2019-06-01 25 Beautiful Homes

(Joyce) #1
hall
afeaturestaircase,
leadingtothetwo
newlycreated
bedroomsunder
theeaves,brings
a fairy-taletouch
tothehome.
Arianeall-woodspiral
stairkit,from£4,200,
LoftCentre,is
comparable

SITTINGROOM
Thecouplechose
furniturethatwould
chimeharmoniously
withtheoldbeams
andterracottafloor.
rattaneasychairs,
£197each,Selency,
areofthisstyle.
SimilarAubussonrug,
priceonrequest,
London house

W

henSophiedeBajac’s
husband,Pierre,asked
hertoviewa former
huntinglodgeona large
estateinthePérigordregionofFrance,she
wasdubiousabouttheidea.‘I wasn’tsure
thatweneededa housewithsomuchland,
butthemomentI sawit,I wasunderits
spell,’shesays.‘Thelocationis reallyspecial,
asis thehouseitself,althoughatthetimeit
waspartlyovergrownandina poorstate.’
Thecouplealsoowna flatinBordeaux,
anhour’sdriveaway,andformanyyears
theyhadowneda seasidevillainCap
Ferret.‘Weweregettingtiredofthe
summercrowdsandmyhusbandcraved
peaceandquiet,’saysSophie.‘Webothlove
walkingandwewanteda placewherewe
coulddothiswithoutencounteringhordes
ofpeople.We’resurroundedbyforestand
thereis a largelakesowealsohavea little
boatthatwecangooffexploringin,’she
says.‘Therearelotsofwaterbirds and
animals– it’squitemagical.’
Thecoupleknowverylittleaboutthe
historyofthelodge,althoughtheybelieve
it maydatetotheearly19thcentury.Their
allyinitsextensiverenovationwasCap
Ferret-basedinteriordesignerNicole
Joinau,whohadworkedontheirformer
coastalhomeaswellastheircityflat.
‘Nicoleknowsmystyleverywellbynow
andI’ddescribeourrelationshipas
symbiotic,’saysSophie.Nicolebroughtwith
hera teamthatsheregularlyworkswith,
includingarchitectSandrineMercurioand
landscapedesignerArnaudGallou.
Keytothecouple’sapproachto
transforming the lodge’s interior has been

12 | 25bhjune 2019

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