A 19th-century bourgeois townhouse in northern France gets the Maison Sarah Lavoine treatment with welcoming and lively modern interiors.
A contemporary reinterpretation of a historical private mansion on one of the main boulevards in the heart of Lille, Le Berre Vevaud represents the perfect balance of refinement, conviviality, colour and French spirit.
A total rehabilitation project from top to bottom, which included wall painting, parquet flooring and the entire electrical system, the two-year revamp completed in 2018 was masterminded by French designer Sarah Poniatowski, founder of Maison Sarah Lavoine, whose recent projects include Cafe de Paris in Biarritz, Roch Hotel & Spa in Paris, part of Facebook’s Parisian offices, Elle Cafe in Tokyo and three books on the art of living.
Who Lives Here? A family of six.
Home? A five-bedroom house in Lille, France
Size? 6,458 sq ft
Interior Designer? Maison Sarah Lavoine
“The homeowners, who are industrialists from the region, came to me for this project,” Sarah says. “I spent a lot of time trying to get to know them. Designing someone’s house can be a very intimate process since you are allowed into people’s lives. As an architect, you have to be a good listener.”
No Budget Constraints
Given that the family of six shared Sarah’s aesthetic approach and the budget wasn’t a constraint, she could express herself fully.
The quality of the materials was paramount, with the use of marble, walnut, oak, iroko wood, bronze, brass, Corian and cane.
“Le Berre Vevaud is a charming building of historic interest,” she states. “I thus wanted to create a modern and pleasant place to live while preserving the essence of the house. It’s a constant dialogue between the history of the building and a modern feel, traditional materials and contemporary colours.”
Daughter of Former French Vogue Editor
Many of the furniture collections came from Maison Sarah Lavoine’s original collections, including the Box sofa, Margot armchair, Leo ottoman, Organic, Ovo and Bubble mirrors, and Sicilia lamps, tableware and cushions.
“My father ran Vogue magazine for a long time, and my elegant mother and grandmother gave me a taste for beautiful things. I understood very early on the importance of having a home cocoon, an anchor in which we feel good and the need to have a universe that resembles ourselves,” she shares.
Other furniture pieces were sourced rom galleries such as Nilufar, Negropontes, Kreo, Chastel Marechal, Riviera, Meubles et Lumieres, Compasso and Maison Bananas, and included brands like Cassina, Molteni, Apparatus, Porta Romana, Vaughan and Serie Rare.
Vintage Molteni D.154.2 Thrifted
Sarah even found vintage pieces on 1stdibs. She also selected D.154.2 and Superleggera chairs by Gio Ponti, a dining table by Charlotte Perriand, a coffee table by Pierre Charpin, a floor lamp by Eileen Gray, chairs by Pierre Paulin, a sideboard by Jacques Dumond and a side table by Doshi Levien, which marry effortlessly in the four-storey house.
Maison Sarah Lavoine’s Trademark Green-Blues
Known for her bold expressions of colour, Sarah meticulously chose diverse hues to create contrast and balance: firstly, Bleu Sarah, her studio’s trademark green-blue shade “inspired by the blue of the skies and the oceans”, may be found throughout the residence.
The kitchen is covered in almond green and a bathroom blanketed in soft pink, from the walls to the floors and ceiling.
A graphic, patterned rug, coffee table, and sleek seating adorn the first living room, while the second showcases an original fireplace and warm wood-panelled walls complemented by rounded powder pink armchairs and comfy cream-coloured sofas.
Warm and lively interiors
“I love warm and lively interiors. I introduced colours early in my career, and people have turned to me for this specific trait of my work. Light is also a huge part of my architectural vocabulary. Colours and light are fantastic ways to sculpt a space and emphasise or conceal something. They are the chisel and the brush of an architect,” she shares.
Separated by a glass partition wall, the salon faces one of the dining rooms in which a long, sturdy wooden table dominates and is connected to an adjoining minimalist Bulthaup kitchen.
Imagined as quiet refuges, the five bedrooms consider their occupants’ needs.
Forest Greens
The master suite highlights exposed beams and a soothing forest green feature wall, while the four children’s bedrooms reflect the tastes and personality of each through original wallpaper of foxes, cockatoos or abundant foliage and fun furniture that adapts as they grow up.
Children’s Bedrooms
Here, raised beds with built-in storage sit next to a desk for the older kids or a game table for the younger ones, who may even play on a swing suspended from the ceiling.
Two playful mirrors shaped like the contours of a bull’s head grab one’s attention in the black-and-white children’s bathroom with blue two-tone floor tiling.
Room for Improvement
Further renovations will see a spa, swimming pool, and guesthouse added next year, where the stables for horse and carriage once stood.
The indoor pool will be decorated with beige and green mosaic tiles and large steel window frames, which will be echoed in the guesthouse above, featuring touches of green, while the arched doorways will be enhanced in black to underline the volumes.
A Pink Bathroom
As for her favourite room in the house, Sarah replies, “Definitely the pink bathroom of the teenage daughter. I wanted something playful and bright yet cosy. It’s a real living space. She can definitely hang out there with her friends. I would have loved a similar bathroom when I was younger.”