Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in Arabic If Italian homes are renowned for their warm welcome, Villa Colucci in Puglia may have the edge. Here, you see it before you feel it. Giant glazed ceramic capital letters mounted on the palazzo’s 19th-century façade spell out “salve”, the daily salutation that Italians extend to greet both friends and strangers. Given the creative backgrounds of Villa Colucci’s new owners, one would assume this is a piece of contemporary art erected during their three-year restoration. Rolf and Mette Hay, the Copenhagen-based founders of furniture and home accessories brand Hay, co-purchased Villa Colucci in 2021 with their close friends and neighbours, Barbara “Bibi” Husted Werner – owner of the now-closed but once-cult Holly Golightly fashion boutique – and her award-winning film-director husband Martin Werner. Both couples are known as arbiters of contemporary cool, but the sign outside their shared holiday home in Selva di Fasano was mounted some 130 years ago when the building was still the private summer residence of the Colucci family.They purchased the property mid-pandemic, over FaceTime. “First came the place, then came the plan,” laughs Bibi as the foursome guide me through the house. Buying a 478sq m palazzo – with 11 bedrooms, the same number of bathrooms and 20,000sq m of surrounding woodland with a traditional trullo – without seeing it in person was not as irrational as it might first sound. “Martin’s sister and brother-in-law had for many years imported fruit and vegetables into Denmark from nearby Monopoli, and we had our own farmhouse near them for 12 years, so we were already very familiar with the area,” explains Bibi. Pursuing successful careers in Copenhagen’s close-knit creative scene, the Hays and Werners had known of each other since 2000 but only became friends eight years ago when Bibi invited the Hays to her 40th-birthday party. Shortly afterwards they started sharing family holidays in Puglia, where they bonded over their love of its lifestyle and simple pleasures: the food, flea markets and near-annual warm weather. “That’s how our interest in finding something together came about,” continues Bibi. It was Martin’s sister and brother-in-law, Pernille and Lars Lembcke, who brought the property to the couples’ attention, and “since it was so vast, it made sense for us to share in the pleasure – and the burden – of the refurbishment”, she says.Stepping through the doors for the first time in 2022, both couples saw its potential. Despite being vacant for more than 25 years “it had very good bones and there were no big surprises”, says Mette. She, along with her co-owners, was insistent on restoring rather than a complete refit. “You can choose to do that, but in our opinion you can destroy a house like this,” says Rolf. “The beauty is somewhat in the decay.” The Lembckes were appointed project managers to oversee the restoration and local workforce while the couples were back in Copenhagen (“We are so lucky that they were our eyes and ears,” says Mette); the architect Francesco Mastrorosa was commissioned to bring the palazzo back to life.Unprepared to touch the near-perfectly preserved tiled floors by putting in underfloor electrics, they lowered the domed ceilings in several rooms to hide the electrical system above – invisible but for discreet vents that provide heating and air-conditioning. The doors, windows and shutters were removed, restored and rebuilt, and the walls given a light limewash treatment to retain their aged patina. Anything that was salvageable was reused, including the one-of-a-kind terrazzo bathtub in a first-floor bathroom. “We didn’t want it to look perfect, we wanted it to feel lived-in,” says Martin.Solar panels on the roof and “an expensive decision” to be self-sufficient with their own water supply – which meant drilling down 850m to connect with the waterboard – have made Villa Colucci a sustainable home away from home. Even with four strong opinions, the project – while extensive – was relatively plain sailing. “We all come from fields of work where we are used to taking lots of creative decisions, so we were all extremely decisive,” says Bibi. Previously, the palazzo belonged to the affluent landowning Colucci family. Brothers Giambattista and Giammatteo Colucci were prominent figures in local and national government in the early 1900s, renowned locally for their generosity. They were also keen enthusiasts of the technical innovations of the early 20th century, hence their decision to commission engineer Angelo Messeni to design the family home after being impressed with his design for the Petruzzelli Theatre in the Pugliese capital Bari.It accounts for the palazzo’s mantel and the unconventional layout that lends itself to multiple communal spaces and miles of wall space for the Hay-Werner contemporary art collections. Much of the art comes from Bibi’s Holly Golightly shop collection, and Danish artists are well represented. In the bedrooms, large wall hangings by the crochet artist Lulu Kaalund and embroidered canvases by Loji Höskuldsson are complemented with ceramic vases by Karl Monies. In the upstairs bar, works by Danish-Iranian artist Farshad Farzankia bounce off light installations by Nat Bloch Gregersen. Beside it, in the snug, an Evren Tekinoktay neon work sits beside sought-after sculptures by the late Bjørn Wiinblad and a bedroom plays host to works by Alexander Tovborg.Elsewhere, large pieces by an international line-up including Emma Kohlmann, Andi Fischer, Anton Funck, Kent Iwemyr and Peter Doig take over the lime-washed walls with their exuberant palettes. Corridors and landings are decorated with embroidered Berenike Corcuera tarot cards and traditional Asafo flags. The circus‑themed trompe-l’oeil and floral-frescoed ceilings were handpainted by a local artisan, Francesco Melcarne Casi, and each room is an unadulterated celebration of colour. “It’s very rare that two families appreciate the same art, and it’s even rarer to have four people around the age of 50 who are not afraid of colours but are embracing them!” laughs Martin.The furniture curation is just as eclectic. Extravagant antique lampshades originating from Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens or sourced from the Danish antiques dealer Monsieur Lars throw light on many of the collaborators with whom Rolf and Mette have worked at Hay, including Muller Van Severen and Jessica Hans, as well as prototypes they have just finished developing. Beds have been relocated from their home in Denmark and all the details around the house – from textiles to utensils – come from Hay. “We didn’t want to fill the house with the brand, but it felt silly buying a tea towel from somewhere else when we make them,” says Mette.Nearly everything in the palazzo was furnished with the couples’ existing belongings, which arrived on three huge trucks from Copenhagen just before Easter last year. Ninety per cent of the items that were delivered didn’t have a pre-decided destination, but Rolf and Bibi became designated arrangers and it was finished in three days. The contemporary is complemented everywhere by finds from the couples’ antique auctions and flea-market excursions. A shirt painted by Picasso, a midcentury American dentist’s cabinet, Gio Ponti chairs, religious artefacts from a church in Ostuni and antique Italian olive-oil dispensers create a mix that is engaging and intriguing. “Our shared approach to art is very significant,” says Rolf. “In interior design, people spend a lot of time and energy in matching things, whereas for us it’s simply about the love of objects and art, it doesn’t need to match; it’s more interesting to bring beautiful things together.” It’s true, agrees Bibi: “Art makes a home feel like a home very quickly.” The pair disagreed on only one thing. “Bibi likes to twist a chair; I like them straight,” laughs Rolf.The group intends to open up the house for rentals later this year. As I’m given the tour, Rolf leaves us to meet two vineyard experts who are preparing to plant 2,200 wine stocks so that the property can start to produce Hay‑Werner wine. He rejoins us holding three lemons he has plucked from a tree on the way back. “Home-grown!” he smiles. This quickly becomes a good reason to knock up a round of G&Ts at the first-floor wooden bar that Martin commissioned from a team in Bucharest – with whom his production company, Bacon, had previously worked – before descending to the antique tile-lined De Manincor kitchen, once housing Villa Colucci’s livestock but now gleaming in polished concrete with Stephen Bird ceramic wall hangings. The four settle in around their kitchen table against the backdrop of a huge rope installation by the German artist Joana Schneider – the first piece that the couples purchased together, specifically for the villa. In the time since completing the project in summer 2024, they and their children – who range in age from 14 to 27 – have realised a long-held dream. “When the villa was under construction, I imagined us walking around the house in bare feet, the kids all around, someone cooking in the kitchen, someone playing music, and last summer that all came to life – it was very special,” says Mette. “Even when you’re in a big group, you can find a cosy corner to yourself. Ultimately, we all just love to share and look forward to welcoming many more people to this place.” The writing was already on the wall.
