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Architecture

A Bold Black House Rises From a Landscape of Orchards

a-bold-black-house-rises-from-a-landscape-of-orchards
A Bold Black House Rises From a Landscape of Orchards
The dining space opens to a loggia overlooking the valley, blending interior comfort with expansive orchard views.

Set among rolling apple orchards in northern Italy, Hometown House is a deeply personal project shaped by return. Designed by MoDusArchitects for a client rebuilding on his childhood family site, the home balances bold contemporary form with local craft and material tradition. What emerges is a house that stands out visually, yet feels rooted in the rhythms, landscape, and culture of Val di Non.

Black larch wood cladding gives this Italian hillside home a striking presence among apple orchards while staying rooted in local tradition.

A V Shaped Form Built for Light, Views, and Family Life

Hometown House is composed of two single pitched volumes that converge toward the north, forming a unified dwelling for the homeowners. The V shaped plan opens southward toward the valley and Lake Santa Giustina, allowing light and views to shape daily life.

The geometry sets the house apart from its surroundings while responding directly to the slope of the site. Architecture and landscape are treated as a single system, guided by a reduced palette and clear spatial hierarchy.

Black larch wood cladding gives this Italian hillside home a striking presence among apple orchards while staying rooted in local tradition.
Black larch wood cladding gives this Italian hillside home a striking presence among apple orchards while staying rooted in local tradition.
Black larch wood cladding gives this Italian hillside home a striking presence among apple orchards while staying rooted in local tradition.

Black Larch That Sets the House Apart

The house is wrapped in a water treated black larch wood facade, made of vertical panels and slim profiles. Large openings and oblique lines interrupt the surface, giving the exterior a sense of movement and visual depth.

While neighboring houses feature wooden roofs and white plaster walls, the dark timber volume distinguishes itself without overpowering the rural setting. The material choice ties the building back to local construction traditions through a contemporary lens.

Black larch wood cladding gives this Italian hillside home a striking presence among apple orchards while staying rooted in local tradition.
Black larch wood cladding gives this Italian hillside home a striking presence among apple orchards while staying rooted in local tradition.
Black larch wood cladding gives this Italian hillside home a striking presence among apple orchards while staying rooted in local tradition.
Black larch wood cladding gives this Italian hillside home a striking presence among apple orchards while staying rooted in local tradition.

Crossing the Threshold From Valley to Home

Accessed from a narrow road at the edge of town, the site opens into a driveway paved with porphyry cobblestones sourced from the nearby Cembra Valley. The drive leads to a panoramic forecourt overlooking the landscape and a seasonal vegetable and herb garden.

A change in paving signals the transition into a covered alcove where the front door sits at the center. MoDusArchitects designed the solid larch wood door knob specifically for the project, its form echoing the footprint of the house.

Black larch wood cladding gives this Italian hillside home a striking presence among apple orchards while staying rooted in local tradition.
Porphyry stone paving and a custom larch door detail mark the transition from orchard landscape to contemporary interior.

Inside, an entry vestibule introduces large format grey porphyry stone slabs that continue through the main living areas. Two low steps lead down into a sunken living room positioned alongside the fireplace.

Porphyry stone paving and a custom larch door detail mark the transition from orchard landscape to contemporary interior.
Porphyry stone paving and a custom larch door detail mark the transition from orchard landscape to contemporary interior.
Porphyry stone paving and a custom larch door detail mark the transition from orchard landscape to contemporary interior.

A Sunken Living Space Framed by Stone and Light

The walls here are finished in a rough lime based plaster mixed with local stone aggregates. A continuous porphyry windowsill runs the length of the glass wall, doubling as informal seating and reinforcing the connection between interior and landscape.

A sunken living room with lime plaster walls and a continuous stone windowsill creates a warm gathering space with panoramic views.
A sunken living room with lime plaster walls and a continuous stone windowsill creates a warm gathering space with panoramic views.

Where Larch Wood and Concrete Meet

The open kitchen is defined by knotless vertical grain larch wood panels that clad the walls and cabinetry. At its center sits a monolithic concrete island, set against a back wall of grey tiles, stainless steel countertops, and sliding cabinetry doors. Material continuity creates a calm visual flow, with texture and tone providing contrast rather than ornament.

Larch wood, concrete, and stainless steel come together in a kitchen designed for shared cooking and everyday family life.
Larch wood, concrete, and stainless steel come together in a kitchen designed for shared cooking and everyday family life.
Larch wood, concrete, and stainless steel come together in a kitchen designed for shared cooking and everyday family life.
Larch wood, concrete, and stainless steel come together in a kitchen designed for shared cooking and everyday family life.

Meals Shared With a View Over the Valley

The dining area sits adjacent to the kitchen and opens toward the outdoor loggia facing the valley. Large windows bring in southern light and frame expansive views across the orchards and lake. These shared spaces reflect the heart of the project, designed for gathering, cooking, and spending long days together with family and friends.

The dining space opens to a loggia overlooking the valley, blending interior comfort with expansive orchard views.
The dining space opens to a loggia overlooking the valley, blending interior comfort with expansive orchard views.
The dining space opens to a loggia overlooking the valley, blending interior comfort with expansive orchard views.

The Vertical Spine of the House

The stair connects all levels of the house and is integrated into the entry vestibule. Wood cladding continues along its edges, reinforcing the sense of material continuity as one moves upward.

A wood clad stair and built in desk define an upper level study filled with light and cedarwood warmth.
A wood clad stair and built in desk define an upper level study filled with light and cedarwood warmth.
A wood clad stair and built in desk define an upper level study filled with light and cedarwood warmth.

A Study Shaped by Wood

On the upper level, an airy vestibule doubles as a study. A built in desk extends seamlessly from the wood cladding of the open stair. Above, a red brown knotted cedarwood ceiling introduces scent and warmth. The same ceiling continues through all sleeping areas, recalling the sensory memory of Alpine interiors.

A wood clad stair and built in desk define an upper level study filled with light and cedarwood warmth.

Private Rooms Beneath Skylights

Four double bedrooms occupy the upper floor. The main bedroom includes an ensuite bathroom and wardrobe area, illuminated by a large skylight. A smaller bedroom connects directly to the main bedroom and has its own bathroom, where porphyry flooring continues up to clad an inset bathtub beneath another skylight. Two adjacent bedrooms share access to a covered terrace, with one featuring a private bathroom.

Skylit bedrooms use wood, and simple details to create calm private spaces above the valley.
Skylit bedrooms use wood, and simple details to create calm private spaces above the valley.
Skylit bedrooms use wood, and simple details to create calm private spaces above the valley.

An Underground Space Rooted in Land and Tradition

Below ground level, the house extends into a wine cellar and tasting room. This space is defined by a curved concrete wall, solid larch wood elements, and a red brick floor. Completely underground, the cellar anchors the home physically and symbolically to the land, reinforcing the owner’s connection to Val di Non and its agricultural traditions.

An underground wine cellar with curved concrete walls and brick floors anchors the home to land and memory.
An underground wine cellar with curved concrete walls and brick floors anchors the home to land and memory.
An underground wine cellar with curved concrete walls and brick floors anchors the home to land and memory.

Hometown House is both a return and a reinterpretation. Through local materials, regional building techniques, and collaboration with local craftsmen, MoDusArchitects created a home that respects its setting while confidently asserting a contemporary identity. Set on a hillside of apple orchards, the house celebrates family, memory, and the enduring relationship between architecture and place.

Photography ©Marco Cappelletti | Drawings ©MoDusArchitects | Study models ©Juergen Eheim | Architects: MoDusArchitects (Sandy Attia, Matteo Scagnol) | Project team: Filippo Pesavento | Contractor: Edilflaim srl | Structural and Safety Engineer: Ing. Alessandro Svaldi – Unitec Group s.r.l. | Safety: Geo. Giorgio Ferrari – Studio Ferrari (Revò, Novella TN) | Mechanical Engineer: Ing. Roberto Svaldi – Unitec Group s.r.l. | Electrical Engineer and Domotics and Energy Consultant: Ing. Andrea Zanetti – Unitec Group s.r.l. | Geological Consultant: Geol. Lino Berti | Lighting Consultant: P.I. Werner Graber | Landscaping: Nordverde di Arnoldo Mirko – Novella (TN)

Source: Contemporist