by Tyron Devotta
“So tell me your name.”
“ Isabella.”
“Nice to meet you, Isabella?”
“ You are a Sansoni, the granddaughter of the famous Barbara Sansoni.”
And that’s how it starts — in true Barefoot fashion, with a smile, a story, and a surname that sounds like it walked in straight from Sicily. Isabella laughs when asked where they originated from. “Somewhere from Italy,” she shrugs. “Maybe Sicily. Maybe another part… but they all came when the Dutch arrived in Ceylon.” She is a third generation Sansoni, and now the café manager of the famous Barefoot complex in Colombo.
Growing Up Barefoot
For Isabella, Barefoot was very much part of her childhood.
Isabella Sansoni at Barefoot
“I remember running around here as a little baba,” she says, her hands drawing invisible circles in the air. “There was always music, always laughter, always events happening. It was the most fun place in the world.” Her older sisters, six and eight years ahead, made it seem like the coolest playground. “One day,” she used to think, “one day I’ll hang out here with my friends.” And now, that day is every day. Today, she manages the café and event spaces, one part conductor, one part busy bee, and one part guardian of a legacy. She sweeps through the courtyard, instinctively greeting guests, adjusting details, noticing everything. This isn’t just work, it’s home.
A Café with a Soul
Anyone who walks into Barefoot feels it instantly: the curated music, the aroma of food drifting through the air, the gentle hum of conversation, and that unmistakable rustic charm.
“It’s a daytime space,” she says. “We close at seven. No spirits, just wine and beer.” The menu? Equal parts memory and evolution. “Black pork curry,” she says decisively. “That’s there every single day. That’s our anchor.” The quiches are iconic, the sandwiches classic, and the rest, playful seasonal shifts born out of conversations with the chef.
Hospitality in the DNA
Isabella insists she wasn’t pushed into the family business. But she also says her family home was “doors always wide open.”
Her mother, Nasreen, and father, Dominic, hosted effortlessly. Friends floated in. Meals appeared. Warmth radiated. It was the kind of hospitality you absorb, not learn. “That’s what Barefoot is too,” she says. “A place where people feel welcome, kids, artists, families, travellers, everyone.”
She studied Economics and Sociology, worked five years in Australia in retail and hospitality, and returned with one clear truth: this was her calling. “And I chose it for myself,” she says quietly. “That changed everything.”
Barefoot just before closing time on a weekday
Barefoot: The Story in Colour
To understand Isabella’s passion, you need to know where Barefoot began.
Kala Suri Barbara Sansoni (22 April 1928 – 23 April 2022) was a Sri Lankan designer, artist, colourist, entrepreneur, and writer. She was known for her works in architecture, textile designs, and handwoven panels. She founded the Barefoot textile company, a company that is highly acclaimed for its handloom fabric. She also served as the chairperson and chief designer of Barefoot Pvt. Ltd for several years.
Sansoni was said to have "redefined the concept of colour in Sri Lanka". She empowered women weavers and transformed the national cottage industry.
Her son Dominic Sansoni expanded the Barefoot concept by bringing in local craft aligned with Barefoot’s philosophy. Now, decades later, Isabella and her siblings are the next guardians of that legacy.
Where Barefoot Is Headed
“Design has always been our core,” she says. “That’s what people come back for. People tell me they still have my grandmother’s fabrics from twenty years ago.”
And that’s what Isabella wants to protect — the soul of Barefoot. Not to modernise it out of shape. Not to let its story fade. Not to let the world forget that all this colour, this warmth, this texture started with her, Barbara Sansoni’s eye and hand.
“This is my grandmother’s legacy,” Isabella says, smiling. “And now, it’s ours to honour.”
