Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1543536
color — soft, irregular tones accumulated over time — which they chose not to touch. "That's when we started to see the beautiful coloration of the existing plaster," Hocker says. "All these colors you could never really reproduce." In one of the bedrooms, stripping back the surfaces revealed the remnants of an old fresco. They left it exactly as they found it, fragmentary but legible, a trace of the room's earlier life. Elsewhere, removing wallpaper uncovered original medieval beams overhead. Once revealed, they remain exposed, restoring the rooms' sense of structure and age. Throughout the house, original elements were repaired rather than replaced. Doors were restored and rehung, their proportions and wear left intact. The bathrooms offered one of the few opportunities for a more contemporary approach. Rather than attempting a historical re-creation, Hocker chose to work with materials that felt native to the region. Carrara marble surfaces, quarried from the Tuscan region long known for its luminous white stone, provide a sense of place, while contemporary fixtures and sconces with a retro sensibility keep the rooms feeling current. The result is fresh, without feeling out of place within the palazzo's centuries-old envelope. The kitchen is the most lived-in room in the house — and Borghi's favorite. It still revolves around the original fireplace, which they restored and adapted for daily use. They kept the large hood and masonry surround and added a substantial slab of lava stone. To support the way they cook, they sourced outdoor-style burners from an Italian company, and Hocker had a steel firebox fabricated so he can cook and grill over live fire. He describes it as multipurpose, used for cooking as well as atmosphere. The galley is practical with under-counter refrigeration, a dishwasher, In the main bedroom, Smoke Tree photograph by Millicent Harvey. A 17th-century Tuscan chest topped with a 19th-century Tuscan bowl, Stetson hat, and 17th-century map of Tuscany. Argentine wool throw. 90