Two neighboring Danish couples purchased an 11-bedroom 19th-century villa in southern Italy after touring it only by FaceTime. The owners—Mette and Rolf Hay and Barbara "Bibi" Husted Werner with husband Martin Werner—are prominent figures in Denmark's design and fashion communities who invested their collections and design sensibility into the property. The villa sits in Selva di Fasano amid olive groves and a newly planted vineyard and features a front pediment spelling "salve." After three years of restoration, a local architect modernized systems while preserving original features; the water supply was excavated and solar panels were installed. The property is newly complete and will be available to rent.
Mette and Rolf Hay are founders of the furniture and home accessories brand Hay, and Barbara "Bibi" Husted Werner is a fashion impresario (known for her now-shuttered cult Copenhagen boutique, Holly Go Lightly) married to film director Martin Werner. All four believe in living surrounded by contemporary art and good design, and they approached their acquisition as a delicate historic restoration awakened by the addition of their far-ranging collections.
The new owners report that though the house sat largely vacant for the past 25 years, it was in workable condition with no major surprises. Local architect Francesco Mastrorosa, a specialist in historic revivals, was tasked with modernizing the inner workings while restoring and retaining the villa's many original features. For sustainability, the property's own water supply was excavated and the roof now has solar panels.
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