Renovation of a family home in the Gers

This house is the project of a lifetime!” It took five years to Nathalie Blancat the head of the eyewear brand of the same name, to transform this ruined 13th century building – which was once a defense tower, a hunting lodge, then a farm – into a welcoming family home. His recipe? The same as that applied to his glasses: a balance between shapes and colorsand little decorum. “I wanted to highlight the place without superfluity,” explains the designer who regularly wins awards for her style and innovations.

A revised and corrected distribution

To bring her new house back to life, she reviews the plans, allocating three rooms on two floors for the living area. “It must have been a majestic room, with a high ceiling.” The six bedrooms, each with its own bathroom, are distributed around the square courtyard. “It’s very nice: everyone can choose to be completely independent of others.” When the time comes to dress this magnificent “shell”, Nathalie opts for tones that blend in shades with the original materials, carefully restored.

A symphony mixing ancient and modern

“As there is a lot of wood, I chose golden tones which come close to it and enhance it.” Furniture and objects have been scrupulously selected from local antique dealers and artisansto compose a symphony mixing ancient and modern. They also go particularly well with the warm tones of “French Tuscany”, a nickname given to this region of the Gers because of its exceptional sunshine.