Villa Brash

Location: Les Issambres, Roquebrune-sur-Argens, France

Architect: JaK Studio

Client: Brash Family

Material: concrete & wood

Design date: 2012

Completion date: 2015

Site area: 1350m²

Built area: 294m²

Architects: Kenan Klico, Jacob Low

Photographer: Nick Kane

Story:

Text provided by the architects:

A luxury, contemporary villa overlooking the Cote D’Azur, Villa Brash was commissioned by a British couple looking to create a beautiful retreat that embodied tranquility, whilst reflecting the aesthetic of this popular holiday destination. Overlooking the Mediterranean, Villa Brash resides in an exclusive address among a winding avenue of stunning properties – specifically designed to give an ocean view from every room.

Although we executed the design to a clean, linear, and minimalist aesthetic, the architecture also embodies the Mediterranean rusticity that it inhabits. Ceramic tiles on the east side of the façade are randomly laid to produce a textured, almost handmade finish; steep brick steps that descend into the garden give a nod to the narrow streets of old Mediterranean villages and is lined by young lemon trees – a harmonic juxtaposition of the manmade with nature.

The bay-fringed sea and the undulating landscape of the distant St Tropez were, however, the single influential force that shaped our style and composition.

A crisp, linear oakwood sunscreen on the northern façade casts dramatic, angular shadows on the interior space – enabling the villa to become akin to a habitable sundial, with residents able to ascertain the time of the day simply from the casting of the shadows. Meanwhile, we placed rich wooden cladding on the west side, a distinct nod to the rambling, thick forestry next to it – creating an aesthetic dialogue with nature.

The main living room encompasses the villa’s celebration of its view, with a concession of frames through double-height windows, and the use of clean lines untainted by fussy details, enabling a pure, untainted view of the panorama that it oversees. Outside, a decked sunken kitchen completes the alfresco dining offering, while the infinity pool at sunlounger level melds seamlessly into the blue of the Mediterranean.

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