This villa perched on the coast of Malibu bears the signature of Montalba Architects, the overseas designers’ studio that (also) added an extension to the first floor of the house. Because, positioned directly on the beach, the renovation phase had to take into account the periodic rise of the sea, giving impetus to the pre-existing structure. Thus, the intervention on Graoni House – title of the project – materialized in the expedient to emphasize the view of the horizon: a natural horizon that is embellished with the charm of the ocean.
The stepped terraces of the villa are the views outdoor which overlook the blue carpet. Together, they perform the function of framing the two overlapping volumes of the house with external vertical fins. Thus, they pay homage to the (researched) sense of structural depth. Montalba Architects’ intervention also involved raising the windows and ceilings, giving the view of the landscape a wider frame. In the interior, the kitchen, the dining room and the living room constitute the main spaces of Graoni House. In these areas, the plan is open and theopen space promotes conviviality between inhabitants. Even before – step back towards the entrance – the space becomes welcoming and invites visitors to look beyond the transparencies. Here are the expansive views overlooking the ocean.
The second floor is an environment that allows natural light to pass through. And it is (also) a decidedly airy and seductive area of the house, which extends well beyond the beach below. The staircase and the main entrance hall have undergone a revolution: from dimly lit areas of the house to warm and bright spaces. And speaking of light. The entire interior design project focused on the energy of the sun’s rays. The architects wanted to extend the indoor view to the outdoors to experiment with new (and beautiful) perspectives on Nature.
www.montalbaarchitects.com
Alessia Musillo is editor of Elledecor.it. Graduated from the State University of Milan with a thesis held at the Treccani Foundation in Milan, she also studied Modern Languages at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow (UK) and Semiotics at the University of Tartu (Estonia). After having collaborated with various newspapers, today she transforms current events into stories by writing about cities, design and pop culture for the Elle Decor Italia website. You can follow her on Instagram (@alessia__musillo) or by reading Elledecor.it. Her articles are journeys on the trail of contemporary living. The middle of her? The word.
