Real Life: From London to Provence

While working in London, Beatrice and Arnaud de Montille decided to buy a holiday home in their native France. It’s the perfect venue for friends and family to get together, as they explain to Penny Botting…

Beatrice de Montille and her husband Arnaud moved to London to live and work several years ago, but always wanted to keep their ties with their native France. “We love living in England, but wanted our children to have a strong connection with their family roots,” says Beatrice. “We also wanted them to have access to the countryside and a place where family and friends could gather and enjoy a sociable, simple, rustic life.” With four children – Martin, (now 12), Chloe (10), Romane (six) and Garance (five) – the couple started to look for a French retreat. “It was a busy time for us, especially as I’d also started my own company, Merci Maman (mercimamanboutique.com),” she says. “After I had Chloe, I tried to go part-time, but when the firm I worked for said I couldn’t, I resigned. That’s when I came up with the idea of an online boutique, selling personalised jewellery. It took off so well that Arnaud thought about leaving his job in the City to come on board full time as the financial director, with me as creative director. We had no idea everything would coincide – Arnaud’s resignation and buying a property in France!”

And it did all happen at once. “Arnaud went to see this property with his parents and they all fell in love with it. In fact, my in-laws liked it so much they said that if we didn’t buy the house, then they would!” At this stage, Beatrice had only seen pictures of the property, but two days later she and her mother made a trip to visit the farmhouse. “We met the owner, a lovely woman in her nineties, and we made a real connection with her. She was very attached to the property and, although she didn’t have any family of her own, always had lots of friends visiting her home so it had a really sociable, friendly feel. The main thing that she wanted was for the new owners to continue on this tradition, and not turn it into a commercial property such as a bed and breakfast – she had actually already turned down other offers because of this.

“When we told her that we wanted to live in it as a family home and would use it as a social gathering place, she was delighted. We didn’t need to negotiate, we simply agreed the price and I signed on the dotted line there and then. The same day, Arnaud resigned his position at the bank and became an entrepreneur for Merci Maman – it was a really exciting time for us!”

The property, just north of Luberon in Provence, was once a simple shepherd’s home. “We found an old picture of it- a two-storey house where the owners had bedrooms upstairs, and the animals slept on the ground floor. The courtyard and righthand side of the property were added later and today it’s a deceptively spacious house,” says Beatrice.

“You really wouldn’t guess that there were so many rooms. We also have a bedroom and ensuite shower room on the ground floor tucked behind the kitchen, which is perfect for our older relatives.” Luckily, there wasn’t much to do to the property structurally. “Most of the rooms were a good size so we didn’t need to change the layout. The only thing we did was remove a wall in the kitchen between the workspace and the window. My brother helped us with this and it opened up the whole area and allowed room for some mod cons such as a dishwasher,” says Beatrice. After the initial work, the couple decided to use local builders for the rest. “We didn’t want to spend the whole summer decorating, plus we were more than happy to use local craftsmen. We had the electrics and bathrooms updated, and then it was just a matter of cosmetic changes. The style of the decor was quite 1970s and old-fashioned – everything was green and yellow with dark beams,” explains Beatrice, “so we decided to go for a simple scheme throughout with shades of white and grey.”

They used La Chaux paint, which is made from lime and natural pigments. “We wanted to be faithful to the period and location of the property, and this paint is a traditional choice,” she says. In addition, they opted for a classic French wall decoration, which is to have a darker shade painted on the bottom third of a wall, with a lighter hue above.

The beams were also given a fresher look. “Painting them white brightened up every room, which was great as light is important to us and something we really miss in our London home,” says Beatrice. To complete the look, they only used minimal furnishings to enhance the feeling of space and calm. “By the second summer, the house was finished and the garden, which was originally quite messy, was a slightly tamer area with raspberries, apricots and a herb patch. Together with a swimming pool, it really is a wonderful place for people to gather – it’s now a party house once more.”

“We like to lend the house to family, particularly nephews and nieces who have their friends over to stay. We celebrated Arnaud’s 40th birthday party here with 70 guests. We had long tables covered in checked cloths in the cobbled courtyard, used the playroom as a dance area and everyone dressed up in a traditional Provençal costume with straw hats – it was simple, chic and wonderful.” Beatrice doesn’t believe that finding this house was a complete fluke though. “When I lived in France, I studied at a business school, and every now and then we have a reunion in London,” she says.

“At one of these there was a chap with an unusual surname. The previous owner of this house had a similar name, and she turned out to be his aunt! He talked with real fondness about her (apparently, she was a water diviner) as well as the house, which is where he spent his school holidays,” says Beatrice. To compound the coincidences, Beatrice also found out that the previous owner had since moved back to her childhood home in Burgundy, which is where Beatrice’s in-laws now live. “I really do believe that some things are just meant to be, and happen for a reason.

“We love living in London – it has such a motivating and creative energy and our business has really taken off, in fact, we’ve recently opened an office in Paris. But it’s also good to rest, which is why we come here every school holiday. It’s the perfect place to simply stop, and because each season is totally different we come throughout the year.

“We feel so lucky that we have the best of both worlds and a wonderful place to socialise and gather our loved ones together.”

FACT FILE

OWNERS:

Beatrice and Arnaud de Montille, and their four children.

PROPERTY:

19th-century Provencal farmhouse originally it was a shepherd’s cottage but has been extended over the years. It has six bedrooms, three bathrooms, one sitting room, one dining room, TV room, play room, swimming pool, a large rambling garden and swimming pool.

WORKS:

The house needed new electrics, new bathrooms, a revamped kitchen and decorating throughout.

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