ARABIAN OPULENCE

Exotic and rare treasures at every turn

Surrounded by the chaos of new development created in the wake of the reconstruction of Beirut, there is li le to indicate what sort of house could be hidden beyond sight of the paved walkway and old stone staircase that leads up to Sir Marc and Lady Cochrane’s home. But, for those fortunate enough to be invited into the house, a splendid and unique architectural and decorative treat awaits. Built in around 1850 during O oman rule, the house has evolved from a rural two-room dwelling just outside the old city walls to an important Beirut mansion. Extensions continued up to the 1920s, the house expanding to accommodate several descendants of previous owners. By the 1960s, nine families were recorded as living in the then much-partitioned house. When Marc and Hala Cochrane acquired the house from its 22 owners on St Patrick’s Day 2007, it was in a very sorry state, but one that would provide a most intriguing architectural puzzle and a window into over 100 years of changing Beirut society. Through Marc’s mother, Lady Sursock Cochrane, The Cochrane

family have deep roots in Lebanon. While Marc and Hala have moved with their family between Beirut, Ireland and London as politics, security and Marc’s business dictated, they always wanted to return and restore a very special old house as their main home. ‘ I was dumbstruck walking into the dilapidated place and realising I was standing in perhaps the last example of a house with an internal courtyard,’ says Marc. ‘ It had survived so much, including the shrapnel of the Lebanese Civil War (1975- 90) followed by the now infamous property speculators.’

A great deal of expert research was undertaken before the 30-month renovation project began in 2008. There was much excavation work going on at the time, and archaeologists were unearthing layers of history from the Iron Age to medieval fragments. Hala, who studied Islamic art in Beirut and whose career was in antiques and textiles, loves ruins and was delighted to nd a Roman bath complex emerge from the ground next door, along with a rare labrum (a large water- lled vessel).

Before Hala could begin furnishing and decorating the house, called Beit as- Sai , it had to undergo a massive refurbishment and modernisation. This included the restoration and repainting of the walls and ceilings, along with discreetly installing an

internal staircase, kitchen and heating and air conditioning. The old kitchens were transformed into a Turkish bath. ‘ Lebanon is a wonderful country for artisan skills,’ notes Hala. Specialist Nathalie Yared undertook the complex task of uncovering baroque and neoclassical trompe-l’oeil vigne! es and panels in the main "rst #oor rooms, cleaning and replacing missing and damaged sections.

‘ I was very lucky to meet the generous and highly professional decorator Serge Brunst’, says Hala. ‘ He has the best house in Beirut and together we enjoyed the challenge of furnishing the many rooms. It proved far less daunting than I’d feared.’ Hala loves antiques, be they English or O !oman, from pieces of furniture and textiles to old books and pictures, especially of Lebanese scenes and subjects by well-known artists like David Roberts. She collects Bohemian glass, carpets and embroideries and has O !oman-period pieces in all her homes, especially O !oman Turkish carpets. ‘ The geometric designs appeal far more than Persian #orals,’ she says.

The interiors are layered and colourful: so well executed is the restoration work that it is di $cult to tell what is old and what is new. Marc and Hala went in search of a dream and, with patience, study and dedicated teamwork, they’ve saved a signi "cant fragment of Lebanese history to live on as a welcoming family home.

Entering from the street, the external stone staircase was the only access to the first floor – the iron railings are original. A new interior staircase has since been added.

LEFT The winter sitting room has a polylobed 19th-century tiled Damascene fountain, embroideries and an Ottomanstyle wooden shelf. BELOW Ottomanstyle banquettes, antique Lebanese chairs and a rare Persian rug, sourced by designer Serge Brunst in Lebanon, feature in the ground-floor reception area.

THIS PAGE, CLOCKWISEFROM TOP LEFT Hala’s collection of Bohemian glass on an antique embroidered cloth; the landing hall is furnished with a pair of French gilt sofas. The sofa in the main salon is a modern copy of an antique in Marc’s family home, the Palais Sursock in Beirut; arcaded walkways wrap around three sides of the first floor. The original ceiling is made in the traditional way from closely spaced painted beams.LEFT The painting in the blue salon reception room is by Egyptian artist Chant Avedissian. Interior designer Serge Brunst purchased the chandelier in Paris.