Silver 2025 Ideas

A large deck coated with Cetol finish from Behr extends into the home’s sloped site.

Though seemingly whimsical and freewheeling, Sottsass was exacting in his designs: He had forbidden the Olabuenagas from repainting the home’s stucco facade, insisting that they let it “metamorph into what it wants to be,” but the couple ultimately decided to restore its faded colors last fall, using new elastomeric Behr paints that were blended to original specifications.

Sottsass labored over the project in multiple dimensions and mediums, but always with a flair for style, as seen here in a vivid watercolor painting of the home.

Idiosyncratic touches—including a recessed fireplace and a tall, ladder-like series of towel rungs—also mark the adjacent bathroom, outfitted with a fireplace near the tub.

Sottsass designed a shelving unit around the couple’s large collection of vintage radios. “We have lots of collections,” says Lesley. “A Pez collection, a chair collection, a perfume collection...Ettore gave us a choice and said we could pick one to have up on display.” A series of the late designer’s Mini Totem earthenware sculptures sit atop the unit. The neon green light accent was inspired by the fluorescent works of artist Dan Flavin. To the right is a First chair from 1983 by designer Michele De Lucchi, who cofounded Memphis.

A collage of brightly colored, geometric volumes comprise the Ettore Sottsass–designed residence of Lesley Bailey and Adrian Olabuenaga, proprietors of jewelry and accessories company ACME Studio. Completed in 1997, this home is one of few private commissions designed by the Italian architect, who passed away in 2007.

The bathroom is lined in roughly applied concrete.

In the listening room, which is carpeted and lined in drapes for soundproofing, custom floor cushions by Luna/Oks invite lounging. “I was looking for sophistication without pretension,” says Marcos of the project.

Julian’s study sits a few steps below the second level, and has higher ceilings. An art director, he recently completed work on a popular Argentinian series called The Eternaut, streaming on Netflix.

The patio, as seen from the living room, which occupies a newly built space. All floors on the ground level are made of a local granite called gris perla.

The patio, as seen from the living room, which occupies a newly built space. All floors on the ground level are made of a local granite called gris perla.

A view of the home from the back patio, which now features a small swimming pool tiled in black squares at Julián's request. “They were clients with a strong interest in design, so there was an ongoing, very interesting conversation,” says Cottet.

The kitchen’s wood-framed glass doors are original to the house, and the wood used to build the island was taken from old ceiling beams. One section of the island is topped with counter-height granite.

The heart of the home is a spacious kitchen, built under the existing bovedilla ceiling, a method of construction that was popular in the region in the early 20th century, with rows of shallow brick walls set between exposed steel beams.

Architects Carlos Cottet and Victoria Iachetti of Cottet Iachetti transformed an old house in the quiet Agronomía neighborhood of Buenos Aires into a modern white-walled residence with straight lines and carefully placed windows.

A designer and an art director create a laid-back family residence with three patios, a new level, and a combination of granite, wood, and metal.