The Vale, a house that kept getting better

The Vale is the second residence in Tellado's Riverside Collection. It draws on the Italian palazzo, and its enduring relationship with space, proportion and landscape.

At Tellado, we usually detail a project down to the smallest decision before work begins on site. The Vale has been different from the start.

From plots to estates

It was first imagined as a pair of country houses with sloping roofs, inspired by the villas of Lake Como and the Tuscan countryside, each on a plot of about 1,000 square metres. As we went along, without changing the structure, we kept refining it. Not out of doubt, but the opposite: we were becoming more and more excited about what it could be.

We realised that sometimes, more truly is more. The land beneath each house has grown to more than 2,000 square metres, giving each home the space to breathe, to grow and to belong to its landscape: larger gardens, wider horizons, and a sense of privacy that turns a villa into an estate. Courtyards, gardens and open spaces let the house be experienced as much through its grounds as through its interiors.

A wish list, made real

The Vale is what happens when you put together every wish you have ever had for a house: lovely river and green views, a huge garden, timeless design, a courtyard, a separate tea pavilion, a gym and a home theatre, a bar and a library, a double-height living room, and so much more.

The sloping roof gave way to a flat one, reached by a lift and a spiral stair, so the vistas can be enjoyed from the very top. Deep overhangs shelter the walls and balconies from the rain. The gardens have their own gazebos, with room for a tennis or pickleball court, or anything else you might want outdoors.

Listening, at every level

The new roof began with a passing remark from our project engineer in a team discussion. One comment led to a realisation, the realisation to a technical check, and soon to a new look that is even truer to the Lake Como and Tuscan homes that first inspired it. Creativity is a continuous process, and it pays to listen to what is being said, whoever is saying it.

Day into night

The estate changes with the light: open and vibrant by day; calm, intimate and cinematic by night.

Five en-suite bedrooms, with interiors by Peacock Life by Shabnam Gupta, complete the residence, with lovely accents and detail that make it a complete home. Built with such skill and workmanship, in peaceful surroundings with good air and an abundance of natural beauty, it will be a house to treasure.