‘L’eau-De-Vie’ Master the Bastide Farmhouse Style
This Bastide farmhouse is a stunning early 18th century stone building in the Camargue region of France, between Montpellier and Nîmes.
During the Napoleonic wars this farmhouse once produced wine and eau-de-vie throughout the region. This stylish living space holds huge original wood ceiling beams that are left exposed in the main living area where the 8 meters high ceilings (26 feet) gives visitors an impression of entering into a cathedral.
The original owner/designer of this estate must be credited for the immaculate and complete restoration of this farmhouse. They enlisting the help of the best local veteran builder who only utilized antique reclaimed stone walls, floors and elements such as the Kronos, the Biblical and the Millennium Limestones that are the staple of Ancient Surfaces.
The color scheme for the interior was inspired by the wonderful tones of the building’s original limestone and by the complementary reclaimed ‘Kronos’ limestone.
The soft furnishings also reflect the muted colors of our Kronos limestone – a giant pair of natural canvas covered sofas provides a ton of comfy seating in the sitting room, which is dominated by a huge 18th century Provençal Armoire.
The designer’s bedroom is also a pallet of natural patinas but with accents of grey through to deep purple. There is an 18th century painted Armoire that houses linen, and the bedhead is a piece of 18th century paneling featuring a large set of drawers to house all her belongings she found at a local dealer and an old red seesaw sits on top of it.
The kitchen is ultra-simple, with only an early 19th century vintage table in the center, 1930s chairs and a huge dresser with a marble top. The base came from a French convent. The designer had a rack made to house her collection of 19th century plates from the famous Gien pottery.
The most important piece of advice we have for anyone interested in achieving this look is to leave the weathering be. “We procure and reclaim original limestone pieces that need nothing more doing to them besides some minor filing and reinforcing. After all, their proven survival has trailed across many sleepy centuries despite their (at times) unforgiving interactions with humans. Anyone can carve an ordinary piece of stone but once you’ve done that, you’ll never be able to get the true aged texture and feel that can only be crafted in the Atelier of Time.” Jonathan Sinclair.
The living space is 450m2 and comprises 2 huge main bedrooms with encompassing bathrooms on the ground floor.
There are 2 more double bedrooms on the 1st floor, one with full bathroom – the other with a ‘cabinet de toilette’. There is a large, fully equipped kitchen with a dining table for 12 people, with doors that lead to a stone paved terrace and the swimming pool.
The vast entrance hall is like a gallery and leads to the central, high ceiling living area with an 18th century fireplace on an original stone wall. A pair of French doors led off the living area to a large south-facing terrace. Out of sight on the ground floor is a fully equipped laundry with plenty of storage for linen. There is also a guest cloakroom on the ground floor.
The exterior area is approximately the same as the interior and comprises 2 large terraces, an in-ground swimming pool of 4.5m x 7m with a pool house, a huge garage and gravel driveway.
Homes of age despite their imperfections are inherently flawless. They can only be beautifully presented with class and sophistication when the owner is diligent and loving. Isn’t restoring and decorating a farmhouse with beautiful French antiques just about everyone’s dream?
Most of our clients are quite amazed to see that all our projects rival one another in uniqueness and beauty. The post below is an article in a magazine featuring our restoration of a french farmhouse Bastide style home that most agree is a treat to look at.
Call us at: 212-461-0245 // 212-913-9588
