Villa Almanarre

In the Lafourcade family, who would you like to call on? Alexandre, the son, a specialist in restoring exceptional residences? Dominique, the mother, a star landscape designer? Céline, the wife, who masterfully orchestrates the renovation projects? Or the daughters, involved in decoration and events? The parents, who divide their time between the family’s historic Saint-Rémy office and their Hyères residence, could not resist the allure of this irresistibly charming house. The raw material already had tremendous panache: an eclectic-style villa dating from 1885, one of those jewels beloved by British aristocrats who came to winter in Hyères in the wake of Queen Victoria. Pistachio-green façade, turquoise ceramic cabochons, brick ornamentation: a fabulous source of inspiration for Alexandre Lafourcade, who preserved the façade (and its colours!) exactly as it was, while completely rethinking the flow of the interiors. Undaunted by the scale of the project, Juliette Macherey scattered a bouquet of colours with all the freedom of a Kit Kemp and enlisted an impressive army of highly skilled artisans. Everywhere, bespoke furniture and lighting, hand-painted wallpapers and stripes in the bathrooms, and a touch of Capri that playfully competes with the villa’s Victorian ghosts. Everything feels both fresh and soft. The bow windows of the seven bedrooms open onto the lush garden filled with exotic species, which the landscape designer Lafourcade, with her characteristic flair, has delicately reshaped. The small square pool is heated year-round, and for much of the year, the table is set beneath the terrace pergola, with the Mediterranean stretching in the background between the Giens peninsula and Porquerolles. The kitchen, with its striking stained-glass console, invites you to simmer produce gathered from local growers; the beige billiard table awaits players, the fireplace those feeling chilly, and the library tells the story of the history, art, and architecture of this rich corner of the Côte d’Azur. A small gate leads you on foot to the long Almanarre beach, where you can stop at the little seaside terraces favoured by windsurfers. Eddy, the house manager, is brimming with recommendations and excursion ideas. He prepares breakfast, scatters flowers throughout the house, and can arrange a masseur, a chef, or anything else you might wish for. After Mas Le Gaudre in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, this is a new address for the Lafourcade family, laying the foundations—with this second chapter and a third already in the making—for a warm-hearted collection of houses. This one is made to be enjoyed with friends or family, for simple, joyful moments.