FORCE OF NATURE

Joanne de Lépinay has infused her home with botanical references to echo its exotic surroundings

- RACHEL LEEDHAM

The Cap Ferret home of Joanne de Lépinay and her husband, Gregory, may be situated in one of the liveliest areas of the village, but step across the threshold and the hustle and bustle of the street is instantly left behind. The entrance is, in fact, a relaxing living space that is open to the garden, where lush planting evokes a tropical feel and a plunge pool lined with zellige tiles lends a sense of serenity. ‘With this house I really could blur the boundaries between the interiors and the exterior,’ Joanne explains.

The couple, who are based in Bordeaux, purchased the 1960s property five years ago. ‘Gregory is from Cap Ferret and we have always had a home here; it is where our son and two daughters, who are now grown up, spent all their summers and they still return every year,’ recounts Joanne. ‘This house needed a lot of work and we completely revised the layouts, but what really appealed from the outset is the way in which it is oriented around the garden.’

AUTHENTIC STYLE