Why distinguish between indoor and outdoor light when it is possible to combine them into a single solution without any compromise? Buzzi & Buzzi, an Italian company specializing in the production of lighting fixtures that combine technology and design, responds to the need for a continuous dialogue between indoors and outdoors by developing the distinctive lighting project for a luxury villa in northern Italy.

Villa Sofia, a recently built private home immersed in the exclusive setting of the Bogogno Golf Resort, an oasis of excellence near the natural beautiful spots of Lake Maggiore in the province of Novara, amazes at first sight for the essentiality of the lines that define its sculptural volumes and wide spaces. An architecture with a modern and sophisticated flavor, where the total-white of the surfaces takes on a warm and welcoming mood thanks to the light, which here manifests itself in a dual form: the natural one, obtained from the fully glazed side of the villa that overlooks the green park, and the artificial one, designed to enhance the indoor and outdoor spaces of the structure with virtually no interruption.

The client’s intention was clear: to give life to a light project at the same time essential and sophisticated, in full respect of the formal minimalism of the villa. Requirements that found full correspondence in the lighting concept by Buzzi & Buzzi, which for over thirty years has specialized in the development and production of products with almost total concealment and increasingly reduced dimensions, where light is the real protagonist. The entire project was implemented by using, in all rooms, the product line that best expresses the engineering and design relevance of the brand: the GENIUS family. GENIUS is one of the most representative products in Buzzi & Buzzi’s extensive catalog: a wide range of totally recessed spotlights, which can be installed in plasterboard or brick ceilings even in the presence of reduced thicknesses, ensuring extraordinary effects of total disappearance, surprising brightness in every environment where they are installed, and extreme ease of maintenance. A “genius” line, capable of integrating perfectly with the spaces of Villa Sofia, thanks to unique features in the lighting industry.

Perfectly integrated into the ceilings of the three levels that make up the villa, the GENIUS fixtures stands out for the ability of their LED source to “release” a high amount of light – 8.5 W of power and 1,000 lumens of luminous flux – against an emission hole of only 20 mm in diameter. In the Villa Sofia project, the GENIUS fixtures amaze twice: when turned on, due to their unexpected power (enough to illuminate any point of the house with the right level of comfort), and when turned off, thanks to their ultra-compact dimensions that make them literally blend into the structure’s ceilings. Their discretion is also due to the total paintability of AirCoral®, the patented material that constitutes the visible body of the GENIUS spotlights. The flagship of Buzzi & Buzzi’s production, AirCoral® is not only fully customizable with any type of paint or surface finish, but is also able to purify the surrounding air through an antibacterial and catalytic action (also effective in the absence of light) that reduces the harmful effects of the main pollutants, making the environments healthier. Ensuring visual continuity of indoor spaces with outdoor spaces was one of the priorities of the project.

With GENIUS, the continuum of light between the open space of the living room and the large outdoor terrace is made possible by the waterproof GENIUS IP65 version. Its specifications are the same as the other members of the GENIUS family, with the substantial difference of its water and dust resistance, evidenced by the IP65 certification. The body of GENIUS IP65 is made of Coral WaterOut®, another patented material by Buzzi & Buzzi that proves ideal for installations in particularly challenging environments with high humidity and/or corrosive agents. The water-repellent effect remains unchanged over time, adding an important feature to the already high performance of GENIUS.

Finally, among the innovative features of GENIUS, the extreme ease of handling in case of maintenance stands out: thanks to the push-pull mechanism, the electrical part of the product can be removed directly from the light hole with a simple hand gesture, making it as easy as possible to remove and replace the LED source. The extremely small dimensions of GENIUS ensured lighting designers great freedom in defining the position of each individual spotlight. This allowed the light to faithfully follow the sinuous and organic lines of the ceilings of the house, creating movement and continuity between the different areas of Villa Sofia with lighting that is always functional and at the same time scenic.

Quality, performance, versatility, and discreet elegance: the lighting solutions signed Buzzi & Buzzi are expressly addressed to architects, planners and lighting designers who can find in the Italian brand an excellent partner for the definition and realization of all those lighting projects in residential, horeca or retail settings that require effective lighting with a discreet and impactful aesthetics. The fascinating project of Villa Sofia is proof of this.

Buzzi & Buzzi

Photo credits: Michétta Creative