Artful Escapes: Casa Bonavita
In Attard, Malta, an 18th-century palazzo and the surrounding houses are transformed into a romantic 17-room stay
When Suzanne Sharp and her husband, Christopher, cofounders of The Rug Company, first stepped inside an 18th-century palazzo in Attard, Malta, they had no intention of opening a hotel. It was untouched, recalls Suzanne, who was born in the area, “and incredibly romantic,” with stone arches, high ceilings, and shuttered rooms opening onto an overgrown orange blossom–scented garden. Purchasing it as a private home, the couple began restoring the structure without a fixed design in mind. “I knew where the light was,” she says of her instinctive approach.
Taking care not to strip away the palazzo’s patina, she used reclaimed Maltese stone, locally sourced tiles, and limewash on the walls. Suzanne and her husband gradually added Murano chandeliers from the 1940s and ’50s, auction pieces, and antique furnishings from their own collection. The project, which expanded to include neighboring houses, evolved into the newly opened Casa Bonavita, a 17-room hotel and spa. Breakfast is served in the original kitchen, and gardens planted with jasmine, citrus, and date palms fringe the property.
Nearby, at Villa Bologna, the couple’s daughter runs a ceramics business named for the house, where she offers pottery-painting workshops.
A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2026 Summer Issue in the section “Artful Escapes.” Subscribe to the magazine.