HOME GERS
n the heart of Gers in the picturesque Lomagne valley stands an 18th century family home whose distinct personality has been defined by the many generations who’ve passed through its doors. ‘My friends call it the “house of happiness”,’ says its owner, who speaks fondly of summer holidays spent here with family and friends, dining en masse on the veranda, watching children grow from year to year and sleeping in bedrooms – 14 in total – that, over time, were named after their regulars. It’s a real family home, one that was inherited from two great-aunts who, as painters, have marked the abode with their pictures. ‘When one painted a flower, the other responded with a work on the same subject,’ says the owner. ‘Their paintings decorated the walls of the house and I kept them. This place has a soul that I wanted to preserve.’ This preservation was of utmost importance when she and her husband decided to enlarge the property, which involved transforming the original apple barn into a stand-alone house and the woodshed into a lounge-library, as well as building two dovecotes. The revisited buildings all feature large workshop windows with matte black frames to connect the indoors to the abundant vegetation outside. As an ardent decor-lover, the owner had a clear idea of how she wanted to update the interiors, and called on designer Christine Hours to help her with the overall layout. White walls provide a clean backdrop for a vast array of collections and photographs, while hints of green and yellow reference the building’s lush surrounds and the summer sun. The overall aesthetic is a combination of natural sophistication and soft authenticity, with furnishings found online or from flea markets and antique dealers that reflect the owner’s love of ceramics, glassware, china, wicker and rattan. From plates by ceramicist Jean Lurçat in the winter dining room to woven African baskets in the children’s eating area and guest bedroom, every piece has been carefully chosen for its unique style. Shuttered windows allow for an abundance of natural light to illuminate the interiors and provide magnificent views over the rolling Lomagne Valley, which has been aptly dubbed French Tuscany. A centuries-old cedar tree shades the stone-clad façade at the entrance and, around the back of the home, lilacs, roses and cosmos provide verdant pops of colour in the enchanted garden. A few metres from the building, donkeys and horses gambol in the sunshine, proving that this ‘house of happiness’ more than lives up to its name. Q
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