The Ongoing Restoration of Versace Designer Ashley Fletcher's 16th Century Italian Villa
July 16, 2023 in Design & Décor by Julian Everett
Versace designer, Ashley Fletcher, has been immersed in an ongoing labor of love for the past eight years, intricately restoring his 16th-century villa located in Piedmont, Italy.
The stately building opens to an eclectic hall filled with antique furniture and plaster casts adorning moss-green walls, instantly immersing visitors in a museum-like atmosphere. The hall is accentuated with a striking black and grey 3D pattern made from Carrara marble.
In the living room, the roughness of ancient plaster has been amplified by perfectly smooth walls. The focal point of the room is a pair of Peruvian leather armchairs accompanied by cross-stitched green cushions.
The Trompe l'oeil doors, painted by the homeowner himself, seamlessly blend into both the hall and the living room, creating a beautiful illusion of continuity.
The dining room is a true homage to the 16th-century aesthetic. Meals are enjoyed by candlelight at a wooden table, under a miraculously preserved fresco. The petrol-blue walls elegantly showcase immaculate golden wall lamps from the 1950s. Underneath, two antique Italian chairs are lavishly adorned with pearl silk, bells, a velvet braid, and intricately carved wooden legs.
The kitchen catches the eye with its hand-painted tiles from Cotto di Minturno, echoing the Carrara marble layout of the hall. Simple Ercol chairs and an Ikea table subtly balance out the steel kitchen base, while windows overlook a kitchen garden brimming with ripe vegetables.
Among the guest bedrooms, special ones have been designed for Ashley's mother and nieces. Dark blue walls in the mother's room serve as a backdrop for vintage items. A bed frame from Liberty Arts and Crafts and a Finn Juhl chair fit seamlessly into the space. The girls' room, warm and rustic, features antique iron beds, a handmade rug from Istanbul, and a modern ceiling lamp with discreet crossbeams.
For his own room, Ashley opted for tobacco-colored walls, a four-poster bed, and a hand-painted floor, inspired by Kate Bush's recording company.
The pieces collected in this house have been discovered on marketplaces and through travel, buying original items from local artisans. With a bit of courage to experiment, anyone can create their own place of rest and inspiration, stress-free.
