S
imple and chic with no
pretence is how Cristina
Pinte describes the Fifties
townhouse that she shares
with her husband Francois and
their daughters Matilda, 12, and
Pauline, nine. But it wasn’t always
so. When the couple first bought
the property, it hadn’t been
touched for decades, and its
Formica worktops and Sixties
wallpaper did little to enhance
its style credentials.
However, Cristina, who
studied fine art in Milan, was
immediately seduced by the
building’s scope and its quality
of light. ‘We were looking for
something that would suit family
living, and this three-storey
home, near the centre of Nantes,
had so much potential,’ she says.
Favoured for its cultural appeal,
historic architecture and
proximity to the Loire, Nantes
ticked every box for the pair.
The south-facing property
needed new windows, plumbing
and electrics and a more cohesive
layout. The couple chose not
to alter its basic footprint, but
they carefully worked through
every space, making subtle
improvements. The spindles
of the original staircase were
encased in concrete to better
emphasise its fluid, Fifties lines,
while generous glass panes were
added in between the kitchen
and dining room to improve
connectivity. The floorboards
on the ground floor were painted
white, and polished concrete
was chosen for the kitchen floor
for a utilitarian, modernist touch.
‘I enjoy contrast,’ says
Cristina. ‘So although I have
a decided preference for white,
paired with rustic, unfinished
materials, I also like dark and
cosy colours, especially in the
bedrooms. Once we’d finished
the gentle refurbishment, which
included redoing the bathrooms
in simple, monochromatic
schemes and fitting an all-white108 | 25bh JULY 2019