Villa Saborsko, Croatia: a modern villa with continuous ceramic surfaces

In the villa designed by ZDL Arhitekti in Saborsko, the reference to mountain architecture is immediate, but equally evident is the desire to build a contemporary language capable of integrating the past and the future. Vernacular techniques and innovative solutions come together to create fluid and hybrid spaces, in the name of comfort and versatility, perfect for a vacation home.

A result fully in line with the philosophy of the designers and founders of the architecture practice, Siniša Zdjelar and Petra Komadinić, who describe their approach with an evocative image: "Every empty space is full of potential. Like a bowl that preserves shapes, flavors, smells, and stories." This concept finds full expression in the Croatian hinterland, where the landscape is an inexhaustible source of suggestions. Imposing mountains, spectacular waterfalls, and trails beaten by trekking enthusiasts outline a powerful natural setting, which becomes the matrix of the architectural project itself.

"Defining the context is our primary task," explain Zdjelar and Komadinić. "Determining its influences, their mutual relationship, their relationship with the project and with the concept. The inclusiveness and empathy of our design aims to create a unique and honest architecture."

An approach that derives from and is reflected in the very conformation of ZDL Arhitekti, which boasts offices in Rijeka, Croatia, and Belgrade, Serbia, bringing together designers from different cities such as Zagreb, Trieste, Venice, Milan, Ljubljana, and Novi Sad. This multiculturalism represents a valuable resource, fueling the creative process with a constant exchange of visions and cultural influences. A weave of experiences that translates into projects capable of embracing complexity without renouncing a clear and coherent identity.

THE MATERIALS

In the project of the villa, great importance is given to the accurate selection of materials, which responds to the need to respect the strong link of the house with the territory, combining aesthetics and functionality.

"The predominance of glulam wood as a construction and cladding material for the body of the villa confronts the extensive surfaces in porcelain stoneware. A choice that comforted our vision and the certainty of having selected a material with a low impact. A sustainability not only in the form of matter but also in the processes for its realization."

For the interior and exterior finishes of the residence, the designers opted for Marazzi ceramic surfaces, declined in different variations.

In the outdoor area, the stone-effect Mystone Quarzite collection, in Platinum color, in the 50x100 cm and 20 mm thick format, defines the paving around the pool, while the pool is covered with the Mystone Bluestone collection, in Lead color, in the 30x60 cm dimension.

A reference to the rough surfaces of the surrounding mountains can also be found inside the house: in the bathrooms, the Mystone Limestone collection, in Sand color, covers the wall of the bathtub and the shower floor, while the stone effect in the white shade of Mystone Ardesia - in the 75x150 cm format - completes the floors of the wellness area.

The suggestions to the stone textures then give way to those of marble in the shower wall made with large format 120x278 cm slabs, in the glossy black finish crossed by light veins Saint Laurent, from the Grande Marble Look collection.

The only digression to the Stone and Marble Look ranges is the Green colored walls of the Crogiolo Lume series, which with its shiny and imperfect bricks (6x24 cm) creates a unique reflection of light in the space that houses the Jacuzzi tub.

In the living area with living room and kitchen, flooded with natural light coming from the large openings towards the mountains, the surfaces are subject to the charm of the sedimentary rocks recalled by the Mystone Ardesia collection, here laid in the Ash color (75x150 cm) which gives way, in the large covered patio, to the Platinum-colored Quarzite, in the 60x120 cm format.