Interview with Filippo Caprioglio: the exaltation of the landscape

A pencil stroke on a sheet of paper is the thread that connects a fireplace to its installation in settings of high artistic taste.

On several occasions, Architect Filippo Caprioglio‘s expert trait has brought the flame to the center of the works of Studio Caprioglio Architects, aimed at creating spaces and places in which, as they say, “the sense of attention to quality living and living on a human scale is alive”.

In one of his latest projects this relationship was renewed through our Panoramic M360 R fireplace installed in a villa on the Montello hill.

We interviewed Architect Caprioglio to learn more about this project and his artistic relationship with the flame.

The interview

In one of his latest projects, the Panoramic Piazzetta M360 R is the protagonist of a large open space in a villa on the Montello hill. How did the idea of bringing the flame to the center of the room come about and what value did you want to attribute to it?

We always adopt an absolutely contemporary approach in our architecture, but we never forget the domestic value of the system, especially when it comes to houses that desire to be anchored in the territory, like this one built on the beautiful Montello hills.

Certainly the fireplace flame is a central element for us.

In this case we were even able to bring it to the center of the room unlike what 80% of the time happens, which is to install the fireplace leaning against a wall.

The desire to bring the fireplace to the center of a space, in this specific case with its four-sidedness, was to make the space perceived as uninterrupted, but also to allow to perceive the panorama and the breakthrough over the valley from any position in the living room.

The entire project followed a meticulous process for its realization. Can you tell us what were the main steps in bringing this design work to life?

We always approach a project with a first on-site visit of the area where the house will be built. The first idea was to give centrality to the living area, to the area in connection with the kitchen space where the family spends the most time. We wanted to enhance the feature of having this spectacular view of the landscape below, which on clear days extends the view all the way to Venice.

In my first sketches there was this idea of indoor-outdoor and centrality of the living area where to place the fireplace as the absolute protagonist.

However, I wanted something that would not interrupt this continuity and the solution I found in Piazzetta’s Panoramic M360 R fireplace was perfect to fulfill this desire.

We started from this concept and then, with support from the company and its technical department, we were able to work out this idea.

There was also a desire to anchor the fireplace firmly in the ground with the stone surround of the base and then lighten it by cladding the hood identically to the wall lining, in wood, to give an additional sense of home warmth.

You told us about the surround chosen for the fireplace, designed and custom-made exclusively for this fireplace. Another distinctive element is the enhancement of the hood to a piece of furniture. How did this idea come about?

The client knew that this solution was unavoidable. When we chose the central fireplace in the lower part and above we wanted to make the loft, which by regulation was the maximum allowed to use the double height, I proposed to him to use the hood as a furnishing element, as an architectural element. So yes, it was deliberately included as a piece of furniture, without trying to hide it as is sometimes done with a decorative column. We wanted to give it prominence.

In many of your works you have included fireplaces. Is the choice of their inclusion your proposal or is it the client’s request?

We’ve always been fortunate to have clients who are very attentive to the whole design process, and it’s almost natural after our initial proposal to hear: “We are so happy, we would have asked you otherwise to include a fireplace.” Perhaps it is also because of the suburban nature of many out-of-town houses that makes it natural to have the idea of the house with a form of rurality, though contemporary, in the architectural approach and the idea of having the fireplace as in the origins.

The fireplace originated as an element for heating and developed as a piece of furniture. Do today’s buyers still perceive the fireplace as an element that enhances the home?

Absolutely. In the last 10 houses I have built, nine of them have a fireplace.

The fireplace object is definitely perceived, the flame is an integrated element that elevates the quality to the space, of the setting.

I, personally, propose it almost every time.

The realization

A residential unit on the south side of the Montello hill welcomes a large panoramic fireplace with a 360-degree view of the fire and a rectangular base in the center of the living room.

A living room designed with two large windows that frame the splendid views that can be admired: looking southward towards the plain on clear days one can catch a glimpse of the Venetian lagoon and the outline of the Euganean Hills, northward the typical vegetation of Montello with its large chestnut trees and typical depressions.

At the center of the living room is the M360 R fireplace from the Panoramic collection, where the view of the fire has its highest expression, being able to enjoy it from every angle. A central fireplace with glass without any metal profile, with a motorized rise n’fall system for maximum ease of management, both for loading wood and for cleaning.

In Architect Caprioglio’s design, the fireplace was located in the center, not only of the living room, but of the entire house. From the entrance, it immediately becomes the protagonist, but without precluding the view to the magnificent window looking south. Thanks to the glass on all 4 sides, the gaze can pass through it so that it is an element that does not divide but relates the two rooms and makes them live together thanks to the warmth and light of the flame.

The finishes used recall the surrounding nature. Wood is the material chosen for the floors, for the lining of a wall and on the fireplace hood, an imposing stone block houses the base of the fireplace. The warmth of wood is combined with natural stone, elements found in the landscape, which become part of the interior of the home.

Overlooking the dining area is a loft also with a panoramic view towards the plain, where the chimney, a structural component, becomes an architectural element.

A dream home in an idyllic setting, where at the center of it all the Panoramic fireplace brings warmth, light and its crackling, becoming part of the life of the house.