INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR DECORATION OF A BASTIDE IN NICE
Bérengère Leroy carried out the INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR DECORATION OF A BASTIDE IN NICE
Set in an enchanting location at the heart of a park with trees centuries old, the owner wished to restore all the splendour of his exceptional bastide, which it had enjoyed in the 18th century, before time and several ill-considered renovation campaigns had taken their toll. He also wanted a single person to oversee both the exterior and the interior.
The brief was that, once the work was complete, every visitor should be convinced that this exceptional residence had remained untouched since the 18th century.
For the INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR DECORATION OF A BASTIDE IN NICE, Bérengère Leroy drew, with meticulous attention to detail:
Outside, to restore its character in the spirit of the great Provençal bastides of the 18th century: a double wrought-iron gateway and its pillars, fountains, pools, urns, a washhouse, staircases and balustrades. All these elements took their natural place in a geometric composition.
For the INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR DECORATION OF A BASTIDE IN NICE, Bérengère Leroy guided her talented stonemasons as they softened a few edges here and there. All the decorative exterior elements in dressed stone, along with the beams for the old washhouse and outbuilding, cut to bespoke designs, were stored outside over the winter to acquire a natural patina. The façade’s lime render was applied by hand in several coats to give it depth and a rich finish, while reclaimed old paving stones brought nobility and character to the grounds around the bastide.
Inside, for the INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR DECORATION OF A BASTIDE IN NICE, Bérengère Leroy had the stair rails, floors and joinery restored by her network of exceptional artisans in the finest 18th-century Provençal tradition: floors with cabochon inlays, wrought-iron balustrades, finely crafted interior oak shutters, full-height bookcases and bathroom furniture.
The period fireplaces, replaced in the 19th century with bourgeois-style ones, were redesigned and recut to suit the proportions of the reception rooms, and the interior enfilades of the reception rooms were realigned.
The owner had visited so many beautiful residences with superb grounds, only to find that their interiors had been neglected, leaving visitors disappointed. He therefore wanted exceptional interior decoration on the Côte d’Azur.
After lengthy discussions, the owner and Bérengère Leroy, for the INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR DECORATION OF A BASTIDE IN NICE, chose a pure, masculine aesthetic in black and gold, perfectly matched to the colours of the stone and the antique cabochon floors.
Bérengère Leroy selected a superb combination of fabrics and braid in this spirit, and Atelier Bérengère Leroy made all the curtains for the reception rooms’ tall windows, along with several exceptional sofas and armchairs, to bespoke designs. Their meticulous, highly ‘couture’ details found their natural place in these perfectly proportioned spaces.
For the bedrooms, Atelier Bérengère Leroy made several superb decorative screens, designed especially for the property, as well as all the headboards and bed-end benches to bespoke designs.
For a final touch of chic, Atelier Bérengère Leroy also made several matching cushions to bespoke designs, embroidered with the property’s initials.
And so this bastide in Nice regained its lustre.
Bérengère Leroy also works as an interior designer throughout the Côte d’Azur, notably in Cannes, Saint-Tropez and Monaco.
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