Up in the clouds

Imagine a summer evening, a dinner with friends and a little paradise on the top floor of a small, modern apartment building in La Spezia, in Italy's Liguria Region. There are benches, a large table, hanging lights, majolica decorations, plants and, of course, the view.

It is the terrace designed by Virginia Neri and Alen Ribechini, she a landscape designer and he a gardener. 
90 square metres, given a clever new layout with fresh functional areas, to allow the outdoor space to be enjoyed at all times of day. The dining and sunbathing areas, a small lounge corner, different zones given unity by a single wooden floor covering. 
In fact, the raised flooring in Ipé wood defines the areas and pathways, edged with grey Bardiglio marble stones.

The terrace's focal point is the dining area, where both the table top and the benches are finished throughout with porcelain stoneware cement tiles in a greige colour and 15x15 size from the Block collection by Marazzi. The greige colour of the tiles matches that of the stone sink next to the hob. With a decorative motif inspired by hand-made majolica ware, the tiles create an attractive pattern on the dining surface and seats and are the only feature of graphic ornamentation on the terrace, as all the other furnishings and materials are strictly in solid colours.

Porcelain stoneware is an ideal choice for finishing permanent furnishings in a location like this terrace, which will spend all their time outdoors, exposed to the sun and swept by briny winds; it is also the perfect material for a feature like the kitchen worktop, since it is tough and easy to clean. 

The green of the plants stands out against the neutral shades of the terrace's design; there are not many of them, but they have been carefully chosen to withstand the most adverse weather conditions and are one of the project's central features.