Villa Marina Genova | Integrated lighting for a historic private residence

Villa Marina is a historic private residence overlooking the Ligurian landscape, defined by decorated interiors, vaulted surfaces, painted elements, sculptural details and living spaces of significant architectural complexity.

The lighting project developed by Zero55 responds to the need to enhance each room without altering its perception, integrating light within the existing geometries and reducing the visual impact of the fixtures to a minimum.

The intervention involved the entrance hall, dining room, staircase, study, kitchen and internal chapel, with differentiated solutions according to the function of each space, the shape of the surfaces and the required lighting effect.

Location
Sori, Genova, Italy
Client
Private client
Lighting design
Arch. Michela Viola
Photography
Zero55 Srl
Lighting fixtures
Micro40 Track, Micro40 surface-mounted, Micro25, Frame
Custom lighting solution
Custom articulated Tightstrip system on profile

The project

From the project to the lighting solution

Each room at Villa Marina presented different requirements: frescoed surfaces, vaulted ceilings, architectural cornices, perimeter coves, decorative elements and spaces designed for private living.

For this reason, the intervention did not start from a single product, but from the analysis of the context: geometries, available installation points, visual constraints, light direction and the relationship between fixture and architecture.

In the main rooms, the system was developed along the perimeter of the architectural coves positioned at the springing line of the ceiling. This solution also allows the spotlights to be integrated within the existing structure, maintaining visual clarity and precise beam control.

The product

Entrance hall: light integrated into the architectural cove
In the entrance hall, the system follows the perimeter development of the architectural cove positioned on the underside of the ceiling slab. The lighting fixtures are mounted on the track using concealed adapters, making the connection components invisible from floor level and preserving the aesthetic continuity of the space.
The precise distribution of the Micro40 Track fixtures allows the luminous flux to be calibrated along the perimeter, generating indirect or accent lighting depending on the orientation of the spotlights.

Lighting fixtures used:
Micro40 Track with concealed adapters.

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Dining room: visual comfort and greater aiming flexibility
The dining room follows the same track-system logic, but with a specific configuration. In this space, semi-concealed adapters were used to allow a greater tilt angle of the spotlight towards the floor, while still keeping the fixture hidden from the observer’s view.
This solution makes it possible to work both with ambient lighting and accent lighting, respecting the proportions of the space and the presence of decorative elements.

Lighting fixtures used:
Micro40 Track with semi-concealed adapters.

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Staircase: technical integration and visual control
In the staircase area, the objective was to integrate the system while preserving the aesthetic integrity of the space. The track was installed with a double-support configuration, between the wooden substructure and the inner edge of the architectural cove. This arrangement maximises the available space for tilting the spotlights, while keeping the lighting body shielded by the profile of the cove.
The light accompanies the vertical path without overlapping the architecture, enhancing surfaces, volumes and viewpoints.

Lighting fixtures used:
Micro40 Track, Micro40 surface-mounted version and Micro25.

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Study: uniform light on curved surfaces and flat ceilings
In the study, the lighting solution was developed using Frame fixtures, selected for their ability to adapt to curved surfaces and flat ceilings while ensuring precise and uniform illumination.
Frame makes it possible to work with controlled light diffusion, enhancing the room without making the fixture the protagonist.

Lighting fixtures used:
Frame.

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Kitchen: concealed fixture, light on the vault
In the kitchen, the lighting was designed to enhance the vault without making the lighting fixture visible. The Frame fixture works discreetly, integrating into the architecture and providing uniform light on the upper surfaces.
The result is both functional and architectural: light accompanies the domestic space while maintaining a direct relationship with the historic structure of the room.

Lighting fixtures used:
Frame.

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Internal chapel: custom system for curved geometries
The internal chapel required a specific approach, aimed at enhancing the vaulted surfaces and decorative elements through a linear indirect lighting system.
The lighting fixtures were positioned along the extrados of the perimeter cornices, following the entire development of the architectural mouldings. The system consists of linear LED modules in different lengths, designed to ensure continuity of luminous flux and adaptation to the geometry of the support.
The presence of compensation modules allows the system to connect smoothly at junction points and angular variations, avoiding shadow cones and ensuring continuous light coverage along the perimeter.

Lighting fixtures used:
Custom articulated Tightstrip system on profile.

The result

A light that belongs to the space

Villa Marina reflects the Zero55 method: starting from the architecture, reading the surfaces, understanding the constraints and developing the most suitable lighting solution.

In some rooms, the answer is a track system integrated into the architectural cove. In others, a fixture capable of working on curved surfaces. In the internal chapel, a custom solution designed to follow the development of the cornice and ensure luminous continuity.

Light is not added to the space.It interprets it, accompanies it and makes its materiality readable.