Outdoor sauna

Landscape architecture projects often do not end with a single intervention, but continue and renew themselves, because gardens evolve just like their inhabitants. After six years we returned to this Neapolitan garden to renovate the dining and relaxation area.

We started from the ground replacing the previous ruined flooring with a platform made of Indian quartzite slabs. We chose a variety characterized by a dark gray color that turns black when wet by water and brings to mind the volcanic stone of Bali’s temples.

A new pergola in chestnut and bamboo poles protects the dining area from the sun, renovated in furnishings and illuminated by a new lighting system for the garden.

In the background, framed between hydrangeas and lemons, the real star: a Finnish sauna.

Through a simple intervention, the old tool shed has been converted into a living element, which gives a new dimension to the garden. A contemporary sauna, simply placed on the ground, designed and custom-made in order to frame romantic views of the garden.

Water fills the space: it runs from the waterlily pond to the balsamic vapors, it resonates in the raindrops on the leaves. In doing so it takes on a central role, connecting the elements throughout the garden.

The result of this second intervention is a cosmopolitan garden, in which the Japanese references of the wooden paths are mixed with Nordic suggestions, building a visual imagination that remains anchored to the Neapolitan landscape tradition.