Houzz Tour: Upside-Down House Makes the Most of Its Seaside Views
With an inverted and opened-up layout, this home on Italy’s Mediterranean coast becomes a spot to relax and entertain
The true treasure of the region around Genoa, Italy, is the Ligurian Sea, which provides the perfect backdrop for any kind of architecture. In order for the living area and terrace to take full advantage of the panoramas along this stretch of the Mediterranean, architects Isabella Invernizzi and Beatrice Bonzanigo gave this vacation house an inverted layout, with the bedrooms below and the living spaces above.
White resin acts as a decorative through line, accentuated with subtle blue hues that echo the home’s stunning natural surroundings. Recycled-wood furnishings and floral-print textiles add a touch of warmth and a relaxed feel. The overall minimalist but cozy style yields a comfortable, unpretentious home.
White resin acts as a decorative through line, accentuated with subtle blue hues that echo the home’s stunning natural surroundings. Recycled-wood furnishings and floral-print textiles add a touch of warmth and a relaxed feel. The overall minimalist but cozy style yields a comfortable, unpretentious home.
This home consists of two stories, with its lower level partially below the ground. It had previously belonged to the owner of the restaurant in the adjacent building.
A Place to Entertain Gets Priority
The clients’ main request was a big living-cooking area. They didn’t need a lot of bedrooms and instead prioritized large open spaces where they could entertain guests. “To fulfill this request, we inverted the original layout of the rooms, which had the living area on the first floor and the bedrooms on the second,” Bonzanigo says.
String pendant light: Flos; browse one-light pendants
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A Place to Entertain Gets Priority
The clients’ main request was a big living-cooking area. They didn’t need a lot of bedrooms and instead prioritized large open spaces where they could entertain guests. “To fulfill this request, we inverted the original layout of the rooms, which had the living area on the first floor and the bedrooms on the second,” Bonzanigo says.
String pendant light: Flos; browse one-light pendants
Find an architect near you
Since the home is built on a slope, the upper level also has access to the yard. It is taken up primarily by the living room, kitchen and powder room. The latter has a wood door, bought from Simone Marro, a specialist in antique doors in nearby Cuneo.
The floors and built-in sofas in the interior are finished in a concrete-effect white resin. “Our idea, which the clients liked, was that the resin should be a single, continuous motif throughout the house,” Bonzanigo says.
The table is made of recycled boards resting on metal legs. It was built by Orissa Mobili Coloniali, a shop and furniture restoration studio in Milan.
Even the fireplace was moved to the upper level. “We kept the chimney flue but rebuilt the fireplace from scratch with recycled stones and wood from another of our company’s building sites,” Bonzanigo says.
Pouf ottomans in ash and leather: Alma Design; Privat Lampe II floor lamp: Memphis
The floors and built-in sofas in the interior are finished in a concrete-effect white resin. “Our idea, which the clients liked, was that the resin should be a single, continuous motif throughout the house,” Bonzanigo says.
The table is made of recycled boards resting on metal legs. It was built by Orissa Mobili Coloniali, a shop and furniture restoration studio in Milan.
Even the fireplace was moved to the upper level. “We kept the chimney flue but rebuilt the fireplace from scratch with recycled stones and wood from another of our company’s building sites,” Bonzanigo says.
Pouf ottomans in ash and leather: Alma Design; Privat Lampe II floor lamp: Memphis
The living room and kitchen are separated by resin steps and an archway, which was added during the two-year renovation to make the interior more dynamic.
“The ceiling is original, though there used to be a false ceiling over it,” Bonzanigo says. “We got rid of the false ceiling, left the iron beams visible and painted the wooden beams white.”
M1 Medio wall light: Viabizzuno; browse wall lights
“The ceiling is original, though there used to be a false ceiling over it,” Bonzanigo says. “We got rid of the false ceiling, left the iron beams visible and painted the wooden beams white.”
M1 Medio wall light: Viabizzuno; browse wall lights
The beams were left exposed even in the kitchen. This space also features a blue accent wall painted in an enamel to better withstand water and cooking splatter. The kitchen was custom-designed by the architects and built by Cappellini Cucina. The table had belonged to the clients.
Before: This is what the stairs between the first and second floors looked like before the renovation.
After: The architects covered the stairs in white resin and replaced the original banister with a wrought-iron one from a house in Milan.
The framed mirror is not just a decorative element; it swings open to reveal a pass-through to the laundry room.
The framed mirror is not just a decorative element; it swings open to reveal a pass-through to the laundry room.
Simple Style in the Sleeping Spaces
Two bedrooms are on the lower level. A painting and a floral-patterned bedspread add a colorful touch to the white-walled master bedroom.
Two bedrooms are on the lower level. A painting and a floral-patterned bedspread add a colorful touch to the white-walled master bedroom.
Before: The terrace served as the adjacent restaurant’s outdoor seating area.
After: The original ceramic floor tiles were in bad condition and replaced with iroko boards.
Straw outdoor rug: Funky Table Milano; Palazzo Bianco folding chairs, Eligo; sofa: Maisons du Monde; browse patio furniture
Straw outdoor rug: Funky Table Milano; Palazzo Bianco folding chairs, Eligo; sofa: Maisons du Monde; browse patio furniture
Pizza Oven Becomes a Cozy Fire Corner
Before: A wood-fired oven on the terrace was left over from the restaurant. It was closed off and rarely used.
Before: A wood-fired oven on the terrace was left over from the restaurant. It was closed off and rarely used.
After: It looks completely different now with the partially ruined wooden partitions removed. The newly opened space is a comfy spot that can be enjoyed by all.
Under the terrace are a gym and a guest suite, which are separate from the rest of the house and accessed through the yard.
Lightweight white curtains provide some privacy during workouts.
10 Elements of an Inspiring Workout Zone
Lightweight white curtains provide some privacy during workouts.
10 Elements of an Inspiring Workout Zone
Next to the gym is the guest suite.
The architects added a swimming pool just below the house. “It could not be made larger than [about 30 by 20 feet] due to local environmental protection laws,” Bonzanigo says.
The pool is finished in a dark gray plaster. It gets deeper toward one end. In the deep end, opposite the steps, there is a big bench for relaxing and enjoying the spectacular views.
The pool is finished in a dark gray plaster. It gets deeper toward one end. In the deep end, opposite the steps, there is a big bench for relaxing and enjoying the spectacular views.
This is the layout of the upper level.
The gym and the guest suite are missing from this plan of the lower level because they were a later addition.
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House at a Glance
Who lives here: A family when on vacation
Location: Outskirts of San Lorenzo della Costa, about 17 miles southeast of Genoa, Italy
Size: About 1,400 square feet (130 square meters) on 2 acres
Architects: Isabella Invernizzi and Beatrice Bonzanigo of IB Studio