Most luxury hotels today look exactly the same. They choose the same beige linens, the same minimalist light fixtures, and the same soulless spa music. It's safe. It's corporate. It's utterly boring.
When American interior decorator Remy Renzullo signed on to design Le Lappe, his very first hotel project in the hills of Tuscany, he didn't check the standard hospitality manual. He threw it away. If you look at what makes a hotel feel like a true escape, it isn't flawless marble or high-tech lighting systems. It's personality.
Renzullo, a prominent member of the AD100 known for his work on historic residential properties like Castle Howard, brings a heavily layered, anti-perfectionist eye to hospitality. Le Lappe isn't a hyper-polished resort. It's a warm, slightly threadbare, deeply atmospheric country estate that prioritizes history over trends.
The Myth of the Perfect Hotel Room
People travel to Tuscany to feel somewhere else. Yet, major resorts spend millions erasing the quirks that give historic buildings their soul. Renzullo's design philosophy centers on the idea of vanished splendor. He rejects the hyper-curated, color-coordinated aesthetic that dominates modern social media.
In his residential work and now at Le Lappe, rooms aren't treated like a film set or a period piece. They are living, breathing spaces. He works directly with the bones of the architecture, leaning into dark corners with rich colors rather than forcing artificial brightness into a space that rejects it.
The goal for Le Lappe isn't to look newly decorated. The goal is for a guest to walk in and feel like they are staying at the home of a wealthy, eccentric European friend who has spent decades collecting exceptional furniture. It's about ease.
What Most Designers Get Wrong About Hospitality
Most commercial designers approach a hotel by focusing on durability and standardization. They buy hundred-piece sets of identical chairs. They choose fabrics that can withstand industrial bleach. Renzullo acts more like an antique dealer than a decorator.
- Sourcing over ordering: Instead of flipping through commercial furniture catalogs, Renzullo scours auction listings and builds relationships with boutique dealers to find pieces with actual patina.
- Embracing the askew: A slightly crooked picture frame or a mismatched pair of nightstands creates a sense of casual comfort that money rarely buys.
- Ditching the tech: You won't find over-engineered tablets controlling the curtains here. The focus remains on tactile, physical materials.
This approach creates immense friction with traditional hotel operations. It takes time. You can't rush patina, and you certainly can't order it in bulk from a factory.
Sourcing Secrets from the Residential World
Renzullo brings his deep knowledge of historical patterns to the project. Having previously collaborated with Watts 1874 on the Indienne Collection—recreating 19th-century fabric and wallpaper patterns from Castle Howard—he knows exactly how to make old motifs feel urgent and alive today. At Le Lappe, textiles take center stage, balancing out the raw, rustic stone walls characteristic of traditional Tuscan estates.
The Anti-Digital Footprint
It's completely intentional that you can't easily find a slick corporate website for Renzullo's design practice. He doesn't want one. In a world obsessed with visibility, algorithmic trends, and artificial intelligence, his office famously enforces a strict no-ChatGPT rule.
That rejection of the digital monoculture shapes the physical reality of Le Lappe. When everything online is optimized for a quick double-tap, designing a physical space requires a slower rhythm. It means choosing materials because of how they feel against your hand, not how they look through a smartphone camera lens.
Your Next Steps for Finding Authenticity
If you're tired of identical luxury experiences, you need to change how you filter your travel choices. Stop looking at top-ten lists compiled by algorithms.
- Look for residential designers crossing over: Seek out hotels designed by individuals who primarily work on private homes. They understand human scale and comfort better than commercial agencies.
- Prioritize architectural bones: Choose properties that adapt to their historic structures rather than gutting them to fit a standard layout.
- Value patina over polish: If a hotel boasts about its brand-new, ultra-modern renovations, it probably sacrificed its soul to get them.
Book places that take risks. Look for properties that embrace their dark corners, their eccentric furniture choices, and their history. Le Lappe proves that true luxury isn't about perfection. It's about character.
