JC House on the Adriatic Balances Open Living and Quiet Rest Zones
JC House sits high above Riccione, Italy, with the Adriatic stretching beyond expansive glazing. Architect Giada Spano reimagines this apartment as a fluid penthouse where materials set the tone and light orders the rooms. The renovation redirects daily life toward the terrace and sea while dialing up tactility inside with steel, terracotta, and layered glass.
Morning light skims across steel, terracotta, and glass. A wide horizon pulls the living area outward, giving the materials a clear stage against the Adriatic.
This is a renovated apartment in Riccione by architect Giada Spano, conceived as a penthouse where materials do the quiet structuring. The plan loosens, partitions lighten, and crafted elements—metal profiles, pleated and smoked glass, ceramic and clay—set hierarchy without bulk. Everything holds to a measured, neutral palette punctuated by vivid accents.
Casting Light and Shadow
Large glass openings drive the interior toward the terrace, washing surfaces with daylight and giving the floor a clear orientation. Smoked bronze panels modulate that brightness, reading warm and slightly reflective, so edges soften while views remain legible. Shadows fall cleanly on textured finishes, and the rhythm of mullions keeps a steady beat across the living room. It feels both open and composed.
Partitions Define Flow
Between kitchen and lounge, the Quadra system forms a light wall with a broad sliding opening on a ceiling track. Black lacquered aluminum profiles trace thin lines, while smoked bronze glass sustains visual continuity and a consistent tone. Pull the panels aside and the rooms read as one; slide them back and the edge returns without weight. The construction is crisp, and the threshold stays generous.
Kitchen as Anchor
At the heart sits a satin-finish steel island, its cool sheen catching daylight and evening glow with equal poise. Around it, extruded terracotta elements add warmth and grain, setting a tactile counterpoint to the metal and designer ceramics nearby. The ensemble works like a material triad—steel for precision, clay for depth, ceramic for color and pattern—binding cooking and gathering into one clear volume. It’s robust, yet refined.
Tactile Sleeping Suite
In the sleeping area, sliding panels from the same collection reset the tone between bedroom and bath. Natural aluminum frames hold pleated glass that reads almost textile, its vertical lines filtering views while passing light. Privacy rises without blocking brightness, and the corridor edge softens into a luminous screen. Materials do the separation, not thick walls.
Consistent Palette, Calm Rooms
Neutral tones sit at the core, with bold chromatic notes used sparingly to tune mood across day and night. Textured surfaces give the hand something to register, while consistent profiles and finishes keep the apartment legible from entry to terrace. The result is organized by feel—glass for light, metal for line, clay for warmth.
Late sun lays a copper edge on the steel island and deepens the terracotta. As the sliding panels catch the last light, the rooms hold their quiet order—materials doing the work, view doing the rest.
Photography by Giada Spano | Albed
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