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A stone threshold on a hillside in Modigliana
On a steep slope outside Modigliana, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, rows of vines slide down toward the valley and tall cypresses border the ridgeline. Effevu House (Casa Effevu)—a residential renovation and extension by ellevuelle architetti—sits inside this rural setting as a small system rather than a single object: a stone house, a former barn, and a new volume that connects them.
The architects placed the extension between the two existing buildings with a specific purpose. It works as an inhabited, contemporary threshold that lets you move from the old house to the renovated barn without perturbing their identities. From a distance, the new volume reads as a long, low band pressed into the hillside, letting the older gabled volume remain the highest point on the site.
A linear base, built with rhythm
The new volume stretches along hillside like a stone plinth. While it uses the same material language as the old rural buildings, it tightens the syntax. It boasts a strong horizontal roof with an overhanging concrete frame that turns the extension into a precise line against the sky.
Along that line, a sequence of masonry piers sets up a steady rhythm of solids and voids. Each bay becomes a sheltered space: part porch, part corridor, part viewpoint. The roof structure reads clearly from below, with evenly spaced elements that filter the light as you walk the length of the façade. Metal railings keep the edge usable without interrupting the architectural rhythm.
Instead of relying on a single grand opening, Effevu House introduces a set of moments: you step out, lean on the parapet, look across the valley, then step back in. As a result, the landscape becomes an integral part of the architecture.
Openings that frame picturesque views
Large openings and deep reveals define the façade that overlooks the hillside and valley. Thick masonry edges and the depth of the portico give the glass weight and shadow, framing the views.
From the outside, the openings read as a series of deliberate cuts in the stone base. From the inside, they act like frames; wide enough for daylight to move across floors, but deep enough to keep the rooms calm and cozy even during hot summers.
Interiors that stay quiet and airy
Inside, the spaces unfold with fluidity, without a precise order. The rooms feel connected through sightlines and repeated details rather than doors and corridors. A long interior view shows a sequence of openings aligned down the plan, with dark ceiling beams pulling your eye forward and pale floors keeping the space bright.
Material choices give warmth to the contemporary structure. Exposed beams, light wood floors, and built-in timber joinery with fine, vertical grooves as well as stone surfaces that read as thick, durable worktops rather than decorative slabs.
The kitchen centers daily life with a generous island that sits under the timber ceiling. A large window puts the landscape at sink height, welcoming cypress trees and the hillside vegetation into everyday routines.
A project that reimagines the way we inhabit rural buildings.
With Effevu House, ellevuelle architetti propose a different renovation approach. Instead of altering the existing buildings to create a larger, unitary structure, the studio introduced a contemporary extension that acts as a connecting piece. Measured in its proportions, repetitive in its structure, and direct in its construction, the extension is not as much as an “addition” as it is an evolutionary step. The volume augments the rural buildings while redefining they way the residents live inside the old and new walls, immersed in the beauty of the bucolic landscape. Photography© Simone Bossi.
