High in the hills between Nice and Antibes, in Vence on the Cote d’Azur, is a Belle Epoque villa that boasts a colourful past.
This three-storey, six-bedroom villa is like a slice of Eden, with its charming architecture and idyllic landscape.
The living room is proof that simple works best, with modest stone flooring and blue wood panelling. Two Maries Corner armchairs pick up on the blue hue in a pastel shade, while a bespoke stone fireplace and a chandelier add a touch of grandeur.
The almost century-old villa is surrounded by a sprawling, 42,625sqf garden – a rarity, considering its edge-of-town location.
The unusually expansive garden for a property in this location is well-manicured and its landscaping enhances the sloping terrain.
The gardens were left intact as the previous owners had transformed the original hillside terraces into a cascading lawn, adding new plants and mature palm trees.
A south-facing pool is another one of the villa’s prized features.
The dining area accommodates seating for six around an oak-topped Versailles Oval table. It extends into the kitchen, which continues the same uplifting ambience, featuring bespoke pastel blue joinery designed by David Price Design, and blinds in a “Springtime” fabric by Christopher Farr Cloth.
The master suite is decorated in a dark blue and white colour scheme with dark oak timber flooring. A four-poster bed designed by Nina takes centre stage, complemented by a Thierry Massant low bench and striking blue-and-white curtains from Pierre Frey.
The internal circulation was reorganised, which involved blocking some old doorways and opening up new ones, as well as reconfiguring the bottom half of the existing staircase.
The master bathroom adopts the same blue-and-white theme with floor tiles from Fioranese’s Cementine range. White painted cupboards with a dark stone top, an antique mirror, a claw-foot Jacob Delafon bath and Vaughan wall lights complete the understated look.
The citrus yellow-and-white interior of the second guest bedroom provides a stark contrast to the blues and whites of the rest of the house. Especially eye-catching are the owner’s zigzag-patterned rug, and Christopher Farr Cloth curtains.
The attic was previously an artist’s studio, which was transformed into the children’s dormitory. It is now a clean and light-filled, white- painted space with brightly coloured bed bases, pillows and lamps.
The first guest bedroom features a bespoke cast iron four-poster bed, but in a different shape from the one in the master bedroom. Nina chose curtains in a Casamance fabric for their “soft, abstract, almost Monet-like pattern, which perfectly frames the view out and over the garden, as well as brings a feel of the garden into the room”.