No.2
Tucked away in a hidden spot with amazing views over Italy’s Lake Lugano, this cottage has been given a modern makeover that’s streamlined and serene
HOME TRUTHS
Arenovated stone cottage
Kitchen-diner/living area, cloakroom, office, three bedrooms, two bathrooms, dressing room
Lake Lugano, Italy
There is no trace of Lorenzo and Simona’s house on Google Maps. It is hidden among the trees and rocks of the glacial lake landscape on the northern Italian shore of Lake Lugano, a stone’s throw from the Swiss border.
‘We like the quietness of this place, it’s the best for our family,’ explain the couple, who are originally from the area and have two young sons, Leon and Andreas.
When Lorenzo had the opportunity to fix up his maternal grandfather’s house, the pair didn’t give it a second thought, leaving town and moving in. The property, made of local stone, resembles a cabin and is built halfway up the hillside surrounded by nature. It is the last dwelling before the forest and is accessible only on foot, via a steep iron staircase that winds up a slope between bushes and trees.
‘The steep and wild terrain puts the neighbouring houses at a distance, while preserving the view of the panorama,’ say the architects of Studio Wok, the design team behind the building’s rejuvenation. Lorenzo and Simona contacted them after ‘falling in love’ with a country house the studio had designed a few years ago near Verona. ‘We liked them straight away,’ say the designers of Lorenzo and Simona. ‘We appreciated their enthusiasm. They are two lively people and “beauty lovers” and we followed every step of the process together, matching each other on everything.’
