Bird's Sky View

Having known each other for more than ten years now, Michel Lhuillier and Louis Thevenin aren’t just mere business partners. The friendship between the two plays an important role in their work dynamic, and it show through their newest venture, La Vie in the Sky.

by Gia Mayola photography Pablo Quiza grooming Janna Fernan assisted by Ericka Montecillo Mondigo

There’s this old saying that goes “the sky’s the limit”. It’s a phrase that’s familiar to most people, as an encouragement when trying to reach their dreams. And it’s a phrase that this writer finds applicable to the lofty dream of La Vie in the Sky.

It’s on a sunny afternoon that the Zee editorial team, along with our makeup artists, found ourselves crammed into a vehicle to climb our way to Busay. The drive up the winding roads doesn’t deter us from excitedly chattering about how the place would look until we arrive.

From the outside, La Vie in the Sky’s facade already looks promising. Its glassand-white-walled exterior is reminiscent of an old-fashioned retreat house away from the city. When we step into the building, workers are scurrying to polish the wooden staircase and numerous mirrors hung around the establishment. It’s still half an hour before our agreed time, but Michel Lhuillier emerges from the basement to say his hellos.

“So, this is the place,” Michel says, gesturing around. On this floor, guests can take their picks from the array of pastries and breads laid out. The iconic wine cellar from La Vie Parisienne is replicated here, albeit much roomier to accommodate more guests. The La Vie French gelato cart is also available for guests to try Filipinoinspired flavours such as mango or balut.

La Vie in the Sky gives off a vibe that’s a mix between luxe and industrial, with antique furniture, leather chairs, crystal chandeliers, the purposely-unfinished cement, and the quirky artworks every now and then. A huge fireplace occupies the space on the left, and the tall French windows offer an unobstructed view of the sky above and the city below—seemingly peaceful—but this writer knows better of the terrible traffic that fills the city’s streets.

As the restaurant is 2000 feet above sea level, La Vie in the Sky gives guests a 360-degree view of Cebu.

Michel ushers us to follow him. Looking polished in a blue and white striped shirt and white pants, his hands are crossed behind his back as he gives the floor a once-over. He ascends the stairs, exuding a level-headed personality as he tours us around. On the way up, we pass three infinity mirrors lined up in a row, and our reflections seemed to go on forever if we looked deeply enough.

On the second floor, it’s chic, much like the previous one. To the left, there’s a huge, full-length mirror with its edges lined with lights, much like a ring light. To the right is a room with more contemporary-themed furniture and lights.

“So the place has three floors?” I query as we make our way upstairs once more.

“It’s all Louis—he’s the artist. He manages the place, I just pay the bills.” -Michel Lhuillier

“If you go down to the basement, there’s four.” Michel explains. “Here, the sun is a bit strong,” he says as we step out onto the terrace. Just like he says, the sun greets us with its bright rays. “I plan to put a dome, so it should be all-weather.”

It’s a very nice place, and I voice my thoughts to Michel. He looks over his shoulder at this, replying cheekily, “I would think so. That’s why I bought it.”

Pablo, being the photographer he is, finds the perfect spot for the first photo of the day: a sunny spot in the corner near the ledge that offers a stunning background of the city below. “Let’s take this shot, we can only do it in ten minutes, or the light’s not going to stick around.”

Michel nods in approval, walking over to the spot, saying out loud, “We’re running late. Monsieur Louis, you’re out of the picture. Monsieur Pablo says the soleil will not wait for you.” This brings out a burst of laughter among us.

As Michel’s shots finish, the team takes a few moments in the shade. When asked if he had a hand in the design, Michel immediately shakes his head.

“No,” He states. “I don’t have any hand in it. It’s all Louis—he’s the artist. He manages the place, I just pay the bills.”

“He works very hard,” adds Michel, “Very passionately. Everybody tells me that no one understands him the way I do.” Right as he says this, Louis Thevenin chooses this moment to appear.

“I’m just on time, no?” He asks with a laugh.True enough, he’s on the dot on the agreed time. Louis is the other half of this duo, and the pair have been working together for more than ten years now. Prior to managing La Vie Parisienne, he’s worked in the French Embassy and then became Deputy Director of Alliance Française de Manille. He’s also Alliance Française de Cebu’s Director.

It was Louis who found the location for the restaurant. He shares that after a drive up to Busay, he saw how full the neighboring restaurant was, and knew that Michel owned the house beside it. It was in ruins; however, Louis already saw its potential.

Michel and Louis stand in the doorway that leads to the private room on the second floor

A week later, he dragged Michel—who hadn’t been there for years—to the site, and they immediately began to envision what they could do with it. Three hours of talking later, and La Vie in the Sky was born.

“We created La Vie Parisienne about seven years ago,” Louis says. “After seeing the ruins in Busay, I wanted to make a palace in ruins. But they are not simple ruins. It’s designed by a genius architect who replicated Frank Lloyd Wright’s Kaufmann House, also known as Falling Water, one of the most-visited houses in the U.S.”

La Vie in the Sky’s design brings guests back to the 30s, to Art Deco, to Gatsby. Louis shares that at the same time, he didn’t want to get trapped in replicating just one era, so he flew to France, went to garage sales, and visited antique dealers emptying their worn-out stocks.

“I wanted to make a palace in ruins.” -Louis Thevenin

“I spent a month shopping for old furnitures,” he shares. “With two Russian guys I had found, we carried all those antiques and filled up a forty-footer truck. I still have back pain!” Later, he went to Mongkok’s fabric market and upholstered the furniture with modern fabrics.

He’s mixed traditional patterns like machuca and fleur-de-lis with some shockingly red electrical pipes, royal blue and gold—the colors of the king of France, ropes to hang crystal chandeliers, 18th century paintings, and industrial lamps. He also wants to add some street art, but shares that he lacks walls. “I just wanted it to feel homey,” Louis adds. The restaurant offers affordable luxury with their salad station, cold cuts, cheeses, pasta, brick oven pizza, and French breads and pastries. Its added charm is the VIP room located on the second floor, which accommodates up to 20 guests, inclusive of a private chef and show kitchen. Off to the side, Louis shares that the challenge in creating the venue was having to put things off.

“Doing things ‘tomorrow na lang’,” he says. “What I wanted to happen today, happened always a month later!”

Large artworks greet guests as soon as they enter the foyer of the restaurant.

The second floor has a lot of antiques, such as the large, repurposed trunk, the vintage weighing scale and grandfather clock.

Louis and Michel lounging on a couch that Louis personally chose overseas.

As of writing, La Vie in the Sky still has more to offer. Michel and Louis have many plans, such as adding five tents on the property’s cliffside, with a glass elevator that leads down to it. Michel says he’s the type to do constant upgrades.

“That’s the way I operate, even in my safari. I spend and spend and spend. I guess when I die, that’s when I’ll stop. My son is like this,” he smiles as he says this, making a tightly-closed fist. Then he opens his hand, showing his palm. “And I’m like this. What can I do with my money? I can’t take it wherever I go.”

When the sun sets, the atmosphere at La Vie in the Sky changes and becomes more intimate.

Guests may opt to avail of the VIP Room, where they have a personal chef and a show kitchen.

As the photo shoot goes on, the trust between Michel and Louis seems almost palpable. They’re communicating often, sharing thoughts and discussing ideas.

Louis jokes that he wears the metaphorical dress in the relationship, as he’s decorated the house, but Michel insists that they both have a leg in the pants. I had to ask if there were times when they butted heads.

“That’s the way I operate, even in my safari. I spend and spend and spend. I guess when I die, that’s when I’ll stop.” -Michel Lhuillier

“I wouldn’t dare,” Louis says.

“There is really no need for that,” Michel adds. “I mean, it would just be a waste of time and energy. We are both intelligent people and we share each other’s ideas.”

The iconic wine cellar in La Vie Parisienne is replicated here, but is roomier to accommodate more people.

“He believed in me, and this made me grow,” Louis divulges. “My own dad never gave me that.”

Just as we wrap up, the sun begins to set over Cebu, turning the skies into a lovely mix of pink and orange hues. It’s near-cliche, albeit fitting, to end the shoot this way, alluding to the ending the day on a warm, colorful note. The two crack open cold beers, clinking the bottles as a toast to all the hard work done—and to the sky-high future of La Vie in the Sky.