{"id":14712,"date":"2022-09-19T09:30:16","date_gmt":"2022-09-19T07:30:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homesandantiques.com\/?p=35122"},"modified":"2022-09-19T10:02:11","modified_gmt":"2022-09-19T08:02:11","slug":"a-17th-century-palace-renovation","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/rss_feed\/a-17th-century-palace-renovation\/","title":{"rendered":"A 17th-century palace renovation"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Christianne Raymer\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Monday, 19 September 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Twelve years ago, when interior designer Francesca Orsi first viewed the rambling 17th-century palace that is now her home, she turned it down. Despite its evident beauty, it didn\u2019t feel right for her, so she moved her family into a smaller, 18th-century villa instead. \u2018It was much more in keeping with my style at the time,\u2019 she explains.<\/p>\n

But, seven years later, Francesca\u2019s style had evolved and she felt the urge to work on a new project. \u2018I wanted something I could mould,\u2019 she says. \u2018A starting point from which I could give life to a space I\u2019d been dreaming about.\u2019 It was time to sell up and move on.<\/p>\n

After several months of fruitless searching, Francesca received the details of an ancient palace in need of complete renovation. The wonderful palace she\u2019d seen seven years earlier was on the market once again, this time in a parlous state. Francesca arranged a viewing without a moment\u2019s hesitation. \u2018I understood it had been waiting for me all along,\u2019 she says. \u2018I realised I\u2019d established a deep connection with the space when I first saw it all those years earlier. Finally, the moment for me to embrace its beauty had arrived!\u2019<\/p>\n

On her first visit after getting the keys, the full extent of the structural issues were revealed. It was \u2018rather unsettling,\u2019 she admits. Having decided from the outset that she wanted to work autonomously, without the assistance of an architect, Francesca\u2019s taste for the challenge grew in direct proportion to the problems the property kept throwing her way. \u2018My ideas were very clear. I knew my goals and I wanted to reach them on my own \u2013 my work as an interior designer has helped me to develop long-term visions for gravely damaged spaces.\u2019<\/p>\n

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With parts of the house dating back to 1600, including a central courtyard garden, Francesca wanted to preserve as many of the ancient features as possible, including the original plaster on the walls and hardwood flooring. Where elements had decayed beyond repair, she opted for sympathetic alternatives such as glass in order to maintain the clean, rather stark lines of the 17th-century architecture.<\/p>\n

Having completed the restoration, Francesca found herself with a blank canvas on which she could finally realise her vision, which she describes as a wunderkammer, or a cabinet of curiosities. \u2018I wanted to create an atmosphere and a look that would hold the visitor\u2019s gaze, regardless of their taste.\u2019<\/p>\n

Because of the building\u2019s open-plan nature, \u2018the rooms needed to interact with each other\u2019, Francesca explains, and views through doorways, from room to room, were as important as the individual spaces themselves. Finding a balance between the various elements \u2013 furnishings, architecture and decoration \u2013 was essential. \u2018I thought the best method was to mix up the styles, so that vintage intersected with contemporary, along with Nordic colours, Baroque lines and pieces from the 1940s.\u2019<\/p>\n

Francesca spent many happy months scouring interesting markets, antiques fairs and jumble sales across Europe to gather the decorations and furnishings for her home. Cast-iron radiators, sourced from a palace in Genoa, were installed to provide heating, antique chandeliers light the rooms, and vintage furniture was shipped from France, Sweden and the UK. However, not everything she bought made the final cut. \u2018Some pieces were just the starting point for creating the right environment.\u2019<\/p>\n

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Walking through Francesca\u2019s house is like wandering through a series of elaborate and slightly surreal film sets. The most striking room is undoubtedly the kitchen: dominated by a wall covered with giant poppies, a nod to the courtyard garden outside, it is also the most dramatic of the many wonderful focal points that punctuate the interlinking rooms.<\/p>\n

\u2018I told Eva [a mural artist] I wanted a \u2018home garden\u2019 \u2013 a garden wall within the house,\u2019 Francesca says. Over the course of many discussions the idea matured into the full-scale mural installed above a run of kitchen units so sleek and minimal it\u2019s possible to miss them entirely. She is delighted with the outcome: \u2018It was in perfect synergy with my feelings. Eva painted my dream.\u2019<\/p>\n

Francesca\u2019s work means that she is continually re-evaluating her ideas, and responding to new sources of inspiration. As a consequence, she doubts the house will ever be finished. But she\u2019s happy with that. \u2018It\u2019s a work in progress,\u2019 she says, and it\u2019s clear she prefers it that way, so it will remain forever, \u2018a canvas on which to sketch dreams and visions\u2019.<\/p>\n