Two Tiny Houses with Moon Faces
Simple Living in Small Houses

by Fida Wild

These two tiny houses in pink and blue look like the fairy godmother had dropped them in the middle of an ancient olive grove in the typical Apulian landscape of rolling plains on her way to a storybook meeting.

When Caterina Tognon and her partner Gabriele Pimpini acquired a piece of an old olive orchard in Apulia complete with a trullo - a traditional dwelling built with an extraordinary building technique that has survived from prehistoric times - they had not a clue how their planned holiday house would look one day.

All they knew was that they wanted the house to be built by architect Gaetano Pesce. The couple had known the Italian born artist-architect who is based in New York for many years. He is noted for his multidisciplinary work that encompasses architecture, urban planning, interior and industrial design as well as publishing. Pescetrullo - as the property is now known - was built in collaboration with Gabriele Pimpini and Cosimo Cardone.

Architecture as an Art Form

According to Pesce, "Architecture of the recent past has mostly produced cold, anonymous, monolithic, antiseptic, standardized results that are uninspiring. I have tried to communicate feelings of surprise, discover, optimism, stimulation, sensuality, generosity, joy and femininity."

He implemented his philosophy brilliantly into the design of this unconventional holiday retreat, a form of poetic architecture that emits optimism and joy, illuminated by his and her colours and a sense of humour in form of faces and flower pots incorporated into the walls of the tiny houses.

Living in Italy with its Mediterranean climate has dvantages. The holiday retreat is designed to spend as much time as possible "al fresco".

The original Trullo has been gently restored with respect to tradition. It houses the living room and the kitchen for the outdoor dining area, and is separated by olive trees, an organic vegetable garden and a 40m one-lane swimming pool from the rest of the dwellings.

Happy Moon Faces

It's a playful architectural design that doesn't take itself too seriously but is fully functional with an individual, contemporary interior, cement floors, air-conditioning and heating - simple, straightforward with clean lines.

The unusual homes seem to float above the ground so as not to disturb the ancient land unnecessarily. The wooden structures are enveloped in layers of polyurethane blown unto the walls up to a thickness of 28 cm, with an additional layer of acrylic elastomeric membrane to protect the polyurethane foam from environmental damage and ultraviolet rays.

Although Pesce experimented with the material since the 70s, this is his first project built of polyurethane. Time will tell about the material's durability for building houses.

Vanity Insanity

The freestanding bathrooms are dressed completely in shiny mirror tiles that reflect and fragment the countryside into tiny little pieces. "The mirrors symbolize today's maniacal attention to the body," said Pesce. An Oscar-worthy, blood read painted stair leads up to the flat rooftop with an outdoor shower surrounded by greenery and the aroma of rosemary.

Apulia, or Puglia in Italian

Apulia consists of gently rolling hills, and is home to an abundance of olive groves and wine orchards. The region has been inhabited since the stone ages and borders to the Adriatic Sea in the East und the Ionian Sea to the Southeast with pristine beaches.

The Pescetrullo is built between the medieval town of Ostuni - the city with its dazzling whitewashed houses - and Carovigno, located in the heal of Italy's 'boot', approximately 30 km from Brindisi and 40 km from the ancient trulli town of Alberobello.

Each summer, Caterina Tognon, a well-known Venetian gallery owner, organizes outdoor exhibitions in Pescetrullo's garden.

Pescetrullo can be rented throughout the year. For more information click here.

Alberobello and Ostuni Hotels and Information

Alberobello Italy is said to be the capital of trulli. Many of them have been restored and are used as holiday accommodations.

Ostuni, built on a hill, dazzles every visitor with its whitewashed houses. The well-preserved city is only a few kilometres away from the Adriatic coast and a perfect spot to explore Puglia.

Photos: Pescetrullo

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Two Tiny Houses with Moon FacesSimple Living in Small Houses