Located inside an ancient 18th-century villa and immersed in the nature of the Prato’s hills, the Club House of the “Tennis Club Prato” has undergone a renovation designed and signed by the architects Sara Bua and Riccardo Ceccarelli of the PURA-lab studio in Florence. The project is inspired by the elegance of the living rooms in English country style mixed with the classicism of Italian taste, with the aim of creating a serene atmosphere with a sophisticated country style.
The intervention is developed in four main rooms, for a total of 335 square meters excluding the external terraces and changing rooms. The main area is a large room, characterized by large arches that connect the external areas with the interior of the bar, which occupies an area of 160 square meters and which is used as a real meeting and relaxation point as well as for quick meals and snacks.
The choice of Green for the walls stems from the very meaning attributed to colour, in fact it is the colour that identifies with Nature, making it one of the most natural, positive colours that convey tranquility. In its green English version, used for bar settings, it has created a place with a classic tone and a sophisticated style. In the pastel version, used for entrance and connecting areas, it enhances natural light by amplifying it and giving a feeling of delicate freshness.
The use of a boiserie in conjunction with the large coffered ceiling and with the French herringbone parquet inside the bar creates an environment with a “refined” value and its design has allowed us to obtain a very “personal” result of great emotional and evocative value, warm, welcoming and enveloping, in accordance with the most modern and contemporary lines of the furniture mirrors, but no less full of charm, refinement and elegance.
The undisputed protagonist of the environment, together with the two large bookcases that accommodate the cups and prizes, is the bar cabinet and the lacquered wooden counter, completed by the Daino Reale marble top, all framed by large mirrors that decorate the architecture and that welcome the great champions of international tennis in paintings illuminated by wall sconces. Four large living rooms consisting of armchairs and sofas, with fabric upholstery in tone with the environment, complete the furnishings.
Adjacent to the Bar is a large entrance area in a strategic position which, in addition to connecting the two large external courtyards to the right and left of the villa, acts as a filter and connection. This environment is characterized by the presence of a waiting room and is characterized by the use of flooring in two distinct formats that create a decorative carpet in union with the wood.
More secluded and private, a small conversation room, with a convivial lounge dominated in the center of the wall by a large composition of rackets belonging to some of the club’s historical members, acts as an antechamber to the adjacent reading room.
The dining room characterized by warmer and earthy tones underlined by the wood paneling, the leitmotif of all the rooms, develops in a narrow and long space, divided into two parts, which connects the two wings of the villa and overlooks the large garden.
Also in this environment, it was chosen to combine a gray flooring for the paths and an oak parquet for the convivial area, occupied by tables and chairs in dark wood with seat upholstered in fabric.
In close synergy with the Club’s Administrative Council, the primary objective was to restore to these environments the elegance and verve that this type of places have at international level, creating a space where members can meet not only to practice sport but to share moments of relaxation and conviviality.