Villa Colucci: A Living Canvas by the Founders of HAY
In the rolling countryside of Puglia, Italy, a 19th century palazzo has been given new life by two Danish creative couples: Rolf and Mette Hay, founders of the design brand HAY, and Barbara “Bibi” Husted Werner and her husband, film director Martin Werner. Purchased during the pandemic in 2021, the villa, known as Villa Colucci, was acquired sight unseen over FaceTime and had stood empty for more than twenty five years. What many might have viewed as a daunting restoration project, the couples embraced as an opportunity to merge history, design, and convivial living into a singular retreat.
From the beginning, their vision was not to remake the villa but to reawaken it. They sought to preserve its bones: the patterned tiled floors, the antique bathtubs, the original shutters and windows. Necessary modern interventions such as new plumbing, electricity, and climate control were carried out with subtlety, hidden in lowered ceilings or tucked discreetly into the walls. Rather than stripping away its patina, they worked with it, lime washing the surfaces to retain the textures of age and time. Sustainability was integral to the restoration, with solar panels installed and water systems connected to ensure greater self sufficiency, underscoring their respect for both place and environment.
The interiors of Villa Colucci embody the couples’ eclecticism and confidence with colour. Three truckloads of furniture, art, and objects arrived from Copenhagen just before Easter, many without predetermined places. Pieces were arranged instinctively, as if they were waiting to find their natural home. The result is a layered environment where contemporary HAY prototypes stand alongside flea market finds, bold ceramics, textiles, and personal artworks collected over the years. Painted murals, frescoes, and trompe l’oeil ceilings by local artisans deepen the sense of narrative, ensuring that no room feels static or overly curated. Instead, the villa exudes warmth, with a lived in quality that reflects the personalities of its owners.
Equally striking is the collaborative nature of the project. Four voices, two couples, converged in every decision, from restoration details to furniture placement. This shared ownership made the scale of the undertaking possible, transforming what could have been overwhelming into a joyful collective act. It also reinforced the idea that Villa Colucci is not meant to be a static showpiece but a living, breathing home.
Already, the villa has become a hub for family life. With children spanning teenage to adult years, it is a place of barefoot afternoons, long meals, and music echoing through frescoed halls. Looking ahead, the couples plan to open Villa Colucci for holiday rentals, sharing its magic with others. They have also begun planting thousands of vines on the surrounding land, hoping one day to produce their own wine, entwining agriculture and hospitality into the villa’s story.
Villa Colucci stands as a testament to the power of preservation, creativity, and shared vision. It shows how restoration can be more than conservation: it can be an act of imagination. Here, the past has been honoured rather than erased, and the result is not a museum but a generous, vibrant home. For Rolf and Mette Hay, and Bibi and Martin Werner, Villa Colucci is both a dream realized and a canvas still unfolding, an invitation to live slowly, colourfully, and with a deep appreciation for beauty in all its forms.
