Elegant, eclectic, exceptional: Locanda al Colle
Riccardo’s Locanda al Colle in Tuscany is a Wunderkammer. The host has lovingly placed numerous furnishing treasures in his guest house, a historic farmhouse, and brought them together to create a harmonious whole. The chairs, tables and lamps come from antique markets and earlier times, from contemporary artists and old design icons, from Italy or London. Breathing new life into old objects and placing them in a new context is one of Riccardo Barsottelli‘s passions. It’s worth asking where the pieces in Locanda al Colle come from and what stories they tell…
A bed, a fireplace, a table with chairs
Three different eras are united here. What they have in common is the material (iron) and the colour (black): A French fireplace from the late 19th century, bought from a scrap dealer in Forte dei Marmi, an iron bed from an early 20th century monastery and a French table with chairs from the 1950s, from the Mercante in Fiera in Parma.
Two loungers in camouflage look
The aluminium loungers are covered with a striped fabric from Perennials.
An Italian seating ensemble
Rocking sofa and armchair by Salterini from the 1960s, found at a private dealer at the Mercante in Fiera in Parma, sandblasted and stained black with cushions made of Dedar fabrics.
A dining room chair from London
I bought the desk by Osvaldo Borsani from a private dealer at the antiques market in Lucca because of the asymmetrical shape of the writing surface and the sloping drawer and combined it with a French chair from the 1920s. The chair is one of six that were part of the dining room in my house in London and are now almost all reused in the guest house. I like to reuse furniture in other contexts and give it new life. The lamp is by Philips, the painting by Robert Marc.
A rescued armchair with flair
I salvaged these armchairs from a rubbish dump and had them upholstered with a fabric from Gaston y Daniela that features the first Parisian fashion show. Recycling is a super interesting field, and of course it’s environmentally friendly. The table and dessert from the 1940s are from the Hemisphere Gallery in London.
A vintage Murano glass light
I bought the Venini lamp made of Murano glass from the 1970s from Demosmobilia.
An artful wall
In the bathroom of the Tramonto Suite is this wall relief by artist Maja Thommen, which is much appreciated by guests. It lends the room a sense of lightness, as if it were transparent wallpaper.
A lamp with a circus motif
The ceramic lamp from the 1950s depicts a circus. It has been with me since the 80s: I bought it in Gallery 25 in London in 1986. I combined the lamp with small ceramic sculptures in the form of shop fronts by Barnaby Barford from an installation in the V&A Museum.
A bed with a beautiful headboard
The bed and mattress are made by Simmons with a customised headboard. Our upholsterer Luca Pellegrini made them. Maria Sole Vannetti decorated them with old buttons from the Marché in St Ouen in Paris. The bed headboards embellish the bed without weighing it down. Our beds only have the essentials for sleeping, everything superfluous such as slats and decorative cushions has been removed.
Locanda al Colle is a member of Lifestylehotels
