Built in the 1950s by a local family as summer retreat in a remote spot in the Western Italian Alps, at 1600m above sea level, this low-slung single storey white cottage with its prominent stone roof sits proudly in a clearing at the bottom of an extended pine and fir tree forest. 

Winning planning permission for a modest addition (a 30m2 cube containing two extra bedrooms with shower rooms) to be clad in local stone and tucked neatly behind the original volume of the house, was never going to be easy, as building at altitude in Italy is heavily restricted.   The new owners however benefitted from then current environmental incentives, allowing a degree of extension if they agreed to insulate external walls and double glaze windows.

Internally, the house was carefully reconfigured and substantially updated.   The existing low ceilings, clad in dark timber, were removed, increasing dramatically the volumes; several skylights were introduced, transforming a cosy but dark home into a series of light-filled spaces with spectacular views of mountains and nature, while retaining and enhancing the original 1950s character of the house.