In the most intimate heart of Lake Como, nestled between water and vegetation, Como Lakehouse is the result of careful restoration work by Gregorio Pecorelli Studio. The project involves a house dating back to the early twentieth century, originally built above a dock, and serves as a virtuous example of dialogue between history and contemporaneity. The existing structure, with its characteristic arched entrance accessible via water, was preserved and reinterpreted through an essential, sober, and deeply respectful architectural language.
Pecorelli’s work is driven by a constant tension between the romantic charm of the original architecture and the formal clarity of the new spatial configuration. At the heart of the project is water itself, a living element and protagonist, which re-enters the old dock, creating reflections that animate the interior spaces and establish a direct, sensory connection between nature and built environment. Thus, the house transforms into a living organism, a threshold between interior and exterior, where traces of the past are sublimated through the simplicity of the new design language.
The building’s metamorphosis does not involve invasive gestures but unfolds as a poetic rewriting of the existing structure, where each element is carefully calibrated to enhance the soul of the place. The intervention works on both material and temporal levels: the historic masonry is preserved and enhanced with tailored insertions, such as custom-designed furnishings created by the studio with local materials. Stone, wood, and metal integrate seamlessly with the existing construction, never overwhelming it, but contributing to reinforce its identity.
Simplicity dominates the formal and spatial choices: the pure lines of the interiors, the restrained color palette, and volumes defined by clean geometries create a space where absence becomes a value, and natural light—reflected by the water of the dock—becomes a true architectural material. The environment is never celebratory but intimate, contemplative, and harmoniously integrated with the surrounding landscape.
Como Lakehouse is not a mere exercise in style but an architecture of listening: listening to the place, its history, and the needs of its inhabitants. Pecorelli constructs a quiet and refined language made of measured gestures and attention to detail, restoring a dimension of tranquility and permanence to the house. The project seeks not contrast but continuity, demonstrating how contemporaneity can respectfully and gracefully integrate into historical fabrics, enriching them with new meanings.
Gregorio Pecorelli Studio, founded in 2021 by Gregorio Pecorelli, is based in Milan within Casa Sissa, designed by Gio Ponti. After international experiences at firms such as Powerhouse Company and Vincent Van Duysen Architects, Pecorelli established his own studio with a design approach attentive to the relationship between memory and material, form and context.
For more information: www.gregoriopecorelli.com
CREDITS
Project: Como Lakehouse
Architect: Gregorio Pecorelli Studio
Location: Lake Como, Italy
Year: 2024
Photography: Francesca Iovene
