Latyan Villa

The 2,900 m² site stands between two worlds. On one side it reaches a river that branches off from the Latyan Dam, with a mountain rising behind it. On the other it opens onto the road that carries people to the dam. The house had to find its place between the two, between the quiet of nature and the coming and going of the road.

The client first came to us to renovate the garden's old building. But the building, part of which had already been demolished by a previous team, could no longer stand. Its structure was hazardous and its ceilings so low that they took the breath out of the spaces. We decided to start again.

The idea came from vernacular architecture, and its language became contemporary. Brick, with its warmth and earthy colour, became the skin of the house. Turquoise Bojnurd stone sits beside it, a colour that seems to bring a piece of the river into the building. The result is a house that is new, but not a stranger.

The garden's trees were here before us, and we wanted them to stay after us. One stood right in the path of the first-floor terrace. We turned the structure around it and left a circle open for it. Now the tree rises through the terrace, and its shade is part of the house.

The first floor belongs to the family's sleep and privacy: four master bedrooms for the parents, the two children and guests. Each room was shaped around its owner, its interior matched to their taste and age. The two south-facing rooms open onto large terraces overlooking the garden. Mornings begin here.

Outside, the fruit trees stayed and new trees were planted beside them. The ground was paved in Malon stone so the new building could find its place in nature rather than fight it. Water is the thread that ties the grounds together: fountains, an all-season outdoor pool, and beside it a glass pavilion that feels more like a viewpoint than a building.

For the cold days, an indoor pool was placed in the basement. Basements are usually dark, but we brought a light well down to its full depth. Now daylight gently finds its way down there too, and the water beneath it comes alive.

And the roof, which became the house's place of honour: a living room with a fireplace and full-height glass, and a shallow turquoise pool that holds the sky, the mountain and the garden. Its floor is laid with handmade mud brick, the same brick that recalls our grandmothers' houses and the calm that flowed through them. This is the place for gatherings and evenings with friends, where the house reaches the view and people reach each other.