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RS. 15

Project Year
2014-2015
Location
Miami, USA
Client
Private
Lead Architect
Davide Longhi
Team
Massimiliano Depieri
Riccardo Pasquato
Federico D'Incà Levis
Nicolò Ballarin
Lighting Design
Gianantonio Scarpi

PROJECT

Living on the Ocean

When we found ourselves in front of such an extraordinary, breath-taking panorama, we tried to make the view speak, and to make the space that looks at it calm and tranquil, as if we needed to get drunk on the extraordinary beauty of the ocean. In fact we have tried to free the walls as much as possible from any impediment to let the water and the sky enter the house.

In the first place we chose a glossy white Carrara floor, which reflected the light and illuminated even the parts furthest from the windows. Secondly, we opened up the kitchen by transforming it into a cube with different faces: a privacy filter on the entrance side, bringing light to the door and reflecting the sky above the Scuso marble, a tree-shaped side towards the living room to ideally welcome and embrace the family that gathers around the kitchen for breakfast; finally a third side, more functional, with the possibility of passing the dishes towards the dining area and serving the diners. For the whole house we have carefully chosen high quality furnishings, brought from Italy and often specially built by expert Italian carpenters, to furnish the whole house and make it elegant and refined.

For the living room we tied ourselves to the surrounding nature: the blue of the deep ocean is the color of the Poliform sofas for the conversation area, and the yellow of the sun for the BeB armchairs that overlook the ocean. The design table, with a wavy foot in dark wood, has an extraordinary blue glass plate like water, and with solid wooden chairs and blue fabric. At the entrance we wanted to insert two pieces of historic American design, two yellow armchairs by Knoll. We have taken up the same Knoll design in the stools overlooking the ocean, along the huge shelf under the windows, designed to be able to have breakfast face to face with the ocean. The corridor is covered in wet sand-colored wood, and decorated with wooden cylinders that want to recall the reeds that grow spontaneously in wetlands; they lead you to the different bedrooms and bathroom of the living area, as well as the hidden laundry room.

From the end of the corridor, the large master bedroom plays with a series of leather surfaces, mirrors and lights, almost as if to dematerialize the wall of the bed headboard, but using earthy colors to instill a feeling of well-being. In front of the bed, a large circular mirror reflects the ocean and its light. Beyond the bench covered with cushions to look at the view, there is a bright green armchair, also by Knoll, to read a good book and relax. Obviously, adjacent to the master bedroom, we find a large sand-colored bathroom, with a warm and soft light designed to create the right intimacy for the master bathroom. A second bedroom, with en-suite bathroom and open shower, plays with the reflection of light through the mirrors with colored frames by Kartel, the wall mirrors near the window and the iridescent golden ceramic slabs, which envelop the room.

Finally, the closets in the study room, connected to the living room, but divisible by three sand-colored wooden sliding doors, hide a fold-down bed that opens when needed.

We believe that the project has managed to interpret the need for functionality, elegance and lightness that such an extraordinary place deserved. And to bring the extraordinary panorama to every point of the house, inspired by her.

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Davide Longhi

Davide LONGHI was born in Vasto, Italy in 1969.
He graduated with honors in Architecture in Venice with an urban design thesis.
Winner of Max Kelly postgraduate scholarship to study Sydney Harbour’s Metropolitan
Strategies, promoted from the Australian Government of NSW .

He obtained a PHD in International Quality of Design with a thesis on urban
development in Asian cities.
He lives and works in Padua where he founded in 1999, PWSA, PatchWork Studio
Architects, a versatile container of studies, designs and projects.

The most important of his research themes is about the origin and transformations of
public spaces and wide-area planning; he won the national prize of Gubbio for the
squares of Pastrengo-Verona.
He has been following through the years, a lot of urban projects in Veneto Region,
working since 2006 on the PTRC, the Strategic Regional Plan of Veneto.

He has also worked on many residential projects around the world.
He loves a functional and creative home, at the same time. Fresh spaces but full of
life, and where the internal-external relationship is the key to interiors paths and
perspectives.
He is a lover of 1950s / 1970s design, especially Italian and American, and he loves to
include vintage pieces of modern design in his projects that he looks for with care.
Often the design of the stairs inside his own homes are coming a spatial landmark
and an interesting opportunity for a change of perspective within domestic spaces.
He loves designing the scenographic transitions of environments with light, which,
especially in the evening, light up with atmospheres.

He has followed numerous projects for shops and chains, and tries to respond with
innovative and functional spaces to the different types of merchandising.
Behind choices it often hides a very complex marketing strategy and a strong focus
on cost control. Above all the shops tell the expertise and professionalism of industrial
groups or enthusiasts about watchmaking, wine, food, coffee or producers of sofas
and furniture dealers.

He was the curator of the exhibition “Twentieth Century. Architectures and cities of
Veneto”, event of the XIII Biennale of Architecture in Venice and the author of the
eponymous volume.

He has held seminars, conferences and workshops In many universities: Sydney
(Sydney University and University of Technology, Sydney), Seoul (Myongji University),
Beijing (Tsinghua University), Brussels (Institut Supérieur ’’Architecture Saint-Luc),
Nancy (Ecole de Architecture), XXV and XXVI ILAUD (International Laboratory of
Architecture and Urban Design).

He has taught at:
2014-2015, University of Ferrara;
2014-16, Future University, Sudan;
2001-2013, IUAV University of Venice Faculty of Architecture;
2012-2013, University of Padua, Faculty of Engineering and Architecture;
2011-2013, Erasmus Intensive Programme (IP)
2004-2008, IUAV University of Venice, Faculty of Spatial Planning;
2005-2006, École National Supérieure d’Architecture in Strasbourg;
2003 École d’Architecture de Nancy;
2000 and 2001, I.L.A.U.D., International Laboratory of Architecture and Urban Design,
directed by Giancarlo De Carlo.