the architecture of the villa.
The guest bathroom is completely covered with fine English wallpaper with a lush floral pattern. The ambience is made elegant by matt black sanitary ware and steel fittings with a special brushed bronze finish.
The en-suite master bathroom is clad in white travertine slabs with slight sea-green veins that enrich the hues of this natural stone, providing ever-changing colour nuances depending on the external light. The other two bathrooms are clad with Sirone ceramics with brushed stainless steel faucets made in Vicenza, which makes the design more contemporary than the other rooms.
The renovation also covers the exterior, where a basement swimming pool covered in hand-woven rattan has been installed in the garden.
