The seasons of taste
A SHIP FOREVER MOORED. THIS IS HOW ANDREA CASTRIGNANO DESCRIBES HIS 19TH-CENTURY VILLA IN LIGURIA.
The home in Liguria of Andrea Castrignano, interior designer and television personality, exists in total symbiosis with the sea. «My getaway is at Mulinetti, between Sori and Recco», he says. «The house was built in 1871 and has a rather unique personality, with a pagoda roof. I bought it in 2004, the classic stroke of luck». The place had been badly neglected, but Andrea understood its potential. He has given the villa a forceful new personality, without damaging its original identity. The conservative restoration took three years. «Where possible, I kept the original terrazzo floors. I also left the intact, Pompeii-style without restoration frescos that would make them seem artificial, leaving traces of the past». Immersed in nature, the house on four levels has colors in tune with the surrounding landscape. These refined chromatic choices, an earmark of Castrignano’s style, have a vivid personality. «I love color, and here I have opted for dominants of sage green and army green, light and dark tones. All the casements of the double doors are in army green. The doors themselves are darker, in contrast with the walls in a paler tone of the same hue». In recent months Castrignano has decided to reinvent the decor, above all with his own creations, like the chandelier presented at Euroluce and the camouflage fabric seen at the latest Fuorisalone. «We have mixed iconic pieces with retro items», the interior designer continues. «We treat this villa like a primary residence, and when we come here we need no luggage. I think a vacation home should be like an extension of your main residence». «The garden descends directly to the sea, and we use it as an outdoor living room. My husband Federico and I are lovers of succulents, which we find all around the world, so the garden gains more and more variety». Like this house, which is constantly updated, following the seasons of taste.