Crosby Studios has successfully completed the renovation of a historic 17th-century farmhouse in Roccalbegna, Tuscany, transforming the once-abandoned rural property into a sophisticated family retreat and operational headquarters for La Terra di Neena, an emerging olive oil and home goods brand. The comprehensive restoration project combines preservation of original architectural elements with contemporary metallic finishes and sculptural interventions that reflect the studio's distinctive design philosophy.
The project originated from a personal journey of heritage discovery when La Terra di Neena founder Tyler Billinger and Crosby Studios founder Harry Nuriev first encountered the property while traveling through Tuscany with Billinger's family. Located within a wild olive grove spanning 52 hectares, the farmhouse displayed visible signs of its centuries-old history through intact timber beams, thick masonry walls, and remnants of long-dormant agricultural life. What began as a search for family roots evolved into an extensive multi-year restoration encompassing both the building and surrounding landscape.
Crosby Studios approached the renovation with careful attention to preserving the farmhouse's authentic architectural character while incorporating elements from their signature material vocabulary. The design team replaced conventional upper-floor wood planks with hand-laid river stones, creating tactile, irregular surfaces crafted directly on-site. Throughout the interior, metallic finishes, graphic forms, and sculptural interventions create striking visual contrasts with the historic structure. Creative repurposing features prominently, with gutted headlights reassembled into chandelier-like lighting fixtures and clusters of rearview mirrors strategically arranged across walls as a contemporary nod to traditional mirror-making crafts.
The studio brought utilitarian back-of-house materials into domestic settings, with stainless steel anchoring communal areas through custom pieces including a four-meter dining table, matching benches, and a specially designed kitchen island. In the primary bedroom, Harry Nuriev's creative practice is exemplified by a unique canopy bed constructed from 120 repurposed red T-shirts, each carrying its own anonymous history. Textiles throughout the house continue this exploration of material transformation, featuring AI-assisted velvet patterns that reinterpret traditional tapestry motifs and Mylar-like fabrics that adopt industrial textures in soft, domestic applications.
The architectural renovation proceeded alongside an ambitious ecological restoration effort led by landscape architect Anna Andreyeva of Planting Strategies. This multi-year environmental project involved clearing overgrown olive fields, pruning and rehabilitating ancient trees, stabilizing soil conditions, and reintroducing plantings designed to support long-term agricultural sustainability. By the time the family hosted their first informal harvest, the farmhouse had successfully transformed into both a gathering place and the center of a revived rural ecosystem that would serve as the foundation for La Terra di Neena.
For Nuriev, the project embodies his ongoing design manifesto called Transformism, which he describes as "the act of turning one thing into another—not by denying its origin, but by illuminating it." This conceptual framework extends beyond material manipulation to encompass seeing potential for new life in objects, whether in a worn sofa or a neglected olive tree. Billinger notes that working on the land has fundamentally shifted their relationship with time and process, explaining, "It's forced us to disconnect from the instant gratification of the digital realm and embrace a slower, more intentional way of living—one that's deeply rooted in process, tradition, and patience."
After four years of intensive architectural and landscape work, Billinger commissioned Crosby Studios to extend their design approach into developing a comprehensive brand identity for La Terra di Neena. The studio created a distinctive visual identity based on clean graphic lines, mirrored surfaces, and sculptural interpretations of utilitarian forms. "Named after my mother, La Terra di Neena is a marriage between new family harvest traditions and a longstanding dialogue with my partner Harry and his creative practice," Billinger explains.
The La Terra di Neena collection encompasses olive oil, home goods, and collectible furniture pieces that draw direct inspiration from both the domestic and agricultural contexts of the estate. Product offerings include dented tins transformed into elegant vases and candles, glycerin soaps cast with embedded olives and branches, mirrored dishware engraved with La Terra di Neena and Crosby Studios motifs, and innovative seating constructed from unused olive oil cans. Each piece reflects the Transformism philosophy by finding new purpose and beauty in utilitarian agricultural materials.
The brand made its international debut earlier this year at Capsule Plaza during Milan Design Week, where the team presented 200 chromatic laser-engraved canisters, sculptural household objects, and a distinctive chair constructed entirely from unused tins from the previous harvest. The collection recently expanded to the United States market with its inaugural presentation at Basic.Space NY, featuring new monumental pieces including a substantial dining table, complementary stools, and a large-scale sculpture resembling oversized dented oil canisters, alongside smaller items such as miniature cooking-pot candles and engraved mirrored dinner plates. This successful launch represents the culmination of years of thoughtful restoration work that has created both a functional family retreat and a thriving creative enterprise rooted in sustainable agricultural practices.
