We got a sneak peek of the beautiful Le Lieu Perdu a few months ago when we interviewed Ben Lambers of Studio Aandracht. Here, a much-deserved post dedicated entirely to his photographs of this dreamy, completely renovated stone house in southern France. In the early 19th century the granddaughter of famous French philosopher Michel Eyquem de Montaigne took residence in this home on the hill overlooking vinyards and fields of flowers–and now, it’s a vacation house filled with a black, white and gold color palette, a wonderfully eccentric style and bohemian spirit. “We stayed in Montazeau two times now,” says Ben, “and we never stop being impressed by the beauty of this magnificent place.”

The Details
Located in the Dordogne department, the four-bedroom house sleeps eight. Rent it at lelieuperdu.therecollection.com.

[Photography by Ben Lambers; Production, Tatjana Quax]

Paris-based graphic designer/travel blogger Anne Ditmeyer of the fantastic Prêt à Voyager gives designtripper a special account of her favorite neighborhood hotel, Hotel Amour, which was pulled together by the one-named Parisian art/nightlife impresario André and is known for its artist-designed rooms. For more on living in and visiting Paris, make sure to check out her blog! Here’s what she has to say:

Walk into Hotel Amour and you’ll think you’re in the wrong place, in the heart of a restaurant with a chill vibe and great buzz. Turn right and you’re at the front desk that feels more like a hostess stand than a reception center. Check in and you’ll disappear around the corner through a discrete door that takes you next door and upstairs to the series of 24 rooms behind the facade of a typical Parisian apartment building. Reminiscent of the Ace Hotels in the US, this independent hotel brings together decor that ties together vintage classics with a modern sophisticated feel, but where each room takes on a flavor of its own. Designed by various names in the French design scene the painted walls and unexpected color palettes matched with crisp white bedspreads keep the understated simplicity without losing a drop of style. The duplex room I visited was encompassed by untraditional black walls, and felt like a stylish city loft despite its first floor location. Perhaps even more appealing than the inviting interiors is the price tag that is friendlier than most in Paris.

With an address (8 Rue Navarin, 9) tucked in the delightful 9th arrondisement, just south of Montmarte—the same neighborhood I call home—and off the main tourist track, Hotel Amour is one of only a handful of boutique hotels in Paris which finds the balance between style and function. Around the corner from the hotel is the famous Rue des Martyrs with a view up to Sacre Coeur, which is pedestrian only every Sunday until 2:30pm. It’s the kind of place where the neighborhood brings as much charm as the hotel itself. There is even the added bonus of having one of the meilleure, or best, baguettes de Paris just down the street at Delmontel (39 Rue des Marytrs, 9). The location alone allows for great exploration of independent shops nearby and an overall setting that just feels French.

Wow (wow). This decadent ski lodge takes the already ironic concept of rustic-fancy up a few notches. But you know what? When it comes to decorating, tartan and taxidermy work best in overload mode–and in concert. And Le Lodge Park, name included, is amazingly over-the-top. Little, three-legged stools upholstered in mismatched plaid; a cut log mosaic ceiling; an oversized stone fireplace painted black (along with the deer head hanging above it); rough-hewn log cabin walls; antler chandeliers; tree branch-bended chairs; sheepskin covered chairs in the outdoor bar; and lots of animal prints (of animals that aren’t in the French Alps). All of that with a little bit of Ghost Lamp and Barcelona Chair thrown in for good measure. Book it at Tablet.

[Photos via Tablet, Apartment Therapy]

Michelin-starred chef Michel Troisgros and his wife Marie-Pierre have taken an ancient farm in France and turned it into La Colline du Colombier, a stunning hotel/restaurant. But the kicker is that they managed to incorporate all of the modern elements and clever design statements without detracting form the location’s true star: the countryside setting overlooking the Loire. A weathered old stable has been converted into the restaurant where stone walls, original beams and huge, hanging glass lanterns contrast with Eames chairs and an industrial-looking, open kitchen that turns out Troisgros’ innovative take on rustic, French food. Think golden pan-fried veal sweetbreads with spicy yuzu. The fare changes with the seasons and even includes—shocker—a kids menu.

If you’re looking to stay at La Colline, the options include two original farmhouses where sensitive upgrades pair modern comforts with original details. The most innovative addition to the property, however, is a series of three “cadoles.” Designed by architect Patrick Bouchain, these futuristic looking cabins are made of wood, glass and steel with curved zinc roofs. Huge windows are aimed at prime bucolic vistas. Inside, the cabins are tricked out with quiet, modern furniture and straight-from-the-earth materials like sheep’s wool, felt and braided hemp.

As if you need yet another reason to wile away time on the Mediterranean shores of southern France, the 18th-century chateau Baudon de Mauny is tucked into a cobblestone backstreet of Old Montpellier–and has been owned and run by the same family for seven generations. It has everything you could possibly want from a French chateau packed into its five beautiful guest rooms: storied history, eccentric charm and cutting edge. Modern furnishings and different Cole & Sons wallpaper in every room mixes with long, heavy drapes, frilly wall moldings and antique portraits. The French are so good at this! Hideaway tip: there’s also a just-as-stylish pied-à-terre upstairs with two bedrooms and a full kitchen.

The talent-crazy couple behind Casamidy, Anne-Marie Midy and Jorge Almada, rent out their Paris apartment when they’re not using it (which is fairly regularly right now, since they’re currently living in Brussels). Like Casamidy’s beautiful furniture and decorative objects, which draw on traditional, artisan methods like sculpted iron, hammered tin and whip-stitched leather, their apartment is a striking blend of history and modern edge. And the vignettes! It’s like the real-life version of hanging out in the pages of a World of Interiors spread.

Located in Hotel d’ Hallywyl, which is the last Hotel Particulier built in the Marias before the revolution, the stone building was designed by Claude-Nicolas Ledoux (the architect of Louis XVI) in 1760. Trivia: Madame de Stahl was born there and it was the residence of Necker the finance minister to Louis XVI. “We call it ‘the boat’ because of all the skylights and its inverted hull form,” says Anne-Marie, who loves the top-floor view. “It has a great little terrace, which seems to float above the zinc rooftops.”

The Details
$1,850 per week. You can see the top of the Pompidou from the building. Rent it at almidi.com or email Anne-Marie: [email protected].

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This apartment feels part country home in the middle of Paris and part dollhouse, thanks to those over-sized, exposed wooden framing beams, which give a rustic vibe and play with the scale of the rooms. The owner, a Franco-American who travels regularly for work and spends much of her time in London, sourced many of the interior architectural elements—cabinets, stairway and mantel—from brocantes (the French flea market). Decorated with an eclectic mix of textures, patterns and treasures from her far-flung travels, the apartment feels personal and really special, like it would be a privilege and an inspiration to get the key and hang out with her belongings for awhile.

The Details:
Two bedrooms, one bathroom. Price starts at $2,400/week. Location: In the heart of the Latin Quarter, right next to the Sorbonne. Rent it at haveninparis.com.

With so many apartments to rent in Paris—all effortlessly chic in that discreet, Parisian sort of way—it’s hard to pick just one. So in honor of indecision and a sudden flash of Francophilia, expect three lovely and very different French apartments featured over the next three days. This airy, third-floor space, designed by architecture and interiors firm Double G, is centrally located in an 18th-century, pre-revolution building with original parquet floors and shots of bright color. The place also packs some serious design cred: Florence Knoll in the bedroom; Finn Juhl chandelier in the kitchen; Philippe Starck lighting in one bathroom and Artemide in the other; a couple Eames shell chairs; and rare one-of-a-kind antique stunners everywhere you turn. And hanging in the kitchen, there’s a pair of sweet flower prints from Deyrolle—an almost-200-year-old shop/institution famous for its artful displays of taxidermy, entomology, shells, curiosities, pedagogical boards and botany prints.

The Details
Two bedrooms, two bathrooms. Price starts at $3,200 for a week. The apartment is across the street from the 19th Century Square Louvois and the Bibliotheque Nationale (the original National Library of France), and just down the street from the Rue St. Anne, which is known for its stretch of Japanese restaurants and the 12 Galeries de la Rue Ste Anne. Rent it at haveninparis.com.