Review
Elisa Zagaria
Elogio del Grigio is the latest project by architect Antonino Cardillo, intertwining diverse inspirations with minimal elegance.
To narrate his latest work, a detached house in Castiglione delle Stiviere, nestled in the serene setting of a moraine hill south of Lake Garda, architect Antonino Cardillo begins with the fog that thickens over the lake’s surface, gently blurring the contours of objects. This soft, almost dreamlike vision was the initial inspiration for a project that engages with its local territory while simultaneously transcending it, drawing from distant cultures across time and space. This broad-ranging exploration does not aim to define a singular truth but rather invites the listener to heed what remains unsaid. Symbolising this principle is a colour, grey, which the architect has modulated here in various nuances and languages, embracing the idea of the German philosopher Hegel, who posited that the knowledge of reality is but a discernment of greys. The first grey we encounter is that of the façade, a cool shade, barely brightened by doors and shutters. In its clean and essential forms, the structure evokes a “miniature palace”, a reinterpretation of pre-modern constructions of the Pianura: Symmetrical openings, an arched entrance niche, and a gabled roof. The interiors are spread over two levels, covering a total area of 250 square metres: On the ground floor, there is a living area with a kitchen, an office, and a garage, but it is on the upper level that the domestic dimension unfolds in all its evocative, as well as functional, strength. The focal point of the house is a grand hall where various references converge: The rectangular, gabled lounges of Marrakech, the “specchiature” between the windows of Venice, and even the marble hammams of Istanbul. One might think that such a confluence would result in a bombastic imagery, but this is not the case. Cardillo carefully balances the elements, proceeding by subtraction, chiselling a stage that is as airy as it is rarefied, with its impact accentuated by the steep ceilings that follow the roof’s slope. Here, once again, grey takes the lead, accompanied by noble materials and sensory textures. Carrara marble slabs cover the walls and floors of the living room and the bathroom on the first floor, while the ceilings feature a peculiar grainy texture, the result of a mixture of plaster and volcanic ash applied by hand with a trowel. Cardillo had proposed a similar solution in another of his projects, the House of Dust in Rome, which the inhabitants of this house—a couple and their young daughter—had seen and appreciated to the point of deciding to entrust him with shaping their new home. In addition to the living area, dominated by a granite table reminiscent of that in the House of Dust, the first floor houses three bedrooms. Each space benefits from an external view, thanks to the terraces that run along three of the four available sides. Bathed in light, the grey becomes brilliant, only to return to a veil of shadow and mystery, allowing just a few digressions into green, in a skilful harmony of shades. Thus, Cardillo composes his “Elogio del Grigio”, which is also the name of the project: A diaphanous and elegant collage of heterogeneous suggestions that the family can infuse with their own experiences and colours.
Antonino Cardillo, Elogio del Grigio, Castiglione delle Stiviere, 2023. Photography: Antonino Cardillo