GRAPHĒ: Eleven Types of Tile Lay the Groundwork for a Home Renovation in the Tuscan Countryside

The architects brought in five geometric patterns, three solid colors, and three types of terrazzo.

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Project Details:

Location: Cascina, Italy

Architect: Atelier Vago / @atelier.vago

Footprint: 1,130 square feet

Photographer: Carlotta Di Sandro

From the Architect: "Casa Mako is the result of the renovation of a house in the Tuscan countryside near Pisa. The project grew out of the desire of its owner, a musician, for a home that would feel welcoming and convivial, yet exuberant, colorful and unconventional. A rich variety of finishes and close attention to detail therefore became central themes of the intervention.

"The project redefines the internal layout of the house. By removing the walls that once separated the kitchen, dining area, and living room, the project creates a single generous living space in which the different functions remain clearly identifiable without being physically separated. The bespoke kitchen was conceived to maintain a continuous relationship with the living area, allowing the client to remain connected with guests while cooking. Two lightweight painted-steel structures define its boundaries without enclosing it: an open framework of uprights and shelves that works simultaneously as shelving, a visual filter and a threshold between spaces.

"A second central theme is the design of the flooring. The original cement tiles and terrazzo could not be preserved due to the extent of the renovation works, but became the starting point for the new design. The cement tiles are reinterpreted through a single geometric pattern, repeated in different three-color combinations for each room. The underlying rule remains the same while the palette changes, creating distinct spaces that belong to a shared vision. In the bathrooms and corridor, the cement tiles give way to terrazzo.

"Color extends from the floors to the walls and furnishings, giving each space its own identity: green accompanies the kitchen, red envelops the corridor, and blue defines the bedroom. Casa Mako is thus shaped through a few gestures and many variations: recurring geometries, shifting colors and thresholds that connect different spaces. A deliberately exuberant home, where the freedom of its combinations emerges from a precise and coherent underlying framework."