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A passageway worked in concrete connects the living room to the kitchen. The artwork is by French contemporary artist Jacques Bosser, and the rug is from Mustapha Blaoui in Marrakesh. -
Large umbrella pines overlook the unusual low stone walls, in which owner Muriel Chevalier has carved planters for her collection of cacti. -
A large terrace off the kitchen hosts family meals under the Ardèche sun, while bedrooms enjoy direct access to the garden and pool via an old catwalk framed by iron railings. -
An outdoor lounge is filled with owner Eric Chevalier’s furniture creations – the bleached pine benches, armchairs and swing – as well as reworked vintage items sourced at markets. -
The garden and pool are set against the backdrop of a 19th-century Carmelite convent. -
In the vaulted dining room, a table from Côté Blanc in Aubenas is surrounded by Eames chairs sourced in Marseille. The serving tureen is the creation of the owners’ designer daughter, Pia. The concrete floor and MDF cupboards were handcrafted by Eric. -
The kitchen features a long central island built by Eric with Ikea components, and topped by a Zimbabwe Black granite counter. -
The stone staircase, which connects all three levels of the house, provides a gallery space for works by artists such as (from top) Clément Rosenthal and Marc-Antoine Decavèle. The 1970s chairs were sourced in Barjac. -
Bathed in light, the corridor that leads to the bedrooms offers direct access to the garden via a footbridge. Muriel painted the doors and woodwork in a delicate shade by Flamant. The furniture is from a market in Barjac. -
In one of the bathrooms, the “stools” were shaped in the same smooth concrete as the floors, and the bathtub is covered in ivory Zellige tiles. -
The mouldings of Room I have been painted a soothing pale grey – the perfect backdrop for the chic splashes of gold and yellow. -
In the master bedroom, Eric covered the doors of the wooden cupboards with metal plates, which were then waxed. A concrete bridge-headboard links this perched dressing area to the rest of the room. Three concrete blocks are used as steps to access it; they also double as clever bedside tables.
WORDS & PRODUCTION Laurence Dougier PHOTOS Nicolas Mathéus
Named Le 35 Mai (35th of May) after Erich Kästner’s much-loved children’s book, this home in the southeastern Ardèche region of France is a wonderful example of modern country living.
In Kästner’s dreamlike text, young Conrad wake up on the 35th of May, a morning that heralds the start of an amazing adventure. After meeting Negro Caballo – a black horse that could not only speak, but was well-versed in German literature – they enter the magical, upside-down world of Cockaigne through his Uncle Ringelhuth’s cupboard.
Owners Muriel and Eric Chevalier swear there’s no such cupboard in their home – but there’s no doubt the world they offer also plays with the imaginary. “The name actually started as a joke my husband made one day when he was taking a booking for our old guesthouse,” reveals Muriel. “He asked me if we were free on the 35th of May…” As previous owners of a medieval castle called Uzer, and Les Blanches de Payzac – a modernist country hotel/villa – this couple from Lyon and their three daughters, Violette, Lou and Pia, have designed and lived in very different spaces.
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But as different as all the properties have been, they’ve had one thing in common – all have been in their beloved department of Ardèche in the French Rhône-Alpes region. Location, as they say, is everything, and Le 35 Mai has that in spades: it’s just outside the historical village of Les Vans, with its beautiful stone houses and quaint shops, and it’s close to the famed Gorges de l’Ardèche and its 32 kilometres of spectacular ravines and canyons.
Being sensitive to a home’s past has always been the Chevaliers’ approach to refurbishing a property. This one dates back to the 19th century, but rather than creating a museum of sorts, they’ve combined a respect for the building’s origins with a discerning eye for contemporary design. What was a tired and somewhat dilapidated building is now a thoroughly modern private residence that still manages to hold on to its country roots.
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Splashes of colour have created a light and airy interior, with large windows and doors ushering in plenty of sunlight, and providing direct access to the garden, pool and footbridge. The magnificent 15-metre-long swimming pool, located in a grove of olive and fig trees, was built by Eric the old-fashioned way, in stone and grey cement.
Each of Le 35 Mai’s five rooms has wonderful views – either of Les Vans’ Carmelite convent, or over the roofs of the village – and each has its own unique charm. Room M, for example, with a green palette and palm-tree wallpaper, has an exotic enchantment about it, while Room I has more of a chic, ethnic atmosphere.
The delightfully eclectic appeal extends to the various living spaces, the lounge, the dining room and the kitchen. The candy-coloured furniture is inspired by the 1950s and ’60s, the carpets and rugs were sourced in Marrakech, and the linen is by French interiors brand Caravane. And taking advantage of the high ceilings, contemporary artworks brighten the rough stone walls throughout.
With a sense of hospitality that has not only been the hallmark of their profession for nearly two decades, but also an intrinsic part of their friendly personality, Muriel and Eric are thrilled to welcome their friends and family to a home that perfectly matches their nature.
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