The Villanelle: A domicile art d’object

Clean, denuded lines, tactile geometric forms, and refined, romantic details exalt in this intimate stripping down of a grand Greek Revival estate.

Colorful hand-drawn rendering of bedroom
Chroma rendering

Location

Northern California

Year

2023

Area

10000 ft2 / 929 m2

Classic French beauty—Bugatti-style—purrs, as early Gio Ponti on the outskirts of Paris meets majorelle YSL Marrakech cool. Quietly opulent Art Deco echoes crescendo in comely rounded corners—then staccato sensuously across North African tile, as rich-hued stone and walnut enjamb rattan and grasscloth. A dramatic whisper in the dark, a riotous simper in the light, The Villanelle romances dissonance into domestic poetry.

Image collage of home interior, fashion model wearing dress, and textile detail
Above: Carlo Bugatti house, early 1900s. Left: Stella McCartney Fall 2020. Right: Blue Lana by Tulu Textiles.

Chroma Project Origins
Mining historical and contemporary references, we draw on our expertise in art, design, and culture to achieve an aesthetic narrative that aligns formal interests—exciting materiality, generative forms, innovative techniques—with inimitable attitude and ultimate comfort.

Plan view drawing of rooms with furniture
Chroma furniture plan
Colorful hand-drawn rendering of a living room
Chroma rendering
Collage of two photos: a living room and a detail of mosaic tiled pattern floor
Left: Villa Borsani, Varedo, Italy. Right: Detail of Théodore Reinach’s Villa Kerylos, Beaulieu-sur-Mer, France.
Colorful hand-drawn rendering of expansive lounge room with white geometric-patterned ceiling
Chroma rendering
Collage of three photos: fashion model on a runway in a dark coat, a vast interior with carved patterned ceiling, and a sculptural wicker chair
Above: Dries Van Noten, Fall 2020 ready to wear. Left: Pernštejn Castle, Czech Republic. Right: Low Chair by Jacques Dumond and Raymond Pastinelli, 1942, produced by Entrepris de Rotin Industriel, France.
Colorful hand-drawn rendering of a bathroom
Chroma rendering
Monochrome photograph of an apartment with large circular skylight
Apartment of Mme Jean Sauphar, cours Albert-fer, Paris, c. 1931. Designed by French architect Jean-Charles Moreux with furniture by Jean-Michel Frank.
Colorful hand-drawn rendering of entry with circular staircase and landing
Chroma rendering
Collage with two photographs: black and white image of woman in white dress at a bar, and a warm color bedroom interior with wicker walls
Above: Marlene Dietrich in Cannes, 1957, photographed by Willy Rizzo. Below: Home of Yves Saint Laurent, Morocco.
Colorful hand-drawn rendering of lounge-like game room with white geometric-patterned ceiling and dark teal and brown materials
Chroma rendering
Collage of color photographs: a woman dressed in yellow feathers and a warm off-white circular room with small white sculptures set into the wall
Above: Anna Cleveland, April 2016, photographed by Julia Hetta for Another Magazine. Below: Gio Ponti’s L’Ange Volant, Garches, France, 1927.
Bright bedroom with decorative rugs, painted walls, and custom-designed bed and furniture
Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s Hill House, Helensburgh, Scotland, 1904
Domicile
D’objet