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Palladio

By : Daniel Joseph Chenin

GRANDS PRIX DU DESIGN – 17th edition

Discipline : Interior Design

Categories : Residence / Residential Space > 5,400 sq.ft. (> 500 sq.m.) : Gold Certification

Focused on family connections, the clients were seeking a harmonious balance of social engagement and blissful seclusion that could unfold simultaneously in a warm, well-appointed home where their large family, including several adult children and grandchildren, could be comfortably housed all at once with an atmosphere reminiscent of a boutique hotel.

Guided by the concept “discovery of the nuance”, the design seeks to establish a distinctive sense of place and style that balances grandeur, whimsey, and modernity, while promoting individual discovery and joy. Provocative in its own way, classical and modern references are deconstructed, reinterpreted, and combined to a create a nuanced aesthetic vocabulary evocative of old Vegas glamour.

Monumental in scale, the program is dissected into a series of carefully framed vignettes that celebrate the activities that occur within them. Various themes unfold in the house, beginning with a concept borrowed from the owners’ collection of “Hudson River School” paintings. Drawing inspiration not only from the expansive landscape vistas the mid-19th-century American art movement was known for, but also from the gilded frames that anchor and define the artwork within; the primary design concept of “portals” that layer and frame rooms emerged. Thus, creating a curated experience that serves as a framed backdrop to life’s daily activities as they unfold.

Nestled into the hillside, the home is unassuming, revealing itself slowly as one descends the winding drive into the motor court. Greeted by a pair of massive, ornamental brass doors framed by pillars of stone, the experience begins.

Moving inward to the arrival courtyard a level of classical formality is juxtaposed by a starkly modern entry volume clad in steel. Through this first framed portal, the gallery, which serves as the central circulation spine, bone colored marble flooring with a dark border and onyx insets delineate the path of circulation, inviting guests to move through the series of spaces connected by frames. At each end of the corridor, cast concrete archways prominently frame connections to the exterior, visually terminating with the skyline beyond.

The spatial organization of an H-shaped plan breaks down the scale of the home to create livable and discoverable environments. Branching off from the central gallery, a cluster of gathering spaces at the center of the home includes a media room, a formal living room, a dining room with kitchen beyond, and a grand stairwell leading to the upper-level entertainment lounge. A perpendicular corridor located at the very center of the interior presents a crossroads connecting the opposing private and guest wings.

Unifying the architecture and the interiors under a singular vision facilitated the dissection of program and the introduction of landscaped gardens that act as exterior rooms – wrapping the architecture and exterior environment around the interiors to create a variety of functional, livable environments at a human scale.

Palladio

By : Daniel Joseph Chenin

GRANDS PRIX DU DESIGN – 17th edition

The project in images

INT.DESIGN Magazine

Palladio

By : Daniel Joseph Chenin

GRANDS PRIX DU DESIGN – 17th edition

The project in images

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