Stay: D’une île
Remalard, France
Ben Lambers of Studio Aandacht hung out at (and took photos of) this place–part hotel, part nature park, part creative retreat–which he has visited a couple times since it opened last spring. In the midst of planning the foray of Honor & Folly into the country, I’m particularly inspired by this medieval settlement on the edge of a national park an hour and a half outside Paris. Situated on seven acres of forest with two springs and a creek, D’une île consists of a sprawling manor house and its medieval cottages repurposed as a getaway dedicated to the enjoyment of nature, art and food. The ambitious couple who opened it–after a grueling year of DIY rehabbing, roof-repairing, plastering, painting, landscaping, decorating, and creating furniture–bring no short supply of talent and guts (they had to bathe outside with cold water from the well). Michel Mulder, a composer, musician and professional chef handles the food at D’une île, and Sofie Sleumer is an interior designer. Together, and with lots of help from friends, they outfitted the rustic spaces with flea market finds, art, and furniture they restore themselves. They also cook for and dote on guests, as well as coordinate in-room art installations like the robot-like wood and wire mobiles by artist Just van der Loos.
Here, a short Q&A with Michel about starting and running such a thoughtful, creative hotel (that’s not at all a hotel) in the French countryside:
What made you decide to open D’une île?
Sofie and I wanted to leave Amsterdam after living there for 12 and 14 years, respectively. We marveled on the idea of creating a beautiful and well-functioning playground where all our occupations could flourish in one concept. We tried thinking of Barcelona, Quebec, Paris until we stumbled upon our little domaine. So we found the place, and then we had to think up what to do with it. A small hotel would be logical and the more we thought about it, the more appealing this idea became. But it had to be our hotel, and it had to stay our playground. So we thought, ‘ok, this is about the good life, so we need good, friendly people to share that with us.’
As an owner-innkeeper, how do you spend your time?
In contact with our guests and our local producers, building rooms and bathrooms, designing the rooms, restoring furniture, discovering new wines and even better products to cook with. We have up to 28 beds and more than 10,000 square feet of hotel space, a small restaurant and seven acres of land, there’s always work to do. But more importantly, there’s always room for new ideas!
What do you love most about D’une île?
I love the trees, all their different colors, how they change during the season, the view out of our bedroom window over the orchard, which is now packed with apples and pears. I love how the medieval buildings form a tiny little village with a small square in the middle and the big walnut tree towering over it. For us it’s a fulltime job. Apart from the hôtellerie we host weddings, exclusive dinner parties, styling assignments, and sell vintage design. D’une île is our place to live, to work, in every aspect. Sofie and I, we create things, and d’une île is our favorite.
[PHOTOS: All images by Ben Lambers via Trend Tablet]
29 September 2013 | mlleparadis Said:
just discovered you through the NY Times! i expect i will be coming back again and again! so lovely!
29 September 2013 | Jackson Murphy Said:
Me too – great site, great story. Glad NY Times pointed me to your site.
07 October 2013 | Daniel Said:
Very modern and nice, I really like the thought of you, you are attempting to come back to the web log I see if we will exchange minds for brand spanking new concepts.
11 October 2013 | Nic Said:
Oh, this is just beautiful. I could live here forever.
14 October 2013 | Lissette Said:
Wow – what a dream! Probably one of my favorites that you’ve posted (and I have a lot of favorites)!
17 October 2013 | Martina @Bullo an Italian Blog Said:
I love the way you depict the places you stay in, you really should take part to the B&B barter week in Italy sooner or later…http://bulloanitalianblog.com/travel_italy_barter_week/
28 December 2013 | Stay: D’une île - TravelGoodPlace.com Said:
[…] This post is from designtripper.com. Go there to see more great content! […]
27 June 2017 | http://muzichitz.xyz Said:
Just a smiling visitor here to share the love (:, btw outstanding style and design. “The price one pays for pursuing a profession, or calling, is an intimate knowledge of its ugly side.” by James Arthur Baldwin.
27 June 2017 | http://notioncoiffure.xyz Said:
I like this blog very much, Its a rattling nice situation to read and obtain info . “A little in one’s own pocket is better than much in another man’s purse.” by Miguel de Cervantes.
27 June 2017 | http://notioncoiffure.xyz Said:
I enjoy you because of your entire hard work on this site. Betty really likes conducting research and it is easy to understand why. A number of us know all of the dynamic form you make efficient solutions through your web site and therefore encourage contribution from others on this area of interest plus my princess is truly starting to learn a whole lot. Enjoy the rest of the year. You’re the one conducting a pretty cool job.
27 June 2017 | http://muzichitz.xyz Said:
Some genuinely choice content on this site, bookmarked .
27 June 2017 | http://pkraw.xyz Said:
Some truly wonderful articles on this site, regards for contribution.
27 June 2017 | http://pkraw.xyz Said:
I believe you have noted some very interesting points , appreciate it for the post.
28 June 2017 | tabletky na vlasy Said:
Very interesting information!Perfect just what I was searching for!
28 June 2017 | hair loss products Said:
Simply wanna comment that you have a very decent internet site , I enjoy the pattern it actually stands out.
28 June 2017 | hair loss products reviews Said:
I just wanted to make a brief remark in order to appreciate you for some of the stunning advice you are posting at this site. My time intensive internet search has at the end been rewarded with brilliant ideas to go over with my companions. I ‘d assert that many of us website visitors actually are really fortunate to be in a decent network with so many outstanding people with great basics. I feel pretty happy to have come across your weblog and look forward to so many more entertaining minutes reading here. Thanks a lot once more for all the details.
28 June 2017 | tappar mycket har Said:
You have remarked very interesting points ! ps nice website . “What a grand thing, to be loved What a grander thing still, to love” by Victor Hugo.
28 June 2017 | stoppa haravfall Said:
Wow! This could be one particular of the most beneficial blogs We have ever arrive across on this subject. Actually Wonderful. I’m also a specialist in this topic so I can understand your hard work.
29 June 2017 | comment faire repousser les cheveux Said:
I dugg some of you post as I thought they were very useful very beneficial
29 June 2017 | haargroei versnellen Said:
Thank you for the good writeup. It in fact was a amusement account it. Look advanced to more added agreeable from you! However, how can we communicate?
29 June 2017 | accélérer la pousse des cheveux Said:
Hey, you used to write wonderful, but the last few posts have been kinda boring… I miss your super writings. Past few posts are just a little bit out of track! come on!
29 June 2017 | haargroei Said:
Great write-up, I’m normal visitor of one’s blog, maintain up the nice operate, and It’s going to be a regular visitor for a lengthy time.
30 June 2017 | behandlung haarausfall Said:
Thank you for sharing superb informations. Your website is so cool. I’m impressed by the details that you’ve on this web site. It reveals how nicely you understand this subject. Bookmarked this website page, will come back for more articles. You, my pal, ROCK! I found just the information I already searched everywhere and simply could not come across. What an ideal web-site.
30 June 2017 | vitaminas para el crecimiento del cabello Said:
I like the valuable info you provide in your articles. I will bookmark your weblog and check again here frequently. I am quite certain I will learn a lot of new stuff right here! Best of luck for the next!
30 June 2017 | hiustenlähtö miehillä Said:
I have been surfing online more than three hours today, yet I never found any interesting article like yours. It’s pretty worth enough for me. Personally, if all site owners and bloggers made good content as you did, the internet will be a lot more useful than ever before.
30 June 2017 | was hilft bei haarausfall Said:
hello!,I like your writing so a lot! share we communicate extra approximately your post on AOL? I need a specialist in this space to resolve my problem. May be that’s you! Having a look forward to see you.
30 June 2017 | detener la pérdida de cabello Said:
I believe you have mentioned some very interesting details , regards for the post.
30 June 2017 | miten estää hiustenlähtöä Said:
I like what you guys are up too. Such clever work and reporting! Carry on the superb works guys I’ve incorporated you guys to my blogroll. I think it’ll improve the value of my web site :).
23 October 2019 | Floranet Said:
Flashing Content!! Great, keep up.