{"id":383401,"date":"2025-08-29T21:04:31","date_gmt":"2025-08-29T21:04:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/383401\/"},"modified":"2025-08-29T21:04:31","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T21:04:31","slug":"les-domaines-de-chabran-redefines-the-provencal-summer-house","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/383401\/","title":{"rendered":"Les Domaines de Chabran redefines the Proven\u00e7al summer house"},"content":{"rendered":"

France<\/a>\u2019s annual grandes vacances begin as the working population of the European superpower shifts south for the whole of August. Summer residences in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Occitanie, Auvergne-Rh\u00f4ne-Alpes, and Provence-Alpes-C\u00f4te d’Azur remain the most desirable destinations: handsome bourgeois ch\u00e2teaux, perhaps a coolly refined bastide \u2013 a country house of grand status \u2013 with landscaped gardens and vineyard adjacency; or a time-worn, sensitively renovated 17th- and 18th-century mas \u2013 as local farmhouses are known \u2013 integrated into the rural Proven\u00e7al landscape.<\/p>\n

\n

\"les\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Courtesy of Les Domaines de Chabran)<\/p>\n

The partnership of Alain Meylan of Geneva<\/a>-based Atelier K Architects and interior designer Liliana Atilova is elevating France\u2019s traditional Proven\u00e7al summer experience to dazzling effect, introducing 21st-century aesthetics and luxurious facilities to the country\u2019s storied houses while respecting the fabric, character, and materials of the original structures \u2013 cleverly avoiding any vacation-villa clich\u00e9s.<\/p>\n

\n

\"les\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Courtesy of Les Domaines de Chabran)<\/p>\n

The duo\u2019s Les Domaines de Chabran collection of properties, in the Alpilles mountains between Luberon and Camargue, now numbers seven mas et bastides, including La Bastide de Fl\u00e9chon, Le Mas Estello, Respelido and Le Mas de Castillone \u2013 all restored and skilfully staged by the architect-and-designer founders. Contemporary artworks and Italian design pieces occupy centuries-old rooms.<\/p>\n

Tour Les Domaines de Chabran\u2019s latest opening: Les Mas de Chabran<\/p>\n

\n

\"les\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Courtesy of Les Domaines de Chabran)<\/p>\n

At Le Mas de Chabran, Meylan and Atilova\u2019s latest project, the former 18th-century olive plantation house now features a heated swimming pool, a languorous and fragrant jardin \u00e0 la fran\u00e7aise (with a touch of English country-garden disorder at its borders), a modern breakfast kitchen, a gym, a sauna, and a cinema room, all fully air-conditioned. Downstairs, the wooden wheel of the old horse-driven olive press remains the centrepiece of a spectacular cellar\/drawing-room conversion.<\/p>\n

Meylan was captivated at his first viewing back in 2010: \u2018How can you resist the magic of the morning light bathing the large vaulted rooms? The power that emerges from these heavy stones steeped in history, this monumental architecture with its majestic staircase, its lofty ceilings, its vast open lounges overlooking the garden… the beauty of these natural materials is raw and noble at the same time.\u2019<\/p>\n

\n

\"les\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Courtesy of Les Domaines de Chabran)<\/p>\n

\n

\"les\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Courtesy of Les Domaines de Chabran)<\/p>\n

Now, 15 years on, the 280-year-old vaulted walls are rendered in the rich earthy browns of Matteo Brioni clay, while classical French furniture and ceramics are sourced from the nearby antiques town of L\u2019Isle-sur-la-Sorgue. Fabrics are by Pierre Frey and \u00c9litis, while the grand marble entrance hall staircase is illuminated by a Murano crystal chandelier. Dining takes place at a huge oval table by Matteo Thun and Antonio Rodriguez.<\/p>\n

Keen-eyed, globe-trotting eclecticism is thematic here. The house\u2019s thresholds are framed by 17th- and 18th-century doors from India<\/a>, while kilim carpets sourced by Liliana Atilova in Turkey provide warmth and texture. The collections of artworks \u2013 by French talents including Florence Bamberger, Florence Lucchini (ceramics), Elsa Lenthal (lavender sculptures), and Christian Manoury (paintings) \u2013 are subject to re-curation at the interior designer\u2019s will.<\/p>\n

Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.<\/p>\n

\n

\"les\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Courtesy of Les Domaines de Chabran)<\/p>\n

\n

\"les\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Courtesy of Les Domaines de Chabran)<\/p>\n

\u2018This is very much a space that lives with its guests,\u2019 explains Atilova. \u2018The collections of art and beautiful objects change often, like friends or visitors who come and stay for a while and then say their goodbyes. It is a place that keeps on surprising.\u2019<\/p>\n

\n

\"les\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Courtesy of Les Domaines de Chabran)<\/p>\n

domainesdechabran.com<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"France\u2019s annual grandes vacances begin as the working population of the European superpower shifts south for the whole…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":383402,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5309],"tags":[2000,299,36],"class_list":{"0":"post-383401","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-france","8":"tag-eu","9":"tag-europe","10":"tag-france"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115114086931258860","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/383401","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=383401"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/383401\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/383402"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=383401"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=383401"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=383401"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}