Below the House

In a hot climate the ground is an asset. Below this villa sits an entertainment level that would be difficult to justify above ground and impossible to keep cool: a bar, a games room, a lounge and a garage that has been treated as a room rather than a store.

The best room is underground

Cars behind glass

The car collection is displayed through a glazed wall from the lounge. It is illuminated as a gallery, and the cars are part of the view from the bar rather than something you walk out to visit.

Opposite, an aquarium runs the length of the seating area. Two very different kinds of spectacle facing each other across a room, which is a slightly absurd idea and completely the right one for the brief.

Making a basement feel like a choice

The difficulty with any subterranean floor is that it can feel like a negative space rather than a joyful environment. The solution is light and depth: backlit shelving, a lit water wall and long sight lines through the plan so there is always a distant focal point to admire.