A 16th-century Venice apartment is packed to the rafters with bold patterns, colours and tiles in the city’s coveted Dorsoduro district.

Sitting behind a fully restored Renaissance facade close to the university, the dwelling occupies the former palazzo’s piano nobile. It includes a leafy garden, terrace and altana, and has a separate entrance.

Interiors are a riot of colour, decked with textures and patterns: three reception rooms are adorned with neoclassical pillars and frescoes. Modern touches  – such as brass and glass tables, geometric ceramics, neo-gothic furniture and brushed velvet textiles – striped wallpaper, vintage rugs and antiques all add to this maximalist, layered vibe and offset terrazzo floors, timber ceiling rafters, and ornate mouldings.

The maximalist Venice property  – on the market via Knight Frank for a steep €12.5m – has six bedrooms as well as a library, separate study, and large dining room.

Other building amenities include a refurbished roof terrace with panoramic views over Dorsoduro – Venice’s university district, which is filled with cafes, restaurants and boutique stores as well as the waterside Peggy Guggenheim Collection and Gallerie dell’Accademia.

A collector’s canalside Venetian apartment list for €2.9m