Sardinian Spirit
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"One sits above the sea as though on a great ship," interior designer Florence Pucci says of the juniper-shaded terrace of a house she recently expanded and redecorated on Sardinia's Costa Smeralda. The house was built in the 1960s by architect Savin Couëlle.
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Pucci chose small Greek tables that can be used for informal dining in the game room, painting them the shades of blue that local fishermen use for their boats. "I wanted the ambience of Mediterranean bistros or the rooms in beach houses where one has tea on windy days."
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"This is the heart of the house," Couëlle says of the living room, with its off-center vaulted ceiling. "The twenty-foot-high arch always keeps it cool." Pucci focused on maintaining the room's sense of freshness by using pale blue natural fabrics and whitewashing walls.
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"The three windows in the tower are like the house's eyes," notes Pucci. She built a terrace at the base of Couëlle's tower and carved out space for new bedrooms and baths. "Every stone was handpicked and worked by the Sardinian sculptor Salvatore Varalto."
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Pucci built a new, smaller tower to contain a bath. The bedroom next to it has wide doors providing views and fresh air.
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The pool, with its overflowing edge, is shaped to follow the curve of the coastline. A waterfall tumbles from the rocky slope.
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"The granite banquettes in the outdoor dining area are greatly admired for their romance—but also, astonishingly, for their comfort!" says Pucci.
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"The romance is heightened by the scents of the flowers." At night the outdoor rooms are lit by small lanterns.
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Determined to respect the harmony between house and environment that Couëlle had originally envisioned, the designer used pinks and blues for the façade that echo the colors of the landscape. Each room opens onto a terra-cottatiled terrace with a view of the sea.