A Porthole to the Sea seems out over the Gulf of Tigullio in Zoagli, Italy, the place Atelier NIMA reworks a Nineteen Seventies house right into a vibrant Mediterranean retreat. The inside renovation balances sea-washed minimalism with the shopper’s African roots, translating reminiscence into coloration, texture, and thoroughly chosen objects. Throughout residing areas, bedrooms, and bogs, the design retains a quiet, up to date tone whereas sustaining a direct visible and emotional connection to the encircling seascape.
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About A Porthole to the Sea
Overlooking the Ligurian Sea, A Porthole to the Sea returns a Nineteen Seventies house to the necessities: gentle, coloration, and a near-constant consciousness of the water beneath. Atelier NIMA makes use of a restrained vocabulary to create rooms that really feel each up to date and rooted in place, tuned equally to the Mediterranean panorama and to the shopper’s African heritage.
White plaster partitions with a calmly textured end set the tone, echoing regional constructing traditions whereas giving the inside a clear, luminous shell. In opposition to this backdrop, a palette of sandy neutrals and layered blues pulls the colours of the Gulf of Tigullio indoors. Quite than counting on ornamental extra, the venture works by a sequence of exact strikes that hyperlink areas collectively and let a couple of supplies carry the story.
The lounge turns into the house’s central gesture. Giant glass openings draw daylight deep into the plan and keep a transparent line of sight to the ocean, in order that the horizon reads as a part of the room. On the ground, a blue-and-white wave sample operates virtually like a graphic paintings, abstracting the motion of the water into a robust visible rhythm. Low, pale sofas, blue cushions, a spherical white Carrara marble espresso desk, and a handful of sculptural picket items hold the furnishings intentionally low and light-weight, so the attention travels simply from floor to floor.
Above, the Levante lamp by Marco Spatti for Luceplan introduces an natural, virtually airborne presence, softening the rectilinear envelope and subtly defining the seating space. All through the house, Canaletto wooden provides heat and continuity, showing in furnishings and shelving as a counterpoint to the coolness of the blues and whites.
Within the visitor room, coloration takes on a deeper, extra enveloping function. A full-height wardrobe in saturated blue turns into the principle architectural aspect, framing ornamental panels that recommend a dangling backyard. Pure materials and restrained finishes reply gently to sunlight, giving the room a quiet, contemplative character. The area reads as a retreat the place the venture’s themes of sea, vegetation, and reminiscence converge in a calmer key.
The main bedroom on the high of the steps shifts towards hotter, extra impartial tones. Sandy hues and tactile textiles create a softer environment, whereas one other full-wall wardrobe with delicate botanical panels integrates storage into the structure. Lighting stays easy: a pendant lamp above the nightstand helps hold the composition visually gentle, and a fan with broad, leaflike blades introduces a delicate, unique be aware that nods to the household’s African roots. The Parentesi lamp by Achille Castiglioni and Pio Manzù provides a exact pink accent, slicing by the neutrals with a useful but graphic presence.
A small sequence of three beige resin steps declares the grasp en-suite toilet as a definite, virtually sculptural second. Inside, shaded tiles line the partitions, their irregular tones catching and scattering gentle by the day so the surfaces seem to shift with time. A white ceramic sink rests on a easy Canaletto wooden shelf, its grain introducing heat towards the cool ceramic envelope.
All through the house, doorways and particulars reiterate the ocean’s motion. Aluminum and glass doorways are completed in blue and given a semi-transparent, undulating floor, so even thresholds carry the concept of water. Ornamental objects stay sparse—ceramics, small facet tables, picket components, and minimal lamps—so each bit feels intentional. Within the bogs, round openings recall ship portholes, gently reinforcing the sense of being on the fringe of the ocean and turning on a regular basis routines into small, imaginary voyages.
The result’s a house that treats gentle, coloration, and reminiscence as structural components, recasting a dated seaside house as a transparent, steady dialogue between previous and current.
Pictures by Carolina Gheri
Go to Atelier NIMA
– by Matt Watts
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