Re-enchanting Villa Medici

An architectural masterpiece of the Renaissance, Villa Medici has undergone several major interventions that are emblematic of the place today. Conceived in 1833 by the painter Horace Vernet while he was Director of the French Academy in Rome (1829-1834), the Turkish Room was created just after the artist’s return from his first trip to Algeria. An Orientalist dream, it is an early example of an Islamic-inspired interior in the Eternal City, testifying to the fascination for an imaginary Orient shared by many European artists of the Romantic period. Its decoration combines elements of Arabo-Andalusian character, Ottoman ornamental motifs and more naturalistic ones on the vaulted ceiling. The colorful earthenware lining the walls comes from the Giustiniani ceramics factory in Naples, and inspired Balthus for his painting The Turkish Room (Paris, Centre Pompidou).

Balthus (Balthasar Kłossowski de Rola, known as Balthus), painter and director from 1961 to 1977, refurnished the Villa Medici, designed a set of lamps bearing his name, restored the historic decor and invented a painting process that he applied to the Villa’s walls, producing a subtle patina effect with vibrant hues. The aim of the long restoration campaign he undertook was to restore the palace to the aura of a Cinquecento villa. Far from conceiving a historical reconstruction, Balthus proposed a reinterpretation of the decor, marked by his technical experience and artistic sensibility. The innovative solutions he experimented with at Villa Medici were in constant dialogue with the Renaissance decor and took advantage of the natural light that bathed the rooms and altered their perception throughout the day. In the gardens, he rearranged the squares, introducing copies of antiques from Ferdinando de’ Medici’s collection, including the famous Niobides group.

Richard Peduzzi, designer, scenographer and director from 2002 to 2008, designed the streamlined furniture for the entrance hall, cinema, library and cafeteria, opening the doors of Villa Medici to 21st-century design. In the gardens, he redesigned the parterre patterns with a play of geometries. Using raw materials and simple lines, he creates discreet, modern furniture for the cultural activities and operations of Villa Medici. His series of furniture and lighting fixtures is characterized by utilitarian unity, blending into the space while maintaining a dialogue with Balthus’s decor. As part of his project to reorganize the spaces, Richard Peduzzi revisited the question of lighting in particular: he designed the chandeliers in the vestibule and Grand Salon, floor lamps with square shades and twisted concrete-iron lamps installed in the main staircase at the entrance.

On the garden level of Villa Medici, the refurbishment of the six reception rooms (2022) was entrusted to Kim Jones and Silvia Venturini, artistic directors of the House of Fendi, established in Rome for four generations. For the lounges, they selected contemporary furniture by French and Italian designers such as Chiara Andreatti, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance, David Lopez Quincoces and Toan Nguyen. Among the iconic pieces: the Via Appia travertine and chestnut table, specially designed by Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance for the Salon Bleu and the Salon de lecture. Also in the Salon Bleu, the luminous yellow of the Grove and Groovy armchairs (Toan Nguyen) meets the deep green of the Virgola chairs (Chiara Andreatti). Period furniture, such as the 17th-century armoire acquired by Balthus and now installed in the Petit Salon, or the Tenture des Indes tapestries in the Grand Salon, contribute to the harmony of these chromatic ranges, alongside a remarkable group of 20th-century tapestries deposited by the Mobilier National. Signed by Louise Bourgeois, Sonia Delaunay, Sheila Hicks, Aurélie Nemours and Alicia Penalba, among others, they celebrate the work of women artists.

Moving upstairs at Villa Medici, the re-enchantment continues with a colorful, graphic lexicon. In the six historic rooms above the loggia, Franco-Iranian architect and designer India Mahdavi orchestrated the refurbishment, playing with a juxtaposition of colors, materials and geometries. The Lovers, Elements and Muses Rooms, which form the former apartment of Cardinal Ferdinando de’ Medici, are illuminated by pastel textiles chosen by India Mahdavi to decorate the antique furniture belonging to the Villa or taken from the reserves of the Mobilier National, such as the luminous sofa and armchair set by Jean-Albert Lesage in the Salon Lili Boulanger. In the Muses Room, the large diamond-patterned carpet echoes the parterre redesigned in the early 2000s by Richard Peduzzi, which is laid out in the gardens below. The polychrome furniture in the Galileo and Debussy Rooms, designed by the designer and covered in trompe-l’œil cubes, recalls the nuances of the friezes and ceilings painted in the 16th century. Produced by Maison Craman Lagarde and cabinetmaker Pascal Michalon respectively, these inlaid wood furnishings are an example of the high level of expertise mobilized for the re-enchantment of the Villa Medici (cabinetmaking, ceramics, tapestry) and of the alliance, at its highest level, between design and craftsmanship.

The lemon garden, 2025, artistic direction: Bas Smets with the collaboration of Pierre-Antoine Gatier

The 7-hectare gardens of Villa Medici now boast over 300 citrus trees, including bigaradiers, lemons and citrons. As far back as the 16th century, Cardinal Ferdinando de’ Medici cultivated a passion for these rare fruits, which supplied his table. Today, these climate-resistant plants are of interest to researchers, chefs and contemporary artists, bringing together preservation, research, creation and transmission. With its triangular layout, Ferdinando de’ Medici’ “secret garden” has undergone several changes since its creation, including a major one by Balthus, director of the Académie from 1961 to 1977, who introduced lemon trees. Bas Smets, landscape architect, and Pierre-Antoine Gatier, chief architect of historic monuments, are now proposing a new intervention. They draw on the Renaissance heritage of Villa Medici to sublimate, in a contemporary spirit, this garden of fruit trees symbolizing crossbreeding. The new layout of the lemon garden includes the creation of a 26-metre pergola and a redesigned circulation around the belvedere overlooking Rome, the skyline being an integral part of the garden’s unique architecture. Now a convivial place for meals and meetings between Villa Medici residents and staff, the lemon garden inspired designers Muller Van Severen to create a new line of furniture with pure forms, published by Tectona.