Designtripper

A few years ago, the owners of the Marston House, which I visited this summer on our annual summer trip to Maine, bought part of a grand, old house–in complete disrepair–in the historic center of Apt, France. After a year of “dreaming and designing,” they began slowly renovating as three separate holiday rentals. So far, there’s a one and two-bedroom apartment, with a third apartment on the way. Below, a Q&A with Sharon Mrozinski about the process.

When did you buy your first place in France?
We bought our home in Bonnieux in 1999. We had discovered this area, the Luberon, in the early ’80s and had felt an awakening in these sleeping ancient ruins. We felt as though they were all yawning waking from a deep sleep.

Paul was fascinated by the structure and materials used,  all earth-born and local ( right under your feet). He had never seen anything like these. There seemed to be no beginning or end,  somehow continuous and completely organic and unlike any structures he had studied while getting a degree in Architecture at Arizona State University. We dreamed of returning one day.

What attracted you to the apartments in Apt?
We fell in love with this rawness and lack of modernization and the grandness of it. The entry and staircase are huge showing obvious great wealth at one time, and we bought what we thought we could afford. In 2007, we began some serious remodeling after a year of dreaming and designing. We knew we could stretch it into three lovely apartments. We have one apartment left to finish on the ground floor, and it is the most amazing space. The stable will become the bedroom.

Where do you find all the beautiful furnishings?
We source the furnishings locally from dealers in Apt and Isle sur la Sorgue. We spend most of our time and buying in a 30-mile radius of our apartments in The Luberon. The entire region about 20 miles long is surrounded and covered in agriculture: farms, fields, orchards, vineyards as far as the eye can see. In fact, Apt has been the marketplace for the region for centuries. The Saturday market is the biggest and oldest to be found. It stretches from one end of town to the other and weaves through all the old cobbled streets and ancient alleys.

We don’t think we have a particular style. Utility is our goal. Everything must work in our spaces. The pieces need to “earn their keep.” Nothing sits on a shelf because it is pretty.  We have a strong American eye for simplicity and always buy only what we love and want to live with forever. We do not have an easy time buying French furnishings generally–too many curves, too elaborate, too French is our biggest challenge. With the exception of their ancient homespun peasant cloth; We can never get enough of this.

What are your favorite design elements about the home?
We can only afford small spaces that are a real challenge to make livable.  This is where Paul thrives..  He loves making the impossible into a cozy nest.. With these spaces he counts on extending the natural light.  fooling the eye to feel bigger..  The ceilings are 12″ high, so the volume is amazing. They are hard to photograph well but to live in them is remarkable. Fireplaces are an absolute in our design demands.  They are the center or the soul of a home to us. We could not build or live in a space without a fireplace… or seven.

Tell us about Apt. What do you love about the town?
Apt is famous for production and supplies of candied fruits for the world as well as the pottery that has been produced from the earth here for centuries. Apt doesn’t have “curb appeal,” but it’s at the beginning (or end) of the Luberon and still affordable so lots of young families and business booms. It is a place you need to dig deeply and discover. Not everyone likes this. We love the challenge of finding beauty in  a town that hides its history, culture and beauty. It is all there. One must look harder, dig deeper and look upward–the steeples abound.

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So where does the man behind Tablet Hotels stay when he’s not at one of the hundreds of beautiful boutique hotels he represents around the world? CEO, founder and ultimate travel savant Laurent Vernhes and his family just returned from Sri Lanka, where they stayed at this indoor-outdoor beach house designed by Goeffrey Bawa along the Indian Ocean. His wife Catherine gives designtripper a special report about second-guessing his pick, watching lizards and getting her four-year-old to eat shark.

“When my husband showed me photographs of the Last House as he was making the reservation, I was underwhelmed. I thought ‘That looks nice… the kids will love the pool.’ Laurent has been gushing for years about Geoffrey Bawa and how much he admires Bawa’s architecture, so perhaps I was expecting something more grandiose or startling. When we were in Tangalle trying to find the road that leads to the Last House, our driver stopped a number of people to ask where it was. No one seemed to have a clue, but they all knew where the Aman resort was,” says Catherine. But by the time they arrived, Catherine was on-the-spot smitten with the horseshoe-shaped beach house, especially how Bawa’s design pulled them into their surroundings. “I have never stayed in a place where the indoors flows into the outdoors so naturally,” she says. “You can see the sea, you feel the sea breeze all through the house, you hear the waves constantly, and yet, you also feel protected and pampered inside the beautifully designed interiors.” White walls and polished concrete floors are accented with pops of hyper-saturated beach colors that reflect the view of the Indian Ocean and the colors of the local culture. “We watched the resident lizard wind his way across the garden and the crows eying our breakfast through the postcard frame of a window without glass or through the many open doorways with no doors. Each morning, Ananda, would come to discuss the menu with us, and was always able to accommodate the tastes of our young children and yet still inspire us with local cuisine. By the end of the stay, he had our picky 4-year-old eating calamari and shark. And after a few hours of boogie boarding each day, the afternoon tea with cake became our favorite ritual. We felt so utterly spoiled.”

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I’m inspired by the story of this beautiful property for so many reasons. First of all, the couple who owns it fell in love with the town (for its slower way of life) while on holiday and decided to change their own lives. Marco Giunta and Viviana Haddad bought one of these cave-like rooms built into the landscape of Modica, a Sicilian town that’s part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Every time they visited, they’d buy another, and within eight months, they owned 12 of them. Both with architecture backgrounds, they started stringing them together through the interiors. “Every single room used to be a family home. We renovated them to be one single property, with all of them connected through the garden.” Most of the furniture in each room was either built or restored by them, and now that they live there full-time, Marco has left architecture for furniture design and running the beautiful property.

And here’s the kicker: The emphasis of the place is on taking it easy. I mean, really taking it easy. I like to call it slow travel–and it’s my favorite way to spend a vacation. “We want people to come here and take their time to enjoy the view, the air, and relax,” says Marco. Each room is inspired by a different country on the Mediterranean Sea… the walls are made of stone, caves or locally made tiles. And they just want to make sure everyone is enjoying the air. Perfect.

The Details
Each little room-house has an entrance from the garden (at different natural levels) and a private terrace that overviews the historical center of Modica. Prices start at $180 a night. Rent it at welcomebeyond.com.

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Surrounded by rice paddies and an umbrella pine forest, these four perfectly designed thatched-roof beach huts sit on a coastal sanctuary in a small fishing hamlet called Carrasqueira, an hour south of Lisbon. The floors are sand, even in the living room (bedrooms have concrete floors), walls are made from wattle and bullrush, and the furniture inside is pretty minimal–tables by e15, wood stumps and linen-covered sofas. And if all the sprawling natural beauty in every direction (estuary, salt pans, pristine beach, wildlife/nature sanctuary) isn’t quite compelling enough, there are bicycles and a pool to keep you active/lounging outdoors.

The Details
Guests rent the whole lot of them–and it’s $700 a day for all four. The beach hut compound sleeps eight adults. In high season (June through August), there’s a seven-night minimum. Rent it.

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Another goodie from my article in T+L about the world’s coolest vacation homes, the Didmarton House is a grand, modernized farmhouse in the Cotswolds filled with flea-market finds, family photos, pops of bright color, pieces by Philippe Starck, and statement-making art. And… it’s owned and decorated by designer Joanna Berryman, who runs the London shop Matrushka (and was married to Coldplay bassist Guy Berryman–a tidbit that helps explain the chic, rock-and-roll design aesthetic she’s known for).

The Details
There are four super well-appointed bedrooms, all with cushy beds, rich drapery and great art. The nearly two-acre grounds feature landscaped gardens, tennis courts, and a small studio that sleeps an additional two people. Price starts around $2,140 for a week. Rent it at mrandmrssmith.com.

[Photos via mrandmrssmith.com.]

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A few weeks ago, Mariana McConnell from Boutique Homes got in touch about some of their rental properties and volunteered to tell designtripper about the Blue Atelier in Trancoso–”a quiet, defiantly primitive fishing village on a stunningly beautiful stretch of Brazil’s Discovery Coast, a place that has defied the passing of time by staying true to itself.” From Mariana:

Blue Atelie is a small beach cabana modeled on traditional fisherman’s huts of Bahia. The exterior walls have been painted a soft blue that mirrors the bright colors found in shops and houses along the Quadrado, the main square in Transcoso. Karin Farrah, creator of Blue Atelie, worked as a florist in Sao Paulo and her love of nature is evident in the indoor-outdoor aesthetic of the cabana. Clapboard shutters on the windows and doors open up to a leafy garden and private pool and allow balmy breezes to float through the interior. Blue Atelie is located within steps of the beach, but you might find it hard to tear yourself away from the natural beauty right outside your door.

The interior of Blue Atelie is a mix of the rustic and the artistic, with decorative elements like an antique mirror and dressmaker’s dummy adding a touch of vintage elegance. Farrah’s artistic passion even extends to functional aspects of the decor. Instead of using traditional netting on the canopy bed to keep away mosquitoes, Farrah opted to use locally made lace, as she finds netting to be “suffocating.” In true Transcoso fashion, many of the objects in the cabana were not purchased but instead bartered for or picked up along Farrah’s travels. The entire atmosphere of Blue Atelie is light and airy and easy, with no separation between the vivid natural beauty of the area and the laid-back lifestyle of Bahia.

When I say Blue Atelie is small, I mean it. The one-bedroom, one-bath cottage only accommodates two people at the most. However, despite a small footprint, the cabana has a fully equipped kitchen and living area furnished in Farrah’s distinct boho-chic style. There’s also Wi-Fi for those who cannot be without their iPhones. Blue Atelie is a wonderful choice for honeymooners or couples who are interested in seeing a side of Brazil that remains invisible to most tourists, but a last note for those who favor tranquility in their vacation rentals: make sure not to come between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, when all of Transcoso becomes the site of a massive celebration.

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I wrote an article for the September issue of Travel + Leisure about five amazing homes that are owned and rented out by notable designers, so if you stay in one, it’s like getting intimate access to their personal aesthetic and style whims, not to mention book collections, meaningful objects, ephemera and favorite pieces of furniture. The online version–The World’s Coolest Rental Homes–was expanded to 15 homes, some which you may have seen on designtripper and some that you haven’t. I’ll be highlighting a few favorites in the coming weeks.

For starters, Alemanys 5 is beautifully renovated 16-century house situated in the center of Girona’s old town–“one of the best kept medieval cities in Spain,” insists the owner. It was a crumbling mess when Spanish architect Anna Noguera and her husband, Juan Manuel Ribera, fell in love with the the place 12 years ago and only the stone walls could be saved. But now? You can tell a talented architect got her hands on it. Ancient stone walls play with smooth concrete, clean-lined glass and quiet, modernist furniture. There’s a veranda with views over the old quarter and a pool in the garden, “but what makes it so special is its refurbisment balancing old and new in a search of enjoyment of essentials,” says Juan.

The Details
The five-bedroom residence can be rented as a whole or split into two separate spaces. El Badiu sleeps 2-6; El Jardi sleeps 2-5. Prices start around $280 a night. Rent it at welcomebeyond.com.

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This trifecta of rehabbed stone cottages in Wales was conceived by owners Miles and Julie Falkingham out of a desire to shelter three families or their own extended family in a place “with lots of outdoor space and a dining room that will seat everyone and a few drop-in guests.” After just returning from a long weekend with a handful of other families between six little yellow cottages, it’s a concept I wholeheartedly appreciate. Miles, who’s an architect, and his wife Julie renovated the old buildings, formerly a cottage, dairy and barn, then designed the interiors themselves, building furniture and creating custom lovespoon and jellyfish/polyp wallpaper for a few of the rooms. Outside, there are nine beautiful acres for lawn games, picnics and exploring, plus a pond and a little grassy lane that leads to a private, craggy beach (with seals!).

The Details
Sleeps up to 14 between the three cottages, which must be rented together, plus free camping for kiddos. Prices start around $2,000 for a week. Within walking distance to the village shop and pub. Red Welly is also dedicated to sustainable development, using local materials in construction and renewable energy sources, and they’re committed to preserving the land. Rent it at red-welly.com.

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Ben Lambers and Tatjana Quax of Studio Andacht keep us updated on their travels, which are always interesting and always stunningly photographed. Their latest excursion was a farm stay in Friesland, where they relaxed at Spekpolle, before heading off to Spain in search of the authentic Moor spirit. The historical house (amusingly, named after a food poisoning outbreak that spread through the a few of the households in the area many years ago) is simple and rustic–”nothing fancy,” assures Ben–but the surrounding Frisian landscape is pretty idyllic. You know, if you like things like bright green pasture teeming with galloping horses, wild gardens, orchards and a meandering river that cuts through farmland.

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Last year we stayed in the 1800s Farmhouse, and despite our magical experience there, this year we decided to try the Grandparents’ house, perfectly situated on a stone bluff overlooking the most beautiful stretch of sand beach I’ve ever seen. The evergreen trees come right up to the natural grass and granite border.

The extended family has owned a number of homes on the property for five generations and counting. And I won’t get into all the history here (and there is plenty), but if you rent one of the homes, you can stay up late with a glass of wine pouring over papers, articles and photographs about the history of the homes, the families who have lived here, and the 600 acres of preserved land they have donated to research and protection in order to keep the land as it is. The family appreciates its privacy and has a policy of not seeking out press or attention for their efforts, but one of the grandchildren of the original owner has kindly agreed to let me share the experience of staying there.

And with so much history in these homes, there’s no shortage of stories. You can feel it in the old wooden floorboards worn from walking patterns and the antique furniture that, proven by one black and white photograph resting against the hearth’s mantle, hasn’t changed a bit since the late 1930s. The house is located a half hour from a coastal town where we go to the local farmer’s market to stock up on food for the week. And it takes about 20 minutes on a twisted, bumpy–sometimes broken pavement, sometimes dirt–road just to reach the house from the main road. It’s a beautiful drive we have learned to love. The trees grow like towering giants over the path, and the boys scan the forest for animals. This year, we saw a number of beautiful birds in the meadow as well as a mother deer and her fawn. One afternoon while I was reading on the screened-in porch, I heard a rustling in the woods and looked up to see a spotted doe standing just a few feet away. And on two separate occasions–and to our boys’ absolute delight–we had porcupine visitors to the house, two of which made themselves at home for the evening in a tree that stretched up past the second story wrap-around balcony, where the boys stood guard until it was time for bed.

Most days we spent at the beach–crashing into waves, exploring tidal pools, building intricate sandcastles and fortresses with moats, and collecting shells and sand dollars. At night we made dinner and ate around the extra-long dining table on the porch, before making a fire for those chilly Maine evenings. We didn’t do anything extraordinary while we where there. In fact, it was more about what we didn’t do. The house and all its charming details—down to every last note card tucked into a mirror and dedicated book of bedside poetry—tell the stories of a time before email and cell phones and TVs. Shelves are filled with old Italian ceramics and books and board games, and if you let yourself fall into the familiar patterns of those that came before you, you can almost imagine what it must have been like to live there. And for me, that’s what a vacation is all about. We were, for an entire glorious week, transported.

The Details
Unlike so many anonymous rental transactions these days, these owners actually like to speak with potential guests on the phone first. They want to make sure you understand and appreciate certain things about the property: an antique stove, for instance, in the farmhouse; no coffee shops or commercial strips within walking distance; that it’s a natural, preserved beach, which means no frisbees or beach balls or loud music. There are still a few openings for next year in June and early fall, so if you’re interested, you can email susan@midcoast.com with inquiries.

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Located smack in the center of downtown Lisbon, Baixa House is an 18th-century building that has just been converted into 12 vacation apartments. The kicker is the way that each space has been refurbished—sensitively, beautifully and not over-polished. Those wide-plank floors have been left perfectly intact, ditto the garret-like charm of the top-floor units with slanting ceilings, and balconies in every unit mean that participating in the ultimate European pastime—watching life go by—is game on. Kitchens and baths have been modernized with marble counter tops and showers, and top-notch fixtures and appliances. The true charm, however, is found in the living areas and bedrooms. Designers have mastered a sense of under-decorated style with details that make the apartments feel like you’ve been handed the keys to a friend’s home. Books, art and colorful accent walls are all balanced by white-white walls and understated new and vintage furnishings. The service is also spot-on: Units are cleaned everyday and replenished with breakfast supplies daily. And maybe our favorite, perfectly un-preachy detail of all: TVs are available in all units, but only on request. Don’t ask and you won’t receive!

Details
Most units sleep up to four or six people. One unit, the top-floor Ultramar, sleeps up to nine. Located in the middle of downtown Lisbon, the apartment is a 5-minute walk to the Praça do Comercio, the Figueira and the Rossio, a bus and tram hub with many shops and cafes. Units start at $140 a night with a minimum two-night stay. Rent it here.

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The recently built Dune House in England is a new kind of beach retreat, one where lots of angles and and asymmetrical niches have been carved out, the better to take in the home’s one-of-a-kind coastal location. The mostly open-plan, two-story house was designed by one of Norway’s top architectural firms, Jarmund/Vigsnaes Architects, and the result here is a home where every window frames a photo-worthy landscape. Located just south of the teeny-tiny village of Thorpeness in Suffolk, the five-bedroom house is built right on the beach with no neighbors on either side. Inside state-of-the-art appliances are balanced by old-school comforts like a wood-burning fireplace in the sunken living area, and in-bedroom bathtubs are situated next to windows to take advantage of both the ocean and nature reserve views.

The Details
The five-bedroom house sleeps up to nine people. Prices start at $1,225 for a four-night stay. Rent it here.

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Another country gem in upstate New York: This Catskills barn house is a second home on the owner’s beautiful, sprawling 71-acre property in the tiny hamlet of Willowemoc. The interior is simple country living–wood-clad walls, quilts on beds, fiestaware in the curio–but with all this wooded, rolling land at your disposal and a heated saline pool at your doorstep, what the inside looks like feels pretty secondary. $1,500 a week (nights also available). Rent it at redcottageinc.com.

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Located in a tiny hilltop village of Artemonas, the Psacharopoulos House couldn’t be farther from the typical Grecian tourist path. The 19th-century neoclassical home is found on Sifnos, a small and sleepy island that’s managed to avoid many of the Aegean’s most popular ferry routes. And like its island location, the house also speaks to a quieter time, way back when bathrooms didn’t outnumber bedrooms, before flat screens invaded every room in the house (there isn’t one to be found here. Drama is best found in the ocean views). Built in the 19th century by the Pasacharopoulos clan, the house is still in the family, now with its 6th-generation owner, Nicos Zacharias, who’s obsessed with keeping the place low-key and honest to its historical roots. The two-story structure is wrapped with sprawling terraces and tiered, old-growth gardens. Inside, the five-bedroom house is filled with treasures collected by the family over decades, but it’s all put together with a sense of old-world restraint, with rooms that manage to be both spare and cozy. Perfect to calm the most cluttered mind.

The Details
The five-bedroom house sleeps up to eight people. Located a 15-minute drive from the beach; a 5-minute walk to nearby tavernas and coffee shops; and a 10-minute walk to the island’s main town, Apollonia. Prices start at $2,230 a week. Rent it at welcomebeyond.com.

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