PROVENANCE

Situated on 7.5 HECTARES in the foothills of the CHAÎNE DES ALPILLES MOUNTAINS in PROVENCE, this spectacular homestead gained from a sharp RENOVATION and BESPOKE FITTINGS.

- LAURENCE DOUGIER

ONE MIGHT 'VE EXPECTED AN ITALO - CANADIAN couple to pick Tuscany as their European home, but it was an area northeast of Marseille in Provence that they chose instead. Dazzled by the beauty of the place and its historical heritage, for 20 years this globetrotting family had rented houses in the area, waiting for the ideal moment to buy their own. A few years ago, they were lucky enough to find a Provençal farmhouse in its original condition that had once belonged to the family of 19th-century French novelist Alphonse Daudet – and its renovation turned out to be a fascinating journey.

Steering the makeover was architect Pierre-Olivier Brèche, head of the multidisciplinary firm POBA. “I was immediately drawn to the wonderful topography of sloping land – it was an opportunity to play with levels of patios, terraced gardens and roof lines,” he says.