Provençal estate
After years of sensitive restoration, this 17th-century château is now an impressive country home filled with modernist touches, which enhance its heritage and reflect its owner’s devotion to his art
A 17th-century château filled with surprisingly modern pieces.
With great property comes great responsibility. ‘It’s true; if you think too much about this kind of house, you would never buy it,’ muses interior designer Pierre Yovanovitch. ‘Although I’m very glad I did.’ The property in question is an estate formed of a rather splendid 17th-century château in Provence, a farmhouse (a 19th-century addition) and 700 acres of woodland and farmland. Pierre, who is based in Paris, was not actually looking for another home when he spotted the château in a property magazine. His interest, however, was piqued and he succumbed. Having bought it, he spent the next few years painstakingly reconstructing the breathtaking yet crumbling estate to his own eclectic vision.
RESTORATION PIECE
The vision, as Pierre saw it, was to breathe new life into the property and its surroundings; a sensitive modernisation that celebrates the past while also reinterpreting it for the future. With this in mind, a labyrinth of 12 small bedrooms and two bathrooms in the main château has been transformed into a series of four spacious bedrooms with adjoining bathrooms. Windows, which had been moved for practical purposes over the centuries, have been realigned to satisfy Pierre’s aesthetic taste.
The farmhouse, meanwhile, has been refurbished to provide somewhere for visiting family and friends to stay. The dilapidated building was carefully put back together using timber and ceramic flooring that Pierre rescued from other parts of the farm, while local pine has been used to create a stunning three-storey staircase with an impressive perforated metal balustrade that o≠ers a minimalist contrast to the original features of the property.
TWIST ON TRADITION
As for the decoration, Pierre has created a look inspired by the simple style of Provençal country houses. ‘This was the starting point for both the château and the farmhouse,’ he explains, ‘although I added some rather more sophisticated elements to the former.’ Traditional building techniques, such as gypsum plastering, have been employed to stunning e≠ect in the château entrance hall, for instance, where intricate ceiling panels carved by a local artisan provide a link between past and present.
Similarly, in the farmhouse, traditional pine has been used to create modern-style beds in the guest rooms, while in the sitting room, an unusually shaped sofa, designed by Pierre, adds a distinctive note to the space. ‘It was never my intention to replicate the past,’ he says. ‘Each phase of the property’s heritage is what makes its legacy so interesting.’
PERFECT MIX
While the adjoining properties di≠er in tone (the rooms in the château have contrasting looks, compared with the stripped-back, homogeneous aesthetic of the farmhouse), they are united by Pierre’s exquisite collection of early to mid-century modern Scandinavian furniture. This is juxtaposed with contemporary artwork, as well as new pieces of Pierre’s own design. ‘I have tried to respect the soul and tradition of each property, but these personal flourishes are where warmth and depth arrives,’ he explains.
Each piece has been meticulously chosen to enhance its space and complement its surroundings. And the poise and balance this engenders is testament to Pierre’s infinite skill and uncompromising devotion to his art.