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IN A RESIDENCE ON THE FRENCH RIVIERA THE ZONE’S COLOR CODES HAVE BEEN REVISED WITH AN INNOVATIVE SPIRIT.

Contamination is all the rage nowadays, also on the French Riviera. Here the fundamental rule has always been to use two indispensable colors: blue and white. They can be seen in furnishings and objects, the sea and the sky. But this house marks a departure from the local canon, with a taste for fusion. «Actually there are two houses», says Marjolaine Leray, owner of the studio Alm in Ramatuelle. «An existing Provençal bastide from the 18th century has been joined by a new construction that reflects its proportions». The architectural design is by Vincent Coste, while Leray focused on the interiors, offering a new interpretation of the local style. «Both the old and the new parts are very luminous, with large windows, white walls, pale wood floors». Against this neutral backdrop the designer has unleashed colors, relying on contemporary art and design objects with a playful spirit. Artworks are vivid, the furnishings have lively personality, like the macaron ottomans. Beyond the blue-white dichotomy, Leray has included bright yellow, silver, fuchsia. The rooms are vivaciously eclectic, including furnishings from faraway lands that speak of other cultures, like the paintings purchased in Cape Town. The mixture combines an iconic Danish table lamp with an armchair by a Japanese designer, a vintage table with a signature stool, generating an absolutely original and rather euphoric atmosphere. At the same time, between the modern sensibility of the emerald green sofa and an armchair with a Fifties air, we can still get a clear glimpse of the architectural identity of the place. «Wherever possible we have conserved the original materials and layout», Leray explains. The residence is filled with a sense of freedom, ready to incorporate any stylistic suggestions, unafraid to break rules.