Life & Style | Home & Interiors
Imagination Central
Simplicity but not minimalism. This was Marco Boglione's philosophy when working on his dream home in Italy. Whatever he imagined, he made room for, resulting in a space that is a reflection of all the things he appreciates.
- By Judith Hornok, Freelance Writer, InsideOut
- Published: 00:00 July 1, 2010
- Image Credit: Alberto Ferrero, Freelance Photographer
- A sizeable living room houses sports equipment, games and other fun accessories that complement the space
How would I describe my home?" Marco Boglione takes a moment to contemplate and then replies, "I would describe it as something that was born to fulfil a need at the time, and was later adapted to changes in those needs."
To understand this statement we have to go back to Boglione's beginnings. Just after high school, at the age of 19, this dynamic Italian worked for Maglificio Calzificio Torinese, an old textile company, originally a socks and underwear manufacturing firm.
In 1980, after a break of two years, he started working in Maglificio's marketing and sales department, and in 1983, established his own company, Football Sport Merchandise. A decade later, when Maglificio went bankrupt, Marco purchased all Maglificio's assets. His company was later renamed BasicNet S.p.A., which has been listed on the Milan Stock Exchange since 1999.
The head office, based in BasicNetVillage, is a huge complex with different levels and includes restaurants, bars, a bank, the flagship store, a supermarket, the brand outlets, and even a TV channel. The offices are also Marco's home. "It took me many years to realise my dream," he says,"but the vision goes a long way back !" Marco is a firm believer in imagination being more important than knowledge. A fan of Albert Einstein, he believes that any new idea that is dreamed up, whether it's a new invention, the writing of a song or designing your own company, contains both a desire to succeed and the application of the creative part of the brain to develop the idea. Marco diligently exercises ‘imagination' in all aspects of his business and life, including designing his own place.
"Before I lived here, I always imagined a rather large space where I would have fun with friends, as well as colleagues," he says. "I imagined that within this space, I would also have a little home where I could sleep. I also imagined a greenhouse next to it." He smiles, "It's like being a kid and imagining fun things!"
Marco's living room, located on the top floor of BasicNet, is a perfect representation of this.
A bright, light and open living room welcomes you, and simultaneously inspires you to be and do whatever you want - play hockey, volleyball, ping-pong, soccer, or even roller skate. Sport was always deeply ingrained in the Boglione family psyche and is an integral component of his business. The company has a three year technical sponsorship with Sir Richard Branson and the Formula One racing team, Virgin Racing.
In this living room, an interesting metal object resembling a silo, instantly grabs the attention. Marco explains that it is indeed a silo, once used for grain storage.
"When I imagined this space, I wanted it to look and feel like a house, and I wanted the bedroom to look like a mini house too - a farmhouse in fact." he says. "I wanted a greenhouse next to this farmhouse to grow farm style vegetables." So Marco went and bought a real greenhouse, which would be his bathroom, and installed two bathtubs facing each other with two TVs.
A few steps down from the farmhouse is the children's area. This space also looks like a little village with all the necessary functions - a separate children's kitchen, living room and a common area which leads to the nanny's room. Marco wanted the kids to feel completely independent.
"In 1995, when I started work on this place, there was just a huge office with my bedroom within," says Marco. "But after I married Stella, we decided to start a second family (Marco has two boys from his first marriage), and we turned my office into a home."
Arising from the need for more space for the family, Marco had a huge living area built on the second level amidst office spaces and an industrial kitchen with a big table. There isn't a particular method or style used - the interior design accommodates reliable functions.
"Everything revolves around the concept of ‘basic'," says Marco. "We are a ‘basic' village, a ‘basic' world - down to earth. And when you look at all the materials used, you will agree that, while they are all exceptional in quality, there are no thrills."
A few steps up from the living space is a mini cottage structure that houses the guest room, guest bathroom, a music room with a piano, and a little living room. A door in this living room opens on to a fantasy roof garden green with fresh vegetables and fruit. Right next to this garden are two garages.
"This is my wife's space, she enjoys gardening very much," says Marco. "I have my own space too where I can fix things, a space for my tools. Restoring motorbikes is one of my passions, as well as driving and testing them. So for the kids and myself, I have all these things in my garage now."
The rooftop garden sits atop the old factory and from the poultry house, you can see a metal bridge connecting it to the parking tower. There is also a swimming pool and a beach volleyball court.
Marco's home is distinct not only because of its concept, but also because of his extremely unique attitude. "As a creative person, you have to be a visionary," he says, "and designing is basically a vision, an imagination of how things are related to each other. This is how we made the concept of restructuring this old factory, the company and my home a success."
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