Two joined houses among magical reflecting pools
HOME OF THE MONTH
Just two km from Capalbio the eclectic and refined Valle d’Oro retreat of architect Emanuela Esposito and her husband A professional couple who work between Milan and Rome, purchased 25 hectares of land - including woodland and olive groves - several years ago. He is one of Italy’s leading tax lawyers, she is one of Italy’s most esteemed interior designers, the architect Emanuela Esposito. Together, they wanted to create a spiritual retreat that would also serve as a treasure trove for their memories. ‘The existence of two old stone farmhouses and the natural energy of the location - the architect explains to Ville&Casali
- created the spark to build a great home for the family and their guests. Water is the common thread of the design. The idea is to start a dialogue between the essence of the oldest part of the main farmhouse with its modern extensions, through a passage of glass corridors that overlook magical reflecting pools’. In this way, the continuous osmosis between nature and the discreet sophistication of the interior is captured.
The interiors have been designed to welcome and astound. The entrance to the house opens into the living space and the adjoining dining area, which backs onto the kitchen and bathroom. Through the living room’s sliding doors, with its Nepalese oak ceiling purchased at a Parisian flea market, we move through an orange, sunset-hued corridor, towards the sleeping area. The bedrooms, each distinct from the other, are a succession of ideas. The lime resin bathrooms have decor designed by the architect to evoke the spontaneous blooms of the setting. At the end of this path, an evocative, fully glazed passage above a reflecting pool leads to the most private area of the house, a suite with a bronze fireplace and a large, striking, bathroom with Moroccan-sourced, hammered brass sinks and mirrors. The eclectic and refined decor of this country home is the fruit of the architect’s twenty-year experience: a lover of clean lines, warm, restrained tones, but also the charm of things that have been made specifically, that give the sense of having always been there.