224 ROOM FOR ART

In the Swiss village of Morcote, a couple of art aficionados have enlivened a stone home’s many rooms with Nordic furniture, street art and jungle wallpaper

The large painting in the living room looks as if it has always been there, shoehorned in, down to the last centimetre of space between the ceiling and the floor. But «we already had it», says the owner of the house, «except that the apartment where we were before had much bigger spaces, whereas this house is a bit of a labyrinth, with lots of rooms, all very small. When we discovered that the ceilings would all have to be redone, we were worried that it wouldn’t fit; with the standards of today, there’s always some extra layer that has to be added». But in the end, it did fit, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. «It’s by Katrin Fridriks, an Icelandic friend of ours who lives in Paris. It reproduces the magmatic nature where she grew up, with all the strength and movement of her native land». So now there it is, hanging alongside the teak chairs by Finn Juhl and the yellow George Nelson sofa. «We bought those specially for this room, which we wanted to be more modern and a bit more crude as compared to everything else», say the proprietors, a couple of art and design enthusiasts. Their collection ranges from Nordic furniture, particularly of the 50s and 60s, to contemporary art. «Anton was struck by it after he’d seen an Obey exhibition in Boston and began to collect pieces of street art. Then I added the pieces that I liked», says Birgit. In the sequence of levels that follow the slope of the ground, warm and cool tones alternate: wall surfaces finished with jungle wallpaper and optical mosaics, floor finishes ranging from veined marble to quarry-split stone, oak wood, fitted carpeting. Fitted carpeting? «Yes. If it was up to me I’d make a whole house out of it», laughs their architect Luciano Giorgi, who took care of the refurbishment. «But in this case, we’ve limited ourselves to the wardrobe of the master bedroom», which is actually a complete suite that includes an entirely transparent shower enclosure. «For me, it’s fundamental to take decisions jointly with the people who are going to live in the house», he says. «I would feel tied up if I stuck to just one language. I’ve always been fascinated by architects who have been able to produce buildings that are completely different one from another, thanks to thinking about architecture in a way that goes beyond theories and manifestoes». In this case too, the concept of difference is central. «Since there was nothing that had to be saved, we decided to work on the discontinuity of the spaces». This house is the opposite of open-plan living: the rooms are separated by doors and portals which make a very fragmented space that’s typical of old houses. In a continuous mix& match of colours and materials, the living area has been thought of as a neutral, abstract space. Compared to all the rest, it’s a pause. «We thought a break was required here, a grey limbo finished in one single material where the furniture seems to be floating». The only exception is the chimney, which has been finished in rough plaster to give a hyper-three-dimensional, less delicate effect. The kitchen has the same dark tones as the courtyard, so as to give continuity between the inside and the outside. Outside, everything has remained as it was. The building is built from stone and still includes part of the 16th century masonry, which could not be touched. It’s in the central part of Morcote, one of the most beautiful small villages in Switzerland. The lake is right in front, the mountains are all around, and Lugano is 15 minutes away by car. «We like the tranquillity of this place» say the owners. «The garden lies above a natural spring that enabled us to create a spa with a Turkish bath» Giorgi explains. «It isn’t heated and there’s no glass in the windows. Personally, I’d never have the courage to plunge into a freezing open-air tub but they’re Nordic and it’s part of their culture». Birgit is German and Anton is