SPEED READ
» Up-and-coming French architect and interior designer Marine Bonnefoy knows the building industry intimately, having spent a year working in the trade after graduation. » She used her skills in assisting father Philippe on the three-year renovation of her parents’ newly acquired 19th-century home in the Beaujolais wine region. » Marine’s parents agreed to give her total control for redecorating the interiors of the property. » She aimed to create a “gentle, dreamlike atmosphere” and drew the palette from the surrounds, such as the greyish-blue in the living room that was inspired by a pine forest seen from the house. » Vintage furniture was sourced online and from the famed Paris antiques market, Paul Bert Serpette. » Luminous artworks and
mirrors complete the picture, with the resulting look a winner with her parents.
« “I don’t like things that are too sophisticated or fashionable,” she explains. “I prefer sobriety, raw materials and an accessible look.” Here, her aim was to create a “gentle, dreamlike atmosphere”, with a palette inspired by the surrounds. The greyish-blue in the living room was drawn from a pine forest that can been seen from the windows. The kitchen, meanwhile, references the local vineyards. Their orderly lines are mimicked on one wall by a geometric arrangement of bricks Marine salvaged from a local factory.
She decided to make only a few structural changes, the most significant of which was to transform a series of former maid’s rooms on the second floor into a master bedroom for her parents (her mother, Marie Laure, is a practising psychologist). Throughout, furniture was sourced from eBay and other websites. Marine is particularly proud of having found the set of six Colette Guéden chairs in the kitchen for the equivalent of $600. Other pieces were acquired because of their intriguingly unusual forms. The side table by the Rotterdam-based Odd Matter Studio and 1940s Hungarian chairs in the living room are perfect examples.
Marine mixed in a few of her own creations, notably the sinuously shaped ‘Dialogue’ dining table. “Its wave-like contour creates a sense of proximity and allows you to talk comfortably with everyone seated around it,” she says. Among her favourite artworks are three discs covered in tiny, coloured glass shards by Vincent Beaurin. “He’s a genius with colour,” says Marine. “Their tones and intensity change constantly according to the daylight. I can stare at them for hours.”
Despite the fact that her parents had committed to giving her free rein, initially they were slightly disconcerted by her choices. “They would say, ‘Not that! It’s not to our taste’.” laughs Marine. “But, they kept to their word in order to help me launch my career with this project. In the end, they saw how everything came together and really love the result. All the credit for this house goes to them.”
marinebonnefoy.com