Villa Elle

Rakotule, private garden, 2018.

Location

Villa Elle I is located in the truffle region below Motovun, on a plain surrounded by gentle hills and an impressive central view of the town of Motovun.

Design note

The landscape design follows the calm architecture of the indented ground-floor building, relying on clean lines, repeating the forms of a few species of indigenous Mediterranean plants typical of the yards of the local population (lavender, rosemary, sage, sedums, etc.). The planting is organized in uniform organic strokes of low shrubs of green-gray shades with the intention of perceptively infusing the surrounding vegetation towards the building and beyond.

Almost the entire garden area is filled with low plants, except for the gravel paths and access to the building, all with the aim of getting as close as possible to the environment from which it was taken. The tall volumes are reduced to a few cypresses placed at the entrance to the property, more as a typical spatial marker for navigating the space, than as an accent in the garden itself. Olive trees and a few fruit trees, typical of this environment, shade the intimate spaces of the house and soften the monolithic facade of the building.

The garden and the building are not in a conflict of dominance but in harmony, and above them, from every point, Motovun looms as the leitmotif of the wider plain.