In the hilly landscape of Capalbio, il Casale Celato by Westway Architects emerges as a dwelling that preserves Tuscan rural memory while transforming it into a contemporary narrative of light, transparency, and views of the sea.
The architectural layout stems from a careful reading of the site: two maritime pines orient the visual axes and the access, while the morphology of the terrain allows the volume to be articulated on two levels, concealing most of the lower floor from view. The entrance is located on the upper level, where a hallway leads into a living room that extends into an iron-and-glass loggia—also glazed in the roof—and onto a terrace with a glass balustrade, preserving the uninterrupted continuity of the view towards the sea. This “strategy of visual channels” defines the entire project: calibrated openings frame fragments of the landscape, linking the built form to its surroundings and translating the panoramic dimension of the site into geometry.
A sculptural staircase is the pivotal element of the distribution, its stone cladding continuous with the flooring guiding the transition between floors with fluidity. On the lower level, the large kitchen is concealed by a wooden wall with a bronze-like finish, preserving the breadth and linearity of the living space. The dining room occupies the loggia, which opens on one side, enabling a physical continuity between inside and outside and adapting to the seasonal use of the house.
The ground-floor living area opens onto two symmetrical lounges framed by large arches that modulate the light over the course of the day. Outside, a portico unfolds through two distinct “souls”: facing the sea, a pergola designed for summer use; on the opposite side, a stone patio organized around a centuries-old olive tree, a sheltered retreat for the cooler seasons. The garden incorporates a stone pool and an open-air structure equipped with a kitchen, reinforcing the character of a diffuse and flexible dwelling. Five bedrooms with private bathrooms, distributed across the two levels, complete the residential program.
Overall, materials and details in stone, iron, and glass translate the rural identity required by the client and the local administration into a contemporary architectural language, without giving up lightness and transparency. The project thus takes the landscape as its matrix: orientation, the sequence of openings, and the rhythm of spaces compose a domestic narrative alternating between revelation and concealment, intimacy and panoramic depth.
CREDITS
Project: Il Casale Celato
Architects: Westway Architects
Location: Capalbio (GR), Italy
Year: 2025
Photography: Serena Eller & Francesco Marano
