My Houzz: In Italy, a Kind of Design Poetry Amid Books and Mannequins
This Venetian writer-professor’s apartment is its own magical universe of objects, creativity and memories
Silvia Zanardi
February 2, 2016
Venice, Italy, is the very definition of beautiful. To get lost in its streets is to be overwhelmed by questions and curiosity about the past and present of this jewel of a city. Although it may seem to be occupied completely by tourists, in reality it’s home to 56,000 people. Here’s a look at the history-infused refuge of one woman who can’t imagine a more wonderful city for self-discovery.
Houzz at a glance
Who lives here: Anna Toscano and her two dogs, Emma and Iole
Location: Venice, Italy
Size: 1,290 square feet (120 square meters), including an interior courtyard
When built: Late 19th century
Anna Toscano is a poet, writer and university professor. She’s also one of the 56,000 people who call central Venice home. Originally from nearby Treviso, Toscano now lives near Venice’s Campo Santo Stefano square, in a large apartment on the ground floor of a historic building. It’s here that her poems take shape, inspired by everyday life and the people who navigate within it.
Who lives here: Anna Toscano and her two dogs, Emma and Iole
Location: Venice, Italy
Size: 1,290 square feet (120 square meters), including an interior courtyard
When built: Late 19th century
Anna Toscano is a poet, writer and university professor. She’s also one of the 56,000 people who call central Venice home. Originally from nearby Treviso, Toscano now lives near Venice’s Campo Santo Stefano square, in a large apartment on the ground floor of a historic building. It’s here that her poems take shape, inspired by everyday life and the people who navigate within it.
Every time her key turns in her lock, Toscano knows that waiting inside her apartment is the embrace of her thousands of books, a collection that inhabits entire walls. Standing amid the tomes are the tailors’ mannequins she has been collecting for several years. Toscano salvages these busts — exclusively the female variety — from the trash or from dressmakers or merchants who decided to close up shop.
Wherever you turn, from the entryway to the living room, from the study to the kitchen, from the bedroom to the two bathrooms (one of which boasts a wrought-iron mannequin-turned-soap holder), objects abound. Perhaps not even Japanese decluttering guru Marie Kondo would object, because it seems that every object here has a purpose, a life and a spirit of its own.
Before it was turned into a ring holder, this drawer — bought at a charity market in Venice — was used for many years in a printer’s shop.
The courtyard, which is furnished with bamboo rocking chairs and tables, is ideal for study and writing on sunny days.
Toscano’s first great love is the mannequin she discovered at a Paris flea market, to which it had been brought in haste by a shop owner after she had frantically emptied her store. It stands on a wooden stool in a place of honor in the front hall.
To get the mannequin back to Venice by plane, Toscano wore it like a backpack.
To get the mannequin back to Venice by plane, Toscano wore it like a backpack.
Toscano moved into the apartment after the death of her uncle, who owned a high-end fashion boutique in Piazza San Marco.
Before she filled it with books, bags, hats, clothes, vases, glasses, candles, pens, CDs, lampshades, countless pairs of shoes and a small collection of teapots, the apartment was furnished with armoires, mirrors and dressers in 18th-century style. Toscano sold some of the pieces and incorporated others into her decor.
Before she filled it with books, bags, hats, clothes, vases, glasses, candles, pens, CDs, lampshades, countless pairs of shoes and a small collection of teapots, the apartment was furnished with armoires, mirrors and dressers in 18th-century style. Toscano sold some of the pieces and incorporated others into her decor.
“Every object in my home has a meaning,” Toscano says. “I salvaged many of these furnishings and accessories from the trash and brought them back to life in my home, which I like to refer to as my ‘den,’ a refuge for my thoughts and writing. I also have a deep emotional connection to the furniture and objects that belonged to my late parents and grandmothers; these rooms provide the setting for their continuity in my life.”
When she was little, Toscano wanted to be a journalist. The love of writing that eventually became her profession mirrors her childhood aspirations, just as her home is an expression of her introspective creativity.
In the study, black and white photographs are displayed on a shelf, and a bed awaits nearby. “When I lie here, I soak up the best view in my home: my desk and the shelves housing my collection of more than 3,000 books,” Toscano says.
When she was little, Toscano wanted to be a journalist. The love of writing that eventually became her profession mirrors her childhood aspirations, just as her home is an expression of her introspective creativity.
In the study, black and white photographs are displayed on a shelf, and a bed awaits nearby. “When I lie here, I soak up the best view in my home: my desk and the shelves housing my collection of more than 3,000 books,” Toscano says.
Above the door on the left is where she stores her diaries, the earliest dating back 30 years. In them, she embarks on self-discovery to the accompaniment of French music and the fragrance of cinnamon incense.
“I’ve kept them all, and every year the collection grows. It is here, in this corner of happiness that is my study, that I love to scribble down my thoughts, read, study and rest.”
Toscano says there isn’t a single corner of her home she doesn’t love. “But every so often,” she confesses, “I’ll spend an entire day moving objects around or changing a room’s layout. It tends to happen just before I begin writing a new book, when even my unconscious is turned upside down.”
“I’ve kept them all, and every year the collection grows. It is here, in this corner of happiness that is my study, that I love to scribble down my thoughts, read, study and rest.”
Toscano says there isn’t a single corner of her home she doesn’t love. “But every so often,” she confesses, “I’ll spend an entire day moving objects around or changing a room’s layout. It tends to happen just before I begin writing a new book, when even my unconscious is turned upside down.”
Toscano with Iole, one of two dogs she adopted from a kennel in nearby Chioggia. When Iole arrived at the apartment, she spent entire days hiding under the furniture, so great was her fear of the outside world after years of abuse and neglect. When Toscano was finally able to take her outside, Iole began running with abandon. That moment sealed her happy new Venetian life.
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
Browse more homes by style: Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
Browse more homes by style: Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
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This woman is clearly not a hoarder. She is truly a collector. Hoarders call themselves collectors or say they have better things to do with their time than straighten up, but they tend to have homes where the rooms aren't usable as intended. Also, hoarders often have "collections" of things such as old newspapers from 30 years ago or stacks of unopened junk mail from the last century. From what I can see, every room is useable and, I think, quite interesting. And the dog is totally adorable. Brava, Anna Toscano!
funky vibe