Villa Lena: A New Creative Hub (and Hotel) in Tuscany - Remodelista
Photographs courtesy of Villa Lena, unless otherwise noted. Last summer I met up with French designer Clarisse Demory in her Paris apartment during the only two days of the year that she happened to be in the city. Along the way, Clarisse ripped up old upholstery, sanded wooden floors to a matte finish, and chopped off bed legs. While Clarisse got creative with available materials, the owners made the decision to splurge on small luxuries: custom bed frames from Milan, high-quality mattresses, natural bedding, and a Santa Maria Novella terra cotta potpourri for each room. Villa Lena fully opened in the spring. At the heart of the property is the old villa built by the Ferrini del Frate family in the 18th century and now the Villa Lena hotel, which is where guest artists stay. In her design of the rental apartments, Clarisse’s first order of business was to bring light indoors: “The apartments had dark wood ceilings and fake ancient-looking pictures; the whole property had a gloomy atmosphere in a clichéd Tuscan agriturismo style.” Photograph by Frederik Vercruysse. In Fattoria, an old stable remodeled into the reception building, the apartments have tall brick furnaces. Clarisse paired them with design classics like a tan leather Bí¸rge Mogensen sofa and a vintage Italian coffee table (designer unknown). Where space was tight in the apartments, Clarisse designed wall shelves as an alternative to armoires and fashioned clothing rails from black metallic plumbing pipe. Photograph by Coke Bartrina. In most of the apartment kitchens, Clarisse painted the cupboards a pale, dusty green (sourced from a local hardware store) and introduced floating shelves, recycled tables with painted tops, and a mishmash of vintage chairs. Photograph by Coke Bartrina. Donald Judd–style sofas and chairs were fashioned from wooden boards found in a warehouse on the property. í€ la Maria von Trapp, Clarisse made sofa cushion covers from old hotel curtains by bleaching the fabric to create interesting patterns before stitching it. Guests quickly began asking where to purchase the pillow covers, so she put together a collection that’s available at the small Villa Lena store. Clarisse painted dark wood armoires in a wash of “superlight pink or bright, matte white.” A candle holder found in the old villa is paired with a thrifted basket. The living areas in many of the apartments are furnished with vintage wicker. Photograph courtesy of Julie Ansiau, originally taken for Elle Decor. Photograph courtesy of Julie Ansiau, originally taken for Elle Decor. “This is a once-super-tacky sofa that I found in one of the houses,” Clarisse says. Photograph courtesy of Julie Ansiau, originally taken for Elle Decor. Paintings by British artist (and Villa Lena residence alum) Kate Groobey hang in many of the apartments. Dried Tuscan flora (with a few leaves painted a cool blue) are displayed in ceramic jars. Photograph courtesy of Julie Ansiau, originally taken for Elle Decor. Artists in residence work in a group of converted farm buildings with individual studio spaces. A map of the 1,200-plus acre estate; note that there are three swimming pools. Below: Villa Lena is in the Tuscan countryside, an hour west of Florence by car.