With its distinctive brick. and flint walls and shuttered windows, this early 20th-century former fisherman's cottage really couldn't be anywhere e other than the Pays de Caux, as its architecture is so typical of the region's vernacular.
In fact, everything about the house and its locale is quintessentially French: this part of northern Normandy is closely associated with important artists and writers, from Maupassant and Victor Hugo to Claude Monet and his fellow Impressionists, many of whom painted the area's beaches and high chalk cliffs.
Step through the door, however, and you embark on a journey around the world: first to Duncan Grant and Vanessa Bell's Charleston farmhouse, just across the Channel, and then on to Spain and Africa. At every turn another influence can be detected in either the decor or the collections on display, all of which have been gathered by the owners, antiques dealer Laurent Di Benedetto and his partner, Didier, a travel guide publisher.
Shields from Oceania stand alongside large wingback chairs covered in William Morris fabric, abstract canvases, and animal heads woven from wicker. There are lengths of coconut cloth picked up in California, carpets from Tunisia, and ceramics from Morocco.
In the little sitting room, the white-painted brick fireplace seems to have always stood opposite the Napoleon-style daybed and yet, it was only recently rebuilt from scratch.
Denne historien er fra July 2023-utgaven av Homes & Antiques.
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Denne historien er fra July 2023-utgaven av Homes & Antiques.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Collecting Dioramas MINIATURE WORLDS
From elaborate taxidermy museum displays to humble folk art creations, a diorama can transport us to another time and place
Pride of place LEEDS CREAMWARE
In its heyday the pre-eminent rival to Wedgwood's Queens ware, Leeds creamware is still much revered by collectors for its understated elegance
Bohemian Rhapsody
An exuberant approach to decor, with rooms enveloped in colour and pattern, has brought this historic home merrily into the 21st century...
THE ANTIQUES THAT SHAPED ME Rory Hutton
The accessories designer on his love of silver spoons and Sévres porcelain
European HERITAGE B&Bs
Is there anything more inspiring than staying somewhere that's both beautifully stylish and imbued with history? Rhiannon Batten explores five gems across Europe, from Sweden to Spain...
STAR SALES
A Hitchens painting, a museum-quality teapot and a Parisian chocolate box are all top of the lots
Textile designs by artists
Influential 20th-century fine artists and sculptors, from Picasso to Barbara Hepworth, gained additional status as textile designers until decline set in during the 1970s
Period DRAMA
A painstaking renovation has brought this 1725 former Huguenot silk weaver's house in London's Spitalfields back to life
An artist's RESIDENCE
Rustic details and a restrained palette lend a sense of simplicity to this lovingly restored Friesian bakery
Carefully Curated LIVING
This lovingly restored Gustavian manor has become both home and showroom for its owners, Maria & Jan Åke, who deal in European antiques