Lydia Breckon: modern technology, great art

At the Watermill we like the juxtaposition of ancient and modern, something you’ll notice throughout our Watermill bedrooms: a lone piece of antique furniture, for example, standing proudly among more modern items; or a striking contemporary wardrobe, fronted in opaque glass, bringing fresh dynamic design to a classical room.

So, we are pleased to announce our latest innovation, the inspiration of our daughter Lydia, which combines modern electronic wizardry with sublime examples, mainly from the Renaissance, of extraordinary paintings, sculptures and architecture.

Sleep among Renaissance masters

As you probably know, we decided a few years ago to give names* rather than numbers to all our Watermill bedrooms: who wants to have a mere number when they could be staying in Botticelli, Bronzino or Brunelleschi? Or  Gentileschi, Ghirlandaio or Ghiberti? Or one of another half-dozen famous Italian artists, from Alberti to Vasari.

QR codes that bring masterpieces to life

On the wall of your room you’ll find a neat little transparent plaque with your bedroom artist’s name on it, together with one of those dinky QR codes. (This is what the one in the Vasari bedroom looks like.)

Just switch on the QR and barcode scanner on your mobile phone and take a picture of the QR code in your bedroom and a list of links to ALL our ‘bedroom artists‘ will appear. We suggest you choose your own room first, then enjoy the sublime creations of the other renowned Italian artists after whom our rooms are named.

*The bedroom names celebrate famous Italian artists, mainly from the Renaissance and mainly men, because (a) the early Renaissance is our favourite artistic period and (b) because few women were painting professionally in those days, and even fewer have become famous. At Lois’ insistence we included Artemesia Gentileschi on our list a few years ago and in 2026 we have introduced Sofonisba Anguissola, despite her tongue-twisting name.

Here are just a few of the jewels:

All pictures Public domain: Google Art Project via Wikimedia Commons.

Creative holidays in Tuscany

Come and join us for inspired tuition, warm hospitality, beautiful accommodation, delicious home-cooked food and stunning locations. You can read all about our creative holidays – painting, knitting and Italian language – by clicking here.