An iconic geometric haven for stillness, clarity and light.
The house is like a stage, a theatre for light. When you visit, you are the audience for the dramatic play of light and shadow across mass and form.
The form of the house is strictly orthogonal, an almost perfect cube. All lines are straight, proportions carefully measured. The only curves are found in the master bathroom, enclosing the open shower, and the curved stairwell that climbs the four levels from the underground basement to the open rooftop.
Beyond the house there is a dramatic long wall that cuts through the landscape. You walk along this wall as you approach the house, leading you up with a procession of gentle, wide stairs. The house itself looms in front of you, a bold, solid wall, with a clean sliced opening running from top to bottom through which you enter the house and interior courtyard.
The all-white interior walls, with small square openings at eye-level and long rectangular skylights, allow light to drift into the interior in subtly beautiful ways. The white walls provide a canvas for this play of reflected colour.
Outside and inside, travertine marble plays a starring role, forming long, bold benches to sit on and a strong dining table and half-wall for the kitchen. Its porous, pitted surface adds texture and depth to otherwise very smooth and simple interior spaces. To the left of the kitchen you enter a large pantry/work space with large fridges and shelves that keep the clutter out of the social space.
Architects — John Pawson & Claudio Silvestrin
The living room is a quiet, enclosed space, perfect for reading a book or watching a movie projected directly onto the white walls.
