Can a moodboard be enough as an assignment?

Yes. If you want to do the execution yourself — for budget reasons, for instance — a detailed moodboard is a complete guide: style, furniture and even the garden furniture are set down in it.

How do you design for two families at once?

With extra care in the feedback session: both families must recognise themselves in the same style. The moodboard then becomes the shared compass that keeps everyone aligned.

How do you work in a centuries-old building without a true floor plan?

By embracing the character: small, quirky corners and crooked rooms are not a problem but the starting point. A building from around 1500 calls for custom thinking, not paper plans.

Lucca, Tuscany

One style for two families in Lucca

Two families from Sweden bought a very old house in Lucca together. They live permanently in Sweden and wanted to be there with their families a few times a year — and rent it out in between.

In short

Two Swedish families together bought a centuries-old building in Lucca — for holiday rental and as their own place a few times a year. Grietje designed the moodboards that set one style for both families, including the garden furniture; they did the installation themselves.

Characterful old stone house in Lucca with thick walls and small nooks

The brief

A building from around 1500 is beautiful but difficult: no floor plan is ever accurate and there are many small, quirky corners and rooms. It had to become a home for two families and be attractive for rental at the same time. And with two families, the extra challenge is that everyone has to agree.

The approach

Beforehand we talked about the style they love; on that basis I made the moodboards, with a feedback moment to align everything. The moodboards — including the garden furniture — were the end product here: the families wanted to do the installation themselves, partly because of the budget.

The result

A successful project: two families with one clear style direction, who carried out the furnishing themselves — a home and rentable at once.

Materials & colours

Moodboards for the whole house, including garden furniture
One shared style for two families
A plan that works without a reliable floor plan

The full story

A building from 1500 without a true floor plan

The building dates from around 1500. Such buildings are beautiful, but difficult: no floor plan is ever accurate and there are many small, quirky corners and rooms. That is exactly what made the design a challenge — and fun.

Two families, one style

The owners live permanently in Sweden and wanted to come to Lucca with their families a few times a year, plus rent it out as a holiday home. We discussed the style they loved beforehand; I made a moodboard from it. The feedback session mattered even more here: with two families, everyone has to pull in the same direction.

Moodboards as a complete guide

For this project I made only the moodboards — including the garden furniture. The families wanted to do the installation themselves; that also had to do with their budget. With a clear moodboard in hand, they could carry it out independently, in one style.

"Two families, one house from 1500 and not a single straight wall: the moodboard became the guide everyone could hold on to."
— Grietje Schreuder

Frequently asked questions about this case

Can a moodboard be enough as an assignment?: Yes. If you want to do the execution yourself — for budget reasons, for instance — a detailed moodboard is a complete guide: style, furniture and even the garden furniture are set down in it.
How do you design for two families at once?: With extra care in the feedback session: both families must recognise themselves in the same style. The moodboard then becomes the shared compass that keeps everyone aligned.
How do you work in a centuries-old building without a true floor plan?: By embracing the character: small, quirky corners and crooked rooms are not a problem but the starting point. A building from around 1500 calls for custom thinking, not paper plans.