A few years back, two Danish couples who are neighbors in Copenhagen and good friends jointly placed the winning bid on an 11-bedroom villa in southern Italy that they had toured only by FaceTime. Though it sounds like a stir-crazy Covid move, things actually worked out as they had envisioned.
You see, Villa Colucci’s new owners are leading members of Denmark’s design community who had spent time in Puglia together and like nothing better than a creative project: Mette and Rolf Hay are founders of the furniture and home accessories brand Hay, and Barbara “Bibi” Husted Werner is a fashion impresario (known for her now-shuttered cult Copenhagen boutique, Holly Go Lightly) married to film director Martin Werner. All four believe in living surrounded by art and good design, and they approached their acquisition as a delicate historic restoration awakened by the addition of their far-ranging collections.
After three years of work, Villa Colucci is newly complete and will in the coming months be available to rent. Vieni a vedere, come see.
Photography courtesy of Villa Colucci (@villacolucci).
Above: Situated in the hills of Selva di Fasano surrounded by olive groves, woods, and its own newly planted vineyard, the palazzo was built in the 19th century by two wealthy members of a local family, the Coluccis, who had “salve,” meaning “greetings” spelled out on the front pediment.
The new owners report that though the house was largely vacant for the past 25 years, it was in workable condition with no major surprises. Local architect Francesco Mastrorosa, a specialist in historic revivals, was tasked with modernizing the inner workings while restoring and retaining the villa’s many original features. For sustainability, the property’s own water supply was excavated and the roof now has solar panels.
Above: Family members of Martin’s and Bibi’s, Martin’s sister and brother-in-law, Pernille and Lars Lembcke, live in Puglia. They’re the ones who first heard about the property and served as on-the-ground liaisons, overseeing the project’s daily work. Martin and Bibi previously owned a farmhouse in the area, so they know the area well.
Above: The furnishings and art came largely from the Warner and Hay family’s existing holdings: the couples sent three truckloads of belongings from Copenhagen. Bibi and Rolf took charge of figuring out what went where—and report that the rooms came together in three days. Shown here, a limited-edition version of Hay’s Mags Soft Sofa: it’s one of 50 made with embroidered designs by Icelandic artist Loji Höskuldsson.
Above: Much of the art came out of Bibi’s maximalist Holly Go Lightly, which the Financial Times singled out as one of the world’s 11 most influential indie boutiques. In the dining room, a Piet Hein Eek Waste Table in Scrapwood is surrounded by Rey Chairs, Hey’s reissue of Bruno Rey’s 1971 stackable design. The largest painting is by American artist Emma Kohlmann who shows in Copenhagen at V1 Gallery: we recently spotlighted La Pittura, her new tableware collection for Hay.
Above: A Piet Hein Eek scrap wood sideboard at the entrance to the kitchen, which has a polished concrete floor. Martin and Bibi told the Financial Times that most of the goods they sent to the villa had no designated landing places—they just improvised. Explains Martin, “In interior design, people spend a lot of time and energy in matching things, whereas for us it’s simply about the love of objects and art, it doesn’t need to match; it’s more interesting to bring beautiful things together.”
The ground floor windows were replaced with minimalist, energy-efficient steel-framed designs made to order by Ottostumm|Mogs.
Above: The enameled steel island and cabinets were built-to-order by De Manincor, a heritage brand specializing in professional and pro-style kitchens “100 percent made in Italy.”
The art on display is by an international group: a neon piece by Sabine Marcelis of The Netherlands; a glass sculpture by Jamaican-born, American artist Hugh Findletar; and ceramic plates by Stephen Bird who is based in Sydney.
Above: Over the all-stainless sink, a lineup of vintage ceramic vessels and two Emma Kohlmann paintings with wood-burned frames. The backsplash is patterned with mosaic-like antique majolica tiles—find similar from Italian salvage specialists Recuperando.
Above: The marble stair winds past a hall hung with appliquéd Asafo flags from Ghana. The wooden windows and interior shutters upstairs were all removed, restored, and reinstalled.
Above: Many of the upstairs rooms retain their original tiles and doors. Walls were freshly lime washed as needed. The antique wall hanging over the bed is from Mali. Most of the beds have antique quilts, many of them American sourced from The Apartment DK.
Above: A preserved terrazzo tub original to the villa.
Above: In many rooms, the distressed walls and cove ceilings were left as is: “The beauty is in the decay,” Martin told the FT. The Palms Room has an embroidered canvas by Loji Höskuldsson, whose Hay sofa is in the living room.
Above: Paintings by Danish artist Rasmus Eckhardt and Côme Clérino in the Blue Room.
Above: The art display extends to the bathrooms. If anyone knows the story behind the blue bathtub and sink, please let us know—we suspect they’re refurbished vintage pieces.
Above: The new pool. The Werners and Hays like to gather together at the villa with their children who are in their teens and twenties.
Above: Work in progress on the pool.
For more information, go to Villa Colucci.
Another notable joint project by two Copenhagen couples: A 1970s Cabin Makeover on the Danish Riviera
