Cliff Top Villa – Croatia

This architect designed holiday house was located at the end of a costal road, high up on a hill on the Dalmatian coast overlooking the Adriatic.  Our Russian client had bought the plot many years previously and was finally ready to build his dream house.  Set over several floors, hugging the steep incline, this modern concrete villa was to house formal and informal reception spaces, several terraces with jaw dropping views, a large master suite, two guest bedrooms and a self-contained two bedroom apartment that could be let out over the season.  Further it had direct access to the sea where he would add a private jetty.

Whilst the Architect was Italian based, René Dekker Design was engaged as the Interior Designer.  Our scope of works was to conceptualise a sophisticated interior that would suit the look and feel of this untraditional house.  The client did not have a scheme in mind and after some initial proposals, we settled on a blend of unique finishes and minimalist décor, with some Art deco mixed in, set within the almost Brutalist structure.

First of all, we started with the plans, creating interesting layouts that would at once enrich but not constrain the spaces.  It was important that each area felt open and roomy, making the most of the views yet keeping an element of intimacy.  Although the house was apportioned over several storeys, internally the floors were only split-level so areas were quite inter-woven.  The design team set about creating cosy two person seating areas at the fireplace, single person contemplation seating as well as large scale entertaining spaces.  

Once this was completed we started on the decorations and finishes.  It was important to create warm and inviting interiors yet still keeping the minimalist feel of all the concrete.  Within the principle entertainment space, London’s top Design studio visualised a grand bas relief, a large tree or forest scene that might emulate the external surroundings.  The team also wanted to incorporate large screens with a slight Art Deco feel to them, creating more intimate spaces without losing the open plan feel of the house.  Finally the doors were designed to integrate the Art Deco design even further.  Finishes were chosen to emulate cement, oxidised metal and water damaged fabrics all adding to the ‘raw’ looking scheme.  Bathrooms were ‘minimal’ to the extreme and architectural style brassware was used to compliment.  Finally we presented soft natural fabrics in neutral shades combined with slick Italian styled furniture.