Vertical wood slats catch the eye first, filtering sun across the large openings and softening the edges of this modern Mediterranean villa. The house sits on a sloping plot among dense pine trees, and the plan works with that terrain instead of flattening it. Much of the existing planting stays in place, so the shaded patches around the path and terraces are part of the design rather than an afterthought. White plaster, rough local stone and broad overhangs set a clear rhythm from the driveway down to the pool.

Stepping down from the driveway to the entrance

Beside the driveway, a stair drops immediately to the entrance and makes the slope legible from the first step. That move lifts the first floor to street level, where the bedrooms sit behind generous windows. The openings are large, but they are not left exposed. Fine vertical wood slats act as wooden sun shading, breaking direct light before it reaches the glass. From outside, the slats also give the upper level a measured screen, so the bedrooms remain present in the composition without being overly visible.

The hillside residence uses this shift in level to keep the arrival compact. Instead of stretching the access route across the plot, the stair compresses the approach and brings the entrance close to the road edge. Behind it, the rooflines extend in long horizontal bands, helped by overlapping canopies that project beyond the walls. Some of those canopies are perforated, and that detail changes the light on the plastered surfaces as the day moves on.

An L-shaped floor plan aimed at the view

The L-shaped floor plan turns toward the most open outlook on the site. One arm contains the kitchen, the other the seating area, and together they hold the terraces between them. That arrangement gives each living zone a direct relationship with the outside while keeping views across the plot under control. The terraces with privacy face away from neighbouring properties, so the outdoor rooms feel defined by the plan rather than by added screens. The result is a layout that keeps the panorama in front and the edges of the site in check.

Inside the kitchen, an island anchors the room and looks straight out through the glazing. The island is placed where the view can be used, not just seen, and the opening to the covered terrace sits close by. Stone continues outside under that shelter, giving the terrace a grounded base while the upper volumes remain lighter in white plaster. The connection between kitchen and terrace is direct, but the overhang keeps the threshold readable.

Kitchen, terrace and the edge of the pool

The kitchen island with view becomes one of the clearest pieces of the plan. It faces the landscape, while the adjacent covered terrace gathers shade beneath the projection of the roof. From there, the eye moves across the stepped outdoor surfaces toward the infinity pool. The terrace levels follow the natural slope rather than fighting it, so each platform reads as part of the terrain. Their crisp edges hold the change in height and guide the route down to the water.

That sequence from interior to terrace to pool is what gives the modern Mediterranean villa its pace. The surfaces are open, but the layout never becomes exposed. The stone plinths and retaining walls keep the lower garden edges firm, and the pool sits as the final horizontal plane in the composition. Reflections on the water reinforce the long lines of the canopies above.

Shade, light and the long horizontal line

Overlapping canopies define the upper parts of the house and stretch the architecture sideways. They create depth at the edges of the façades and shelter the openings below. In a few places, perforations cut through the canopy surfaces and let light fall in a less even way, so the ceiling plane does more than simply cover space. The effect is strongest where the overhangs meet the large windows, because the shadow line sharpens the contrast between white plaster and the darker recesses.

Vertical wood slats appear again at the upper level, where they regulate sun and provide privacy without closing off the rooms. Their narrow spacing keeps the façade light in appearance, even while it filters glare from the windows behind. That same language runs through the project: the slats, the canopies and the long terrace edges all work in the same direction, horizontally and in layers.

Materials that keep the project grounded

The material palette is restrained. Smooth white plaster covers the main volumes, while rough local stone gives weight to the base, walls and terrace edges. You see that contrast most clearly where the covered terrace meets the stone wall and where the exterior steps cut through the landscape. The stone does not read as decoration; it fixes the house to the slope and marks the places where the ground changes. Against that, the white surfaces hold the light and keep the upper volumes visually light.

Pine trees remain part of the setting, framing the view and marking the untouched pockets of the plot. Their shade sits in dialogue with the built shade from the overhangs and slats. Nothing in the plan suggests a clean break with the site. Instead, the house holds onto the trees, the slope and the terraces, then organizes them around a clear sequence of rooms and outdoor spaces. That is where the modern Mediterranean villa feels most precise: in the way each line, platform and opening follows the terrain already there.

Photos © Verne