Antiques Road Show

After buying a second home, in France, the designer Claire Vivier called up fellow designer Kate Berry to go on the ultimate shopping spree

- ERIN FLORIO

WHEN LOS ANGELES-BASED designer Clare Vivier began decorating the 19th-century house she'd bought in her husband's hometown of Saint-Calais, in France's Loire Valley, she had a particular aesthetic in mind. "I love color and patterns but wanted something peaceful, so the intention was to create a dialogue between those two things," she says. She wanted the house to have a blend of contemporary pieces, antiques, and textiles from heritage maisons to create a space that, much like her namesake handbag and fashion label, channeled both California fun and French sophistication. She also knew that she wanted her longtime friend Kate Berry, a designer and creative director, to help her make it happen.

So this past May, the pair, along with Vivier's husband, Thierry, hit the road from Saint-Calais and ventured south to an area of Provence renowned for its artisanal wares and plethora of secondhand designer furnishings and textiles. "This is where the vendors at Paris's flea markets shop then sell at higher prices in Paris," says Berry.

During a week exploring the area, they combed the flea markets of L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, the expert antique brokers in Arles, and the collections at designer houses in pocket-size villages like Vallabrègues. In addition to the stash of fantastic one-off finds, there's the sense of community here you don't find in places like Paris. "We'd wander into these shops and the owners would say, 'You like these pots? You need to go check out my neighbor-he has even more!'" says Vivier. "It never feels transactional. These owners want to talk about you and know what you are doing." They got tips from their well-connected friends, including Tony Freund, of the editorial marketplace 1stdibs; Xavier Donnelly, of architecture and hospitality firm Ash NYC; and interior designer Rodman Primack. But they kept the schedule loose in order to, as Berry says, "leave room for discovery."