Ligurian luxe
Ligurian luxe The owner of this seventeenth-century former mill house, in the countryside west of Genoa, has decorated it in a cool, Provençal style that complements its rough, vernacular architecture Text Catriona Gray | Photographs Johannes Mueller | locations editor paola moretti
THIS PAGE In the entrance area, a Louis XV mirror stands beyond an art-deco table; a gilt Mechini chandelier hangs above it. OPPOSITE The owners reconstructed the double-sided Ligurianstone chimneypiece, which separates the sitting room from the kitchen and dining area j u n e 2 0 1 3 h o u s e & g a r d e n 000
06-13MonicaDamonteItalyyes.indd 2-3
24/05/2013 14:34
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s you drive out of Genoa, along the motorway that follows the Mediterranean coast towards Monaco, the noise and dull colours of the city give way to blue sea, white stone and relative silence. As you turn inland, you find yourself deep in the Ligurian countryside. Here, a long track, flanked by olive trees, leads off the dusty road towards a seventeenthcentury mill house, built on the bank of a meandering river. When interior designer Monica Damonte first spotted the mill, it was a ruin, hidden behind a tangle of bushes and thorns. Undaunted, she embarked upon a process of restoration that combined a sensitive approach to the building’s history with a view to adding modern comforts. From the moment you step into the low-vaulted entrance hall, this harmonious juxtaposition of old and new becomes apparent. A large glass window allows daylight into the cavernous space and provides a view of the river beyond. Although the house is in Italy, Monica opted for a Provençal style of decoration, which sits easily alongside the carefully chosen antique pieces; as you walk in, a Louis XV mirror provides a tantalising glimpse of what is to come. A flight of stone steps leads up into the sitting room. Enclosed on all sides, with no external windows, the sitting area is literally at the heart of the house. The vaulted ceiling is hung with a gilt chandelier, and the floor is flagged with the same Ligurian stone as the walls and the double-sided chimneypiece, which was carefully reconstructed by Monica and separates the sitting room from the dining area. When the house was a working mill, the vaulted dining area was used to store flour. Now, any cooking ingredients are kept well out of sight in an assortment of wicker baskets and steel drawers, and a division has been created between the kitchen and dining area by a butcher’s block, which doubles
as a worktop. The rustic note is continued with a stone trough that is used as a sink and the blue-and-white and manganese Delft tiles that form the splashback above it; a contrast to the stainless steel used for the rest of the kitchen units. Leading off the kitchen, a covered terrace overlooks the river and provides a perfect setting for outdoor dining, sheltered by the thick walls of the low mill building. Beyond this lies the garden, which is surrounded by stands of old fruit trees and olives. Monica wanted to create a garden that echoed the surrounding landscape; now her bedroom overlooks the verdant garden and the wooded hills beyond. The bedrooms are accessed from the central sitting room and, thanks to the sloping site, are on different levels; a separate flight of steps leads up to the spare room, which has a sophisticated mishmash of white-painted furniture and soft grey curtains. In the main bedroom a rough concrete wall contrasts with the smooth stone flags and unbleached linen headboard, the different textures adding sophistication to the space. The large bathroom has a similar feel, with a bath of charcoal-coloured concrete, a stone basin and an open shower, formed out of a deep square of concrete set into an alcove that has been refaced in rough stone. A playful element emerges in the children’s room, with each child’s initial emblazoned above the headboards of the bespoke beds. Indeed, letters are something of a decorative trope throughout the house, and relieve the economy of the carefully chosen furniture and neutral colour scheme. While the rough walls and stone flags appear as if they have been unaltered since the building’s inception, it was Monica’s sensitive restoration that has enabled her to preserve a sense of history while leaving an imprint that is entirely her own m Monica Damonte: www.monicadamonte.com
OPPOSITE CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT An old butcher’s block separates the dining area from the kitchen. The sitting-room walls were left rough to preserve the character of the space. The river can be seen from the house, thanks to the large new window (bottom left). The bathroom basin is a stone trough. The children’s beds were custom built. Delft tiles form a splashback above the kitchen sink. BELOW The rough concrete wall in the main bedroom contrasts with the smooth stone flags
j u n e 2 0 1 3 h o u s e & g a r d e n 000
06-13MonicaDamonteItalyyes.indd 4-5
24/05/2013 14:34
THIS PAGE In the entrance area, a Louis XV mirror stands beyond an art-deco table; a gilt Mechini chandelier hangs above it. OPPOSITE The owners reconstructed the double-sided Ligurianstone chimneypiece, which separates the sitting room from the kitchen and dining area j u n e 2 0 1 3 h o u s e & g a r d e n 000
06-13MonicaDamonteItalyyes.indd 2-3
24/05/2013 14:34
A
s you drive out of Genoa, along the motorway that follows the Mediterranean coast towards Monaco, the noise and dull colours of the city give way to blue sea, white stone and relative silence. As you turn inland, you find yourself deep in the Ligurian countryside. Here, a long track, flanked by olive trees, leads off the dusty road towards a seventeenthcentury mill house, built on the bank of a meandering river. When interior designer Monica Damonte first spotted the mill, it was a ruin, hidden behind a tangle of bushes and thorns. Undaunted, she embarked upon a process of restoration that combined a sensitive approach to the building’s history with a view to adding modern comforts. From the moment you step into the low-vaulted entrance hall, this harmonious juxtaposition of old and new becomes apparent. A large glass window allows daylight into the cavernous space and provides a view of the river beyond. Although the house is in Italy, Monica opted for a Provençal style of decoration, which sits easily alongside the carefully chosen antique pieces; as you walk in, a Louis XV mirror provides a tantalising glimpse of what is to come. A flight of stone steps leads up into the sitting room. Enclosed on all sides, with no external windows, the sitting area is literally at the heart of the house. The vaulted ceiling is hung with a gilt chandelier, and the floor is flagged with the same Ligurian stone as the walls and the double-sided chimneypiece, which was carefully reconstructed by Monica and separates the sitting room from the dining area. When the house was a working mill, the vaulted dining area was used to store flour. Now, any cooking ingredients are kept well out of sight in an assortment of wicker baskets and steel drawers, and a division has been created between the kitchen and dining area by a butcher’s block, which doubles
as a worktop. The rustic note is continued with a stone trough that is used as a sink and the blue-and-white and manganese Delft tiles that form the splashback above it; a contrast to the stainless steel used for the rest of the kitchen units. Leading off the kitchen, a covered terrace overlooks the river and provides a perfect setting for outdoor dining, sheltered by the thick walls of the low mill building. Beyond this lies the garden, which is surrounded by stands of old fruit trees and olives. Monica wanted to create a garden that echoed the surrounding landscape; now her bedroom overlooks the verdant garden and the wooded hills beyond. The bedrooms are accessed from the central sitting room and, thanks to the sloping site, are on different levels; a separate flight of steps leads up to the spare room, which has a sophisticated mishmash of white-painted furniture and soft grey curtains. In the main bedroom a rough concrete wall contrasts with the smooth stone flags and unbleached linen headboard, the different textures adding sophistication to the space. The large bathroom has a similar feel, with a bath of charcoal-coloured concrete, a stone basin and an open shower, formed out of a deep square of concrete set into an alcove that has been refaced in rough stone. A playful element emerges in the children’s room, with each child’s initial emblazoned above the headboards of the bespoke beds. Indeed, letters are something of a decorative trope throughout the house, and relieve the economy of the carefully chosen furniture and neutral colour scheme. While the rough walls and stone flags appear as if they have been unaltered since the building’s inception, it was Monica’s sensitive restoration that has enabled her to preserve a sense of history while leaving an imprint that is entirely her own m Monica Damonte: www.monicadamonte.com
OPPOSITE CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT An old butcher’s block separates the dining area from the kitchen. The sitting-room walls were left rough to preserve the character of the space. The river can be seen from the house, thanks to the large new window (bottom left). The bathroom basin is a stone trough. The children’s beds were custom built. Delft tiles form a splashback above the kitchen sink. BELOW The rough concrete wall in the main bedroom contrasts with the smooth stone flags
j u n e 2 0 1 3 h o u s e & g a r d e n 000
06-13MonicaDamonteItalyyes.indd 4-5
24/05/2013 14:34
