There’s a house perched above Italy’s Lake Maggiore that looks like it’s about to levitate straight into the clouds. Known as Villa K2, the striking modernist retreat was created in the early 1950s by legendary Italian architect and designer Carlo Mollino, and it has now surfaced on the market for the first time in decades.
Tucked into the sleepy hillside village of Agra, the home was originally commissioned as a vacation house for Milanese entrepreneur Luigi Cattaneo. But this was never going to be some quaint little lakeside cottage. Mollino, who became famous for blending surrealism, engineering, and sensual Italian modernism into his work, designed the property to feel almost suspended in nature. Part of the villa juts outward in a dramatic cantilever supported by skinny columns, giving the structure a floating effect when viewed from the surrounding gardens.
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Villa K2 Carlo Mollino italy
And then there’s the glass. Entire walls of it. The roughly 4,800-square-foot home is wrapped in expansive windows overlooking the lake and mountains beyond, turning the landscape into a constantly changing backdrop. Inside, Villa K2 still carries much of Mollino’s original personality. Wood-paneled walls, custom cabinetry, built-in wardrobes, and several original furnishings designed specifically for the house remain intact. According to the listing, he designed everything down to the screws.
Villa K2 Carlo Mollino italy
Interestingly, the house standing today is actually a scaled-back version of Mollino’s original vision. His earliest proposal was far more radical, with two fully cantilevered floors balanced dramatically atop four pillars and a giant glass fireplace anchoring an enormous central living room. The client reportedly thought the concept was a little too ambitious and pushed for something simpler. Mollino compromised, but not by much. The final result still feels incredibly daring more than 70 years later.
Villa K2 Carlo Mollino italy
The residence includes five bedrooms spread across two floors, two bathrooms, utility rooms, and a long terrace running the entire length of the facade facing Lake Maggiore. The nearly nine-acre property also features a caretaker’s cottage and a former stable that is currently used as a storage shed—both of which could easily become guesthouses, studios, or wellness spaces.
Mollino’s legacy has only grown in recent years. His furniture regularly commands staggering prices at auction houses like Christie’s and Sotheby’s, while his architectural works are increasingly gaining recognition as some of the most important examples of postwar Italian modernism. Now Villa K2 can be yours for 1.88 million euros, or roughly $2.2 million. The property is represented by Savills.
Click here to see more of this home in Italy.
Villa K2 Carlo Mollino italy
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