Casa Piva by B.E. Architecture

Defined by warmth and a considered materiality, this Melbourne property – the family home of an architect – is small in stature but big on functionality and vision.

“As with all our projects, each one reflects our clients, and this one was no different,” says Andrew Piva, project architect and director at B.E. Architecture, referring to his own home. Defined by a slow reveal of spaces and experiences, Casa Piva is an intricate home that is warm, inviting and highly functional.

“What’s probably the most difficult aspect is trying to temper your own enthusiasm and filter out all the possible ideas into those that really matter.”

Andrew says Casa Piva was most definitely a labour of love. “We wanted our house to reflect who we are and our Italian heritage.” When designing your own home, challenges are inevitable. “What’s probably the most difficult aspect is trying to temper your own enthusiasm and filter out all the possible ideas into those that really matter and are the appropriate ones to shape the project,” he says.

The hard work and love poured into creating Casa Piva becomes apparent as soon as you step inside. From the street, the residence doesn’t reveal too much; however, upon entry, you’re met with an intriguing and experiential journey through spaces that are designed around a series of small courtyards. The entryway is reminiscent of an Italian villa – a modest-sized door from the laneway leads towards a large courtyard. Grounded in a distinct and somewhat experimental layout, the dwelling reimagines conceptions of the family home.

“We used materials that have the sentiment of something older and more European, such as the soft, textural, chalk-toned brickwork, sawn travertine flooring and the Tuscan oak joinery.”

Casa Piva seems compact, dark and moody but the atmosphere slowly transitions as you move through the home. The first glimpse of the kitchen, which features Tuscan oak joinery, reveals the home’s warmth and comfort. Generously sized rooms add a sense of dramatic proportion to the layout, which includes three bedrooms as well as a flexible study that also serves as a TV room and guest bedroom.

Natural materials are favoured and complemented by a fairly neutral palette. “We tend to use a reduced palette of materials in our work,” notes Andrew. “We used materials that have the sentiment of something older and more European, such as the soft, textural, chalk-toned brickwork, sawn travertine flooring and the Tuscan oak joinery that appears patinaed and aged in its colouring.”

“Using the singular joinery finish throughout makes the spaces feel more balanced. Yet the timber also allows you to flood certain rooms in it to create moments of intensity.”

However, it is the Evenex Sincro Timber-look Surface panels by Elton Group that feature most heavily throughout, a choice that profoundly shapes the home’s overall feel. “In using the singular joinery finish throughout, it makes the spaces feel more balanced. Yet the timber also allows you to flood certain rooms in it to create moments of intensity and a more heightened experience.”

Entire rooms are therefore panelled, including the study, main bedroom and the kitchen and dining area, where all the walls and joinery are a singular material. “This felt appropriate for that space as it is the stereotypical ‘heart of the home’, and it creates a very warm and inviting environment,” says Andrew.

“The key thing that drives many of our projects is trying to design a home that’s not based on trends and remains relevant for years to come so that there’s no need to tear it down and start again.”

Similarly, furnishings are kept minimal, with refined choices existing in harmony with Casa Piva’s material mix. “We’ve amassed many pieces over the years, so there is a mix of vintage modernist pieces alongside more contemporary items as well as ones which our office has custom designed. Our collection has a certain eclectic quality to it,” says Andrew. His favourite piece at the moment is the oversized plaster ring bird light that he and the team handmade for the living room. “Although it certainly tested my patience and we cut it fine to complete it in time, sitting back now and enjoying the soft glow it gives the room and the interesting shadows it casts against the hand-carved birds does make us smile.”

Like many of B.E. Architecture’s projects, incorporating sustainability is inherent to the brief. “There’s a whole series of measures built into the project that minimise the reliance on powered heating and cooling and energy use,” says Andrew. He believes a long-term approach to sustainability is more advantageous. “The key thing that drives many of our projects is trying to design a home that’s not based on trends and remains relevant for years to come so that there’s no need to tear it down and start again.” As such, materials are selected based on their longevity, low maintenance and ability to patina over time and get better with age. Moreover, “the layout has been designed to cater for our family now and as we grow older.”

“We’ve managed to create an efficiently designed home on a modest footprint, enabling a feeling of generosity where it counts and a sense of scale that’s not immediately apparent.”

The prevailing feeling of Casa Piva is its warm grasp – encouraging contemplation, relaxation and retreat. When Andrew reflects on what he is most proud of when it comes to his own home, he says, “it’s not any one item, but is the feeling of calm and privacy you get throughout the house – it feels balanced and inviting. We’ve managed to create an efficiently designed home on a modest footprint, enabling a feeling of generosity where it counts and a sense of scale that’s not immediately apparent down the discreet laneway where the house is hidden.”

Architecture and interior design by B.E. Architecture. Build by JGF Creative. Engineering by D&A Consulting. Joinery by Creative Design Cabinets. Building surveying by Floreancig Smith Building Surveyors. Timber-look Surface by Elton Group.