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Green, it could only be green, says Italian architect Antonio Girardi, as if the color of nature could not help but enter, like an old friend, into a home where it seems to have already been invited inside. It first happened in an instant: three imposing cypresses invaded the home, which welcomed them as if it was destiny that a green element had to enter these walls. Nature would not be content to stay outside. Thus, the green of the pines, palms, and cypresses slipped between the walls, settled on the fabrics, and entered into dialogue with the lighting.For Girardi, creating a home is not just about designing a space. Its about tapping into emotions and weaving a story that comes from the perfect encounter between architecture and nature, and one that fits the location of this home.The green dining room is a spectacular setting with, at its center, a glass-top table supported by two bronze octopus sculptures and surrounded by eight bamboo and leather directors chairs with burnished brass details designed by Lyda Levi for McGuire San Francisco 1970.This green home is located in the Flaminio neighborhood, a few steps from the Villa Borghese and its gardens. Time seems to vanish within the apartment, as if the decor had always looked like this. However, the interior was the result of a very quick renovation, as Girardi says. I try to create environments that seem already lived in, frozen in time, and where you immediately feel at home.A portrait of the architect leaning against a wall of the home painted with stylized palm trees by Federica Lazzati. The floors are herringbone parquet.Creating vignettes and scenes is part of Girardis signature style. His firm was founded in 2009, and specializes in the design of luxury hotels, restaurants, and private residences. From the D.O.M. Hotel to the Notorious nightclub in Rome, the restyling of the renowned Il Riccio restaurant, or to his next project in Milan, each creation embodies a unique vision that blends timeless elegance and innovation. Girardi creates atmospheres that tell the stories and histories of each place, while staying true to the authentic soul of each destination.In ever-evolving ways and different contexts he tries to capture an environment while integrating a home into it. His projects turn to motifs from classic architecture, which to him are solid as ancient stone. Different objects, design elements, and fragments of different eras are woven together into the eclectic chaos. The result is disordered enough to feel full of life while staying upright. His process is a pleasurable tale to follow, where materials speak, shapes intertwine, and colors tell stories of light and the sea. Though he is now a cosmopolitan citizen of the worldhe lived 10 years in Miamihis heart is always drawn back toward his homeland of Naples, to which references in his work are common. Think of the energy of Vesuvius and the magic of narrow alleys in southern Italy.In the center of the living room, a fireplace designed by Girardi. Its a unique piece with planters to each side and it required very complex and delicate work. Above it is a 19th-century Venetian mirror and to its right, a sofa designed by the architect.At the center of Antonio Girardis own home, for example, is the Green Room. Its undoubtably the beating heart of the project, where sunlight is filtered through green glass. The room is a poetic force, where tree roots seem to have made their way through the home, bringing with them a timeless freshness. Green makes its way into every corner of the apartment: its in the walls, in the fabrics, and in the lights. But it is not only color that tells a story here. The house is a stage of light and shadow, of reflections that intertwine with memory, of details that evoke ancient stories. Every corner of the home is designed to tie beauty to the essence of life.A corner of the living room with an exotic-chic charm, furnished with Bonacinas elegant Nastro armchairs, designed by Joe Colombo with fabrics by Manuel Canovas.A green arched doorway connects the living room to the Green Room, creating a refined chromatic thread that runs throughout the home. The walls, embellished with moldings and stucco, enhance the elegance of the whole, while a vintage fan on the ceiling adds a colonial touch.Bonacinas Nastro armchairs, with fabrics by Manuel Canovas, are gracefully arranged and seem to be waiting for someone to sit down and launch into a conversation reflecting on life. Sandro Pettis table of glass, plexiglass, and brass, looks back to the 1970s, when the world was changing at a frenzied pace.The fireplace, a wave-shaped marble sculpture that was both difficult to make and to transport, is like a dream come true. Its a focal point that becomes a work of art, Girardi says. And, indeed, it isa sculpture that also plays a functional role. Each objectthe decorative elephants, the paintings, the curated pieces, and the turtle lampswas chosen with the understanding that time is not just what passes, but what remains.Color is also a key element in the hallway, which serves as a lively gallery, punctuated by works of art and real palms in green ceramic pots by Poterie Madeline (Cote dAzur).A vintage directors chair sits in a corner of the living room, adding character and personality. On the desk, a brass elephantpart of one of the architects favorite collectionslends a touch of charm and symbolism.Lyda Levis bamboo and leather director chairs have a certain appeal that evokes travel to distant lands, while the glass-top dining table, supported by two bronze octopus-shaped sculptures, illustrate how art can quietly become part of everyday life. Each surface is a narrative of beauty that is not only aesthetic but emotional as well.Enthusiastic eclecticism: In the hallway, the architects worlds intertwine with art, photographs, collected objects, and vintage pieces, creating a visually rich narrative.The kitchen, made of bright white marble, invites you to stop and reflect on the role of simple objects. The custom-designed Vietri ceramics are like a journey to the Mediterranean and a land that tastes of sea, sun, and saltiness.The kitchen, a spacious and personal realm, is embellished with custom Vietri tiles. In the center, a large marble surface, chosen for its purity and lack of veining, serves as both a worktop and an area to eat, enhancing the elegance of the room. The Atollo lamp was designed by Vico Magistretti for Oluce.Every choice, every gesture, is a step toward purity, as if Girardi wanted to remind us that cooking is also an art, one that can transform food into poetry. The walls of the home are a canvas on which stories are painted, not of paper, but of emotions. Even the paintings become windows to another dimension that, though it may be distant, is still accessible to those who know how to listen.The principal bathroom, entirely custom-designed, is clad in exquisite green Lapland marble, enveloping the space in a timeless elegance.In the bedroom, softer tones envelop the space, while green gracefully reappears, providing the closet with a refined lightness.In the bedroom, a screen serves as a headboard, something Girardi has done in many of his projects.A hint of green is found in the nursery, where delicate botanical motifs painted on the walls add a touch of freshness and poetry.Painted walls are a common thread in the apartments different rooms. Palm trees again dominate the scene here, though this time in a more natural and less stylized version.The bathroom used by Girardis daughters is lined with Vietri ceramics custom-designed for the project.Everything is thought out to the smallest detail, such as the pattern of the custom Vietri ceramic tiles.This Italian architect's home was originally published in AD Italia.
