British designer Nigel Coates (Nigel Coates) acquired in Tuscany building, whose age is one thousand years. On the difficulties of restoration and the joys of life in Italy - his story for readers INTERIOR + DESIGN.

West facade. White Loop chairs are visible on the terrace. Sitting on one of them, N. Coates contemplates Tuscan sunsets.

“When I bought the Pergomeno estate 30 years ago, it could be described in one word:“ ruin ”. Moreover, according to my Italian friends, it was located too far from Florence and Siena. But the atmosphere of the place won me over. Most likely, even Etruscans began to settle in: the name Pergomeno is more ancient than modern Italian. At the top of the hill, behind slender cypress trees, elms and blackberry thickets hid a square structure with a courtyard in the middle.

View from the terrace on the west side of the house. From here Crete Senesi (locality in Tuscany south of Siena) is visible for forty kilometers.

Once it had a high tower and was part of the defensive fortifications. The Florentine troops occupied it and in 1527 fired at the castle on the hill opposite, leaving damage in the walls that can be seen until now. Then the building was turned into an agricultural complex. Last decades was empty. The project promised to be long, preparing many surprises and good practice for me as an architect and designer. But I could not even imagine that this pile of stones would become an anchor in my life, and Italy would play such an important role in creative destiny. ”

The magnificent view from the cabinet window inspires the owner for creativity. In the foreground a chair of beech wood bent under steam, diz. N. Coates for Gebrüder Thonet Vienna. "Its elements are three meters long, which is at the limit of the technology capabilities."

“For the first few years I didn’t build as much as I cleared. He spent holidays with friends in Tuscany, raked debris, cleaned heaps of dung, removed late layers, to see and feel the skeleton. I carried out the restoration with microsteps, which helped to evenly distribute the budget and corresponded to the fate of the house that had evolved over the centuries. I looked at the walls and tried to imagine the flow of time that had shaped the building. Work continues to this day. Constantly you want to patch up one thing, then another, enlarge the window or emphasize the view points. My partner and I constantly change things, move them, like puppeteers in a puppet theater. The project is a kind of playground for adults. They will never be finished. And I am glad of it. ”

In the summer, the courtyard is used as an open-air cinema: “Last year we arranged the season of Italian neo-realism,” says N. Coates. Simple lines of architecture enliven two sofas of organic forms of Rollover, Nigel Coates Studio.

“To understand the true scale of the ancient house can be on the gable roof at the top level. The seven main residential premises supposedly contained a family of twenty farmers. There are also agricultural premises. Where there used to be a barn, now there is an office, and I arranged the most front room in the former barn. One of the first impulses was to create an internal staircase - an alternative to the one that was outside. We with builders broke through the ceiling of the pigsty on the lower level, the stairs turned out so that no one guesses that this is a recent intervention. As a result, new routes of movement emerged, a flow appeared, which I consider to be very important in the interior. ”

The gallery in the courtyard, or, as it is called here, the "loggia" is a great place for summer dinners. Horse fiberglass - a gift to the owner of the house from a London friend. In the foreground is a chair with a Plasma bench, diz. N. Coates for Poltronova.

“I learned how to handle a special local light. The windows are mostly small, they filter the bright light penetrating outside, relieve its tension. The simplicity of the rooms is perfectly complemented by objects that shine and sparkle - silver surfaces and mirrors. In the dining room made a whole frieze of small mirrors. One of the favorite items - a giant silver candelabrum, which used to decorate the cruise liner - the candlelight works particularly well in conjunction with silver. Curved surfaces double reflections, it works magically. "

Private living room on the second floor. The Feral table and chair are made by Tuscan artisans. Deep in the bedroom and the Bodystuhl chair. The living room is arranged where the shed used to be. Two brick arches naturally divide it into three zones. Pebble sofa modules (d.N. Coates) unite.

“Due to the change of seasons and the movement of the sun during the day, the house is not static. It changes from day to day, from hour to hour. In winter, everyone, including cats, dreams of staying at home. Outings to the outside world, such as the market in Sinalung, are made only out of necessity. We return, laden with food, lay out in ceramic dishes Amalfish lemons, clementines, tomatoes, basil. In the evenings we sit in the living room with a glass of wine, for me this ritual is the quintessence of life in Tuscany. Even in winter, flowers bloom in the garden that can decorate the table in the kitchen. Spring garden awakens to life. The share of cultivated plots is growing every year (a total area occupies more than a hectare). There are more terraces, but they look as if they have always been here. Rows of lavender grow as if by themselves; peeled blackberry thickets, vymahali oaks. A group of trees formed a cozy corner where we put a new table: it is perfect for playing chess. In the summer, the courtyard turns into an open-air cinema - we mainly watch films of Italian classics. ”

The owner of the house is resting after the works on home improvement. Winter dining room. The furnishings are Crusty table and Loop chairs, diz. N. Coates. The Joe chair is part of the permanent collection of all the world's design museums. He was designed by the trio De Pas D’Urbino Lomazzi (Studio DDL) in 1970 for Poltronova. The design is inspired by a baseball glove and is dedicated to architect Joe Colombo. On the couch Plump, call. Scubism, diz. N. Coates for Fratelli Boffi, pillows with prints by P. Picasso. Under the ceiling, a lamp from the Carry Artid series (made of borosilicate glass in Italy) and two Chariot armchairs in velvet and bronze. Master bedroom. Bed of the 18th century, Medusa chandelier (d.N. Coates for Slamp), Bodystuhl chair (d.N. Coats for GTW). Guest bedroom. Medusa chandelier in white version. Bed and chair from the Feral series are made by Tuscan artisans.

The 68-year-old Briton Nigel Coats is known as an architect and designer. He has many interesting buildings, but today he is focused on the subject design. Works for Alessi, Fratelli Boffi, Poltronova, Slamp, Varaschin, Frag, Richard Ginori, Ceramica Bardelli, Gebrüder Thonet Vienna - mostly Italian brands. Coates is successful in collection design and even set up production of limited editions by Tuscan artisans. “In the Italian house there are a lot of things of my authorship that are consonant with its spirit, for example, the Feral collection in the style of Simplexity from roughly treated wood.”