Casa Bonavita: Rug Company founders turn Maltese home into hotel

Christopher and Suzanne Sharp, founders of The Rug Company, have transformed a dilapidated 18th-century house in Attard, Malta into Casa Bonavita, a 17-bedroom hotel that opened in late spring 2026. The property, originally the countryside estate of the Bonavita family, was purchased in 2010 and first used as the Sharps' family home before a six-year conversion into a boutique hotel. Interiors were designed by Suzanne Sharp Studio, featuring hand-painted murals by artists Alfonso Orombelli and Luna Aulehla Greppi, antique furniture sourced with their son Jamie Sharp, and bespoke de Gournay wallpaper depicting 17th-century Valletta. The hotel includes a restaurant with an open kitchen, two swimming pools, a subterranean spa with hammam and sauna, and gardens restored by Christopher Sharp with citrus trees and palms. Executive Chef Dex Oseman leads the kitchen serving Mediterranean dishes. The Sharps emphasize that the hotel was conceived not as a commercial venture but as a lifelong dream realized, with design inspired by Suzanne's Maltese childhood memories.