In Pilar, in Argentina’s Province of Buenos Aires, Casa Raíz unfolds as a quietly confident family home — one shaped less by stylistic statements and more by lived experience. Renovated by Melazza Mobili, the 350 m² residence, paired with 180 m² of outdoor living space, was conceived for a family of six whose lives have been shaped by time spent in New York, Chile and London. The brief was simple yet profound: to create a place one would always want to return to.
Rather than imposing a rigid aesthetic, the project responds to everyday rituals — cooking, reading, listening to music, lighting the fireplace and lingering long after dinner. These gestures inform the home’s domestic rhythm, resulting in generous circulation, carefully scaled rooms and surfaces placed exactly where life unfolds. The outcome is an interior that feels calm and welcoming, where comfort is sensed not through excess, but through clarity and restraint.
Melazza Mobili led the interior design and overall spatial narrative, working closely with architect Lucas Muñoz (LAK), whose approach respects the existing structure while refining proportions, transitions and views. The renovation begins with understanding what deserved to remain, subtly redefining the home to support a contemporary way of living that balances openness with intimacy. Movement through the house feels intuitive, each room flowing naturally into the next.
Materiality anchors the entire project. Oak floors and ceilings establish warmth and continuity, offering a stable foundation that will age gracefully over time. Calacatta marble in the entrance and living room creates a welcoming yet restrained first impression, while Calacatta Viola in the kitchen introduces depth and character. Travertine in the guest bathroom and hall brings a tactile, sober quality, complemented by aged gold-toned metals that add warmth without visual noise. Linen, leather, matte wood grain and stone coexist in quiet harmony, resulting in interiors that feel refined yet deeply approachable.
Natural light is treated as a structural element rather than an afterthought. Throughout the day, it is filtered and softened by natural linen curtains, creating a tranquil atmosphere that shifts gently with time. In the bedrooms, dyed mesh cantonnières regulate privacy and introduce a sense of shelter, while shutters in the living room control light around the stone fireplace, composing a rhythm of openness and retreat. Green tones, drawn subtly from the surrounding landscape, act as a chromatic bridge between indoors and out, reinforcing continuity without literal reference.
Furniture plays a supporting yet essential role. Predominantly custom-made by Melazza Mobili, each piece respects proportion and presence, never competing with the architecture. Zola chairs in the dining room introduce contemporary precision, while iconic Cesca chairs in the everyday dining area offer lightness and transparency. A circular glass table offsets leather and wood seating, and the Boscone dresser — finished in green with an open-pore texture and curved form — becomes a quiet signature of the studio’s approach: measured, purposeful and distinctive.
Lighting and technology are resolved discreetly. Home automation, developed in collaboration with Kibo, works quietly in the background, layering warm indirect light, subtle LED accents and low-level illumination to create human-centred scenes. Sustainability is addressed through longevity rather than novelty — noble materials, well-executed craftsmanship and solutions designed to be maintained and repaired over time.
Casa Raíz ultimately reflects Melazza Mobili’s philosophy: design rooted in context and real life. Led by Florencia Melazza and Malena Taboada, the studio approaches customisation as precision rather than excess, allowing architecture, furniture and atmosphere to form a seamless whole. The result is a home defined by calm, care and material intelligence — one that will continue to feel more personal, more grounded and more its own as time passes.
Credits
Images: Gutnisky
