La Casa Elettrica, or “Electric House,” represents some of the most advanced explorations into the design of the modern house in Italy during the Fascist period.  Designed by Rationalist architects, Luigi Figini and Gino Pollini, the architecture of the house relates closely to modernist house designs in Europe and the United States.  Employing large planar surfaces, pilotis, industrial materials, reinforced concrete, and linoleum, Figini and Pollini designed a modernist dwelling as example of what the Italian home should become.  Financed by the Edison Company (Società Edison) in Italy and with products by other companies and manufactures, the Casa Elettrica was envisioned as both a home and an exhibition space for domestic industrial design and decorative arts.

The interior furnishings for the Casa Elettrica were by and large designed specifically for the project.  Built-in furniture was one of the highlights of the project.  The service areas and their furnishings (kitchen, laundry, bathroom, and service room) were designed by Piero Bottoni.  Giudo Frette and Adalberto Libera designed the furniture for the living room and the master bedroom.  Luigi Figini and Gino Pollini designed the furniture for the single (child’s) bedroom.  The interiors were displayed with the most modern elements including a Hoover vacuum and a lighting scheme that intended to make the house “glow” in the evening.

The layout of interior spaces was designed with the purpose of the building as an exhibition space in mind.  In this image, one can see how the architects envisioned visitors passing through the space.  The kitchen, designed by Piero Bottoni, was intended to be the most technologically advanced aspect of the project.  It included  pass-throughs between the kitchen and the dining room, allowing for plates to be transferred from the kitchen and then returned to be washed with minimal effort and maximum efficiency.

Another hallmark of the Casa Elettrica is its continuity between interior and exterior spaces.  The façade is marked by a wall of glass.  This wall of glass not only provides transparency and views to the small lake in front of the Casa Elettrica, but also is part of the “serra” (or greenhouse) designed by Giudo Frette.  Filled with plants, this area literally brings the outdoors.  The second level of the Casa Elettrica was envisioned as an indoor/outdoor living space.  The large outdoor space is both covered and not, providing for a number of living spaces that cross the boundary between interior and exterior.