Before & After: Here’s What It Took to Give a Historic Palazzo a Royal Revamp
Living in an Italian villa might sound like a dream—but restoring this property involved rebuilding the structure, updating the utilities, and scraping decades of paint from the soaring, star vault ceilings.
Living in an Italian villa might sound like a dream—but restoring this property involved rebuilding the structure, updating the utilities, and scraping decades of paint from the soaring, star vault ceilings.
When Manuel Strebinger first saw this historic palazzo in the car-free center of Nardò, Italy, he thought: "It’s too big." It wasn’t just the 3,229-square-foot layout that was grand, but the interior proportions as well, as many of the rooms have 21-foot-tall star-vaulted ceilings. The estate had sat vacant for decades, it was missing doors and window glass, and it was home to a flock of pigeons. So Manuel, and his then-partner, and now co-owner Stefan Davids, kept up their search.
Originally from Austria, Manuel is a brand consultant with a passion for designing houses on the side. While living in Italy as a 25-year-old, he learned the language and fell in love with the country. The following years saw him returning frequently for holidays and vacations, and he loved Nardò in particular for its history, culture, proximity to the beach, and the fact that it’s not an overly touristy place that shuts down in the off season.
"Nardo has more than ten churches," says Manuel. "You can hear church bells in every room."
Before: Living Room
Before: Manuel Strebinger and Stefan Davids bought this historic palazzo in Puglia with the goal of restoring its historic features, like the star vault ceilings, and paring away ’70s finishes, like the pink walls here. "We didn’t want to use too much strong color," says Manuel. "We wanted to use some of the colors that you see on the houses in town."
Courtesy of Marit Simons
After: Living and Dining Room
Once they had been scraped free of paint, the vaults revealed vestiges of their original color. A painting by Victor Payares hangs over the vintage 1970s Nuvolone couch by Rino Maturi for Mimo Padova, which has been reupholstered. The two ’70s Alky chairs are by Giancarlo Piretti, and the coffee table is vintage B&B Italia.
Marit Simons
The dining table was designed by Manuel and Stefan’s friend Jacqui Spiers, and custom built with locally sourced marble and metal cylinders. Vintage Bruno Rey chairs surround it, and overhead is an Aaro wall lamp from DCW Paris. The painting is by Lisa Vogel.
Marit Simons
See the full story on Dwell.com: Before & After: Here’s What It Took to Give a Historic Palazzo a Royal Revamp
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