Location: Lake Lugano, Switzerland

Built after the Second World War, the house sits between the developed edge of Lake Lugano and the dense forest rising behind it. Studio Wok retained the fundamental organization and character of the existing building, making a series of precise changes to the exterior alongside a complete renovation of the interior.

The original arrangement of the house remains legible. The ground floor contains the principal living spaces, with three bedrooms above facing south toward the lake. A new service zone consolidates the kitchen, storage, bookcase, staircase and fireplace along one side of the living area, freeing the remainder of the floor for furniture that can be approached and experienced from all sides.

Natural oak windows frame views across the water and surrounding mountains. Inside, a restrained palette of polished concrete, oak and lime plaster responds to the landscape without competing with it. Sections of the reinforced concrete structure have been exposed, revealing another layer of the building’s construction, while green serpentine stone appears at the kitchen and fireplace as a concentrated point of color.

The relationship between old and new continues on the exterior. The house’s local stone facades are retained, while its timber balcony is reconstructed with double uprights and a new metal parapet. Wooden elements are painted black, relating the architecture to the darker tones of the surrounding vegetation while preserving the familiar profile of the original house.

Upstairs, solid oak floors and recovered doors establish a more intimate atmosphere. The primary bedroom is organized as a sequence of connected spaces incorporating the bedroom, bathroom, study and walk-in closet. An opal glass volume containing the shower separates these functions without completely dividing them, with green serpentine appearing again in the bathrooms.

Throughout the house, furniture sits within an interior conceived around open circulation, natural materials and long views through the building. Seitz pieces join a restrained selection of furnishings, establishing points of warmth and tactility against the concrete, plaster and stone.

The renovation preserves the recognizable qualities of the postwar house rather than replacing them. Existing stone, recovered doors and exposed structure sit alongside new oak joinery, polished concrete and carefully placed interventions, connecting the domestic interior to the lake and wooded landscape beyond.

Photography by Christian Møller Andersen; Styling by Rahel Morgen