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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle
Francesca Sironi

Brushing up the past: a graceful French home has art at its heart

A clever use of lines in the bedroom, from the lights aligned with the bedding, to the curves of the headboard.
Dreamland: a clever use of lines in the bedroom, from the lights aligned with the bedding, to the curves of the headboard. Photograph: Monica Spezia/Living Inside

When Marine Koprivnjak and Victor Chabaud, founders of interior design agency Maison MAVI, bought their home in the south of France in 2020, they wanted to renovate everything themselves in their spare time. “It was an adventure that lasted longer than expected,” Marine says.

They found the house online. It’s a 1920s villa in the centre of a small town the Luberon with countryside all around and Aix-en-Provence just 20 minutes away by car. It has two floors, covers a total of 130sqm, with a patio in front of the house and a simple room layout. “It’s practically the classic Provençal house with the facade painted in warm earth tones, white-framed windows and sage green shutters. It was irresistible,” says Marine. However, having been abandoned for around 20 years, it was run-down, the roof leaked and the small garden looked like a jungle.

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