RIVIERA GEM

Jewel-box colours and subtle patterns inspired by Hispanic-Moroccan influences breathe new life into an old farmhouse in the south of France. 

Down a narrow lane from the old fishing village of Cassis, alongside vineyards with high stone walls and wooded slopes, is a farmhouse that dates back 200 years. Its location high up in the hills overlooking the coastal village and all the way out to sea makes it the perfect holiday home for a French-Moroccan couple, finance professionals who live and work in Paris during the week, as well as their two sons.

The former farmhouse had been converted into a holiday home during the tourist boom in the 1960s, but fell into disrepair. “The exterior was shabby and the rooms were dark and small, the very opposite of the light-filled interior that the client wanted,” says David Price, founder of David Price Design. 

The house is very private, like a hidden treasure waiting to be discovered down a winding lane.

The property has a new roof and this kitchen courtyard “tower” conceals the point where the roof guttering comes together.

Giopato & Coombes feature pendant lights – made up of clear glass spheres in various sizes – give the kitchen an airy and ephemeral quality.

The rocky coastal area surrounding the property is part of the Calanques National Park.

David and his team began by reimagining the flow of the house in aesthetic and practical terms. “Even though the property was a sizeable 6,458sqf, we decided to extend it to create the full sense of space and light,” he explains. The new layout includes a kitchen, dining room, living space and terrace on the ground floor that are interlinked to form a vista all the way through to the sea-facing end of the living area and the new swimming pool beyond.

A relocated front entrance and a new external flight of stone steps lead into the house with a basic white interior. “The client was looking for a clear, clean and light overall feel with an all-white interior, but I suggested injecting some colour to add a level of excitement into the scheme, taking cues from her Moroccan childhood and Spanish roots,” says Nina Laty, consultant head of interiors at David Price Design. Nina skilfully incorporated different tones and textures into the white canvas. Lace, for instance, was chosen to reference classic Arabian geometric moucharabieh panelling.

The dining light feature comprises five glass and metal shades in various shapes and colours from Roll & Hill. “It was a real pleasure to find such great pieces, and for the white of the house to work almost as an art gallery setting for them,” says Nina, about the lighting scheme of the abode.

A new entrance hall connects the living, dining and kitchen spaces via a series of Moroccan-inspired arches. The white-painted walls and beams, Perigord stone floor and pared-down furniture with the addition of minimal colour create a setting that is aesthetically-pleasing and comfortable.

Echoing the living area, the dining room is almost monastic in its simplicity. A locally made heavy oak table and benches establish a robustness that fills the space with warmth and solidity. The new kitchen integrates new bespoke oak joinery with architecturally salvaged antique wooden doors.

The master suite on the upper level is a light-filled space that looks out towards the pool and sea beyond a covered terrace. The modesty of the furniture contrasts with the spaciousness of the room to convey a rustic quality.

A central open area features built-in wardrobes, a desk and chair, while several steps up is the master bathroom with a freestanding bath.

On the same floor, the children’s bedroom features a blue-white-grey scheme, chosen for the palette’s masculinity without being overly stereotypical. Antique metal beds with Art Nouveau patterns repainted in grey are complemented by blue cushions in fabrics by Christopher Farr for Holland & Sherry. 

New window frames and shutters were added throughout the house and painted a fresh blue mirroring the Mediterranean Sea.

The living room is furnished with two stone-coloured sofas with wooden legs from Porada, upholstered in fabric by Casamance. Flower cushions with fabric from Manuel Canovas add a summer-house feel.

Architecturally salvaged doors were rehung in the best position, including these double “Spanish doors for the back kitchen.

Other furniture in the living room include two small marble-topped Ziggy tables from Porada, and a sculptural Aria chair.

The garden was replanned and planted by designer Benjamin Burzio, based on a brief by David Price Design

While the main house is in a more controlled palette of white, the guest wing is a little more colourful, adorned with classic Provencal imagery of flowers and fruit in an elegant and chic style. It houses four guestrooms and bathrooms, as well as a kitchen-dining room. Each guestroom has been decorated in a different theme, including one with a wooden four-poster style bed with green curtains and a leaf pattern, and another with a wrought-iron bed and colourful botanical fabric cushions.

“Everything in the home was very much developed in partnership with the client, tossing ideas back and forth to find the perfect solutions that are contemporary, yet marry well with the old building,” Nina concludes.

WHERE TO GO

David Price Design, www.davidpricedesign.com

Colour is used more freely in the guest wing, providing a warm, Provencal welcome to visitors.

This staircase was created in the west of France by an artisan friend of the owner. The wroughtiron balustrade was made-tomeasure by a local ferronnier (blacksmith). “It was important that the stairs were not made of concrete but of solid stone, so that it looks as though it has been there as long as the house,” David explains.

The freestanding master bath overlooks the pool and coast, with tall basins, matching mirrors and pendant lights on either side creating a symmetrical composition.

Eye-catching and brightly coloured glass jars, displayed in high-level arched niches built into the kitchen wall, add a splash of colour and a jewelbox tone against the whiteness.

text LYNN TAN photos DAVID PRICE DESIGN