Suspended between the greenery of the Mediterranean maquis and the deep blue of the Tyrrhenian Sea, Villa Flora overlooks the wildest stretch of Calabria’s coast, in San Nicola Arcella, on the Riviera dei Cedri. The renovation project, designed by architect Simona Dentone in collaboration with Antonio Cristiano and Elisa Marsan, interprets the surrounding landscape with sensitivity and awareness, creating a dwelling that blurs the boundaries between inside and outside, between architecture and nature.
The project stems from a careful listening to the site. Villa Flora preserves the pre-existing organic form, inspired by the spiral geometry of a seashell, enhancing its fluidity through a minimalist material language. The wide arched windows, arranged along the fronts facing the sea, not only capture natural light but also amplify the spatial perception of the interiors, dissolving the separation between landscape and architecture.
At the center of the composition stands the circular staircase, a sculptural focal point around which the house’s spaces revolve. It is not merely a functional element but a sculptural gesture that rhythmically and meaningfully guides the living experience. The curved walls and fluid transitions dialogue with the site’s sinuosity, transforming dwelling into a continuous, seamless experience.
The design emphasizes the role of natural materials, used with discretion and coherence: lime and microcement cover all surfaces, creating a tactile and chromatic continuum capable of embracing and modulating the changing light throughout the day. The result is an enveloping environment, never static, able to transform in harmony with the seasons and the mood of its inhabitants.
Villa Flora is much more than a seaside house: it is a sensory microcosm, where every element is conceived to activate a silent dialogue with the environment.
Its architecture does not impose but listens; it does not dominate nature but follows and embraces it. As Simona Dentone herself states, the project aims to “respect the grammar of the place,” recognizing the roles of material and light as protagonists in shaping space. In an era where living seeks new balances between comfort and awareness, Villa Flora offers a poetic and concrete response: a refuge for the soul, where architecture becomes landscape and landscape becomes an integral part of architecture.
Simona Dentone is an architect with extensive experience in retail, hospitality, and residential sectors. After significant work in Milan and internationally, she founded her studio in 2015. Her vision integrates technical expertise, aesthetic sensitivity, and training in Feng Shui, proposing projects that combine harmony and functionality.
For more info: www.simonadentone.com
CREDITS
Project: Villa Flora
Architect: Simona Dentone
Location: San Nicola Arcella (CS), Italy
Year: 2024
Photograph: Vito Corvasce
