Tucked into a Tuscan hillside surrounded by olive groves and fig trees sits this beautifully restored farmhouse owned by Katharina Bolloch and her husband Jamie, both freelance writers and translators. Katharina spent every summer of her childhood in Italy with her family and grew to love the peace, tranquility and beauty of the Tuscan countryside. She and her husband were living in a tiny terraced house in London with their three small children when the opportunity came to buy the farmhouse back in 2000.
The whole house had to be gutted and new floors and ceilings put in as well as new plumbing and rewiring. The whole process took two years but it certainly has paid off. The back kitchen that was once the pig shed is now a very practical area for storage and coats and hats. The hooks are from IKEA and the battered old bench is from Barthel. The kitchen is beautifully rustic but functional and features a Carrara marble-topped island counter which was made by a local carpenter.
There is such a lovely mix of textures and materials in the open plan living space and the green dresser adds a fresh punch of colour. The space is wonderfully bright thanks to the large arched windows and doors opening onto the terrace.
The dining table seats up to 14 people so they have lots of space for entertaining visiting friends and family. The chairs are from a local restaurant owner who was closing his restaurant and sold the couple 16 chairs for €30 each!
A neutral palette in the living area provides a perfect backdrop for the brick fireplace, beamed ceiling and tiled floors. Warm coloured blankets and an aztec print rug add warmth and cosiness to this space.
Katharina and Jamie had to follow very strict building regulations which included fitting earthquake-proof windows at a cost of €5,000 each (yikes!) despite the fact there hasn't been an earthquake in the area for centuries.
A beautiful enclosed courtyard at the back of the villa provides the perfect place for barbecues and is dubbed 'the pizza terrace' by the family. For six years this was their dream home but in the end they decided to leave their beloved Italy due to their children's education and are now renting out their beautiful villa for holiday-makers. So if you're interested in living the Italian dream (for a couple of weeks!) check out www.invitationtotuscany.com.
