Houzz Tour: 1900s Elegance in a French Manor House
Traditional decor feels fresh and timely in this bright and airy home in Normandy
Agnès Carpentier
December 24, 2022
In fall 2019, these 40-something Parisians with two kids fulfilled their dream of buying a second home in the countryside, close to Pont-l’Évêque in Normandy, France. Searching for a charming property, they fell in love with this three-story, 1900s-style brick manor house on a hill, which nestles into the surrounding landscape.
The family turned to decorator and interior designer Flore Guenoun-Delessard to support them and oversee the renovation. Guenoun-Delessard is passionate about reinventing family homes with delicate and contemporary touches, and catered to all of their wishes. “It’s always important for me to combine functionality and simple, unpretentious decor with light, refinement and everlasting charm. With that in mind, I mix contemporary and antique furniture, art and artisanal pieces and natural touches until the true feel of the property is revealed,” she says.
The family turned to decorator and interior designer Flore Guenoun-Delessard to support them and oversee the renovation. Guenoun-Delessard is passionate about reinventing family homes with delicate and contemporary touches, and catered to all of their wishes. “It’s always important for me to combine functionality and simple, unpretentious decor with light, refinement and everlasting charm. With that in mind, I mix contemporary and antique furniture, art and artisanal pieces and natural touches until the true feel of the property is revealed,” she says.
Photos from MaisonFlore, Flore Guenoun-Delessard
House at a Glance:
Who lives here: A Parisian couple in their 40s with two girls, ages 3 and 11
Location: Near Pont-l’Évêque (Calvados, France)
Size: 2,260 square feet (210 square meters)
Designers: Flore Guenoun-Delessard of MaisonFlore (interior design), Neptune (kitchen design)
This beautiful three-story building had already been renovated and was previously owned by a French-British couple who lived here for 10 years. Guenoun-Delessard combined the living and dining areas and replaced all the windows. The new owners found it extremely cozy as it was, but asked for more light in the space and less ornate decor.
To bathe the interior in light, Guenoun-Delessard suggested opening up the kitchen to the living room to create a coherent L-shaped room. “Combining the rooms also gave this area great flow,” she says.
Interior design was the main focus of the project, but the professional also came up with an energy budget for the building. Even though the heat pump was relatively new, she recommended insulating the walls on the third floor and the first floor, where she noticed some colder areas. “We also had the fireplace redone as it was elevated and rather odd, but we put the stove back inside because it was very useful,” she says.
The electricity and plumbing were also replaced, as was the flooring on the first floor. The original tiles were not meant to be replaced but were removed as they were too uneven. The floor was lowered by 12 inches, covered with thick insulation and then finished in solid oak. “We used three board sizes with different spacing between each and opted to nail them down to echo the originals,” Guenoun-Delessard says.
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House at a Glance:
Who lives here: A Parisian couple in their 40s with two girls, ages 3 and 11
Location: Near Pont-l’Évêque (Calvados, France)
Size: 2,260 square feet (210 square meters)
Designers: Flore Guenoun-Delessard of MaisonFlore (interior design), Neptune (kitchen design)
This beautiful three-story building had already been renovated and was previously owned by a French-British couple who lived here for 10 years. Guenoun-Delessard combined the living and dining areas and replaced all the windows. The new owners found it extremely cozy as it was, but asked for more light in the space and less ornate decor.
To bathe the interior in light, Guenoun-Delessard suggested opening up the kitchen to the living room to create a coherent L-shaped room. “Combining the rooms also gave this area great flow,” she says.
Interior design was the main focus of the project, but the professional also came up with an energy budget for the building. Even though the heat pump was relatively new, she recommended insulating the walls on the third floor and the first floor, where she noticed some colder areas. “We also had the fireplace redone as it was elevated and rather odd, but we put the stove back inside because it was very useful,” she says.
The electricity and plumbing were also replaced, as was the flooring on the first floor. The original tiles were not meant to be replaced but were removed as they were too uneven. The floor was lowered by 12 inches, covered with thick insulation and then finished in solid oak. “We used three board sizes with different spacing between each and opted to nail them down to echo the originals,” Guenoun-Delessard says.
Find an interior designer near you
Before: This is what the living-dining room looked like at the time of purchase, with the previous owners’ decor.
After: The new owners made their preference for sleek designs and family furniture clear from the beginning. The owner is also an art enthusiast, as evidenced by the large painting pictured here, which he bought at an auction, or the street art piece by Levalet displayed to the right of the fireplace.
Guenoun-Delessard used the large canvas as the starting point for the rest of the decor, which looks as though it was put together bit by bit over the years. “The family bought everything for this house. A great part of my job is rummaging for antique pieces and putting them together to suit my clients’ wishes as much as possible,” she says.
To make interiors stand out and feel both modern and authentic, she carefully selects unique pieces from different eras and styles. “The chandelier came from a flea market in Sarzeau, northwestern France, the Louis Philippe mirror is from Selency, the Scandinavian coffee tables from Pamono, and the sofas were new from La Redoute,” she says. Her master stroke? “Surprising the homeowners with a real 1950s cocktail chair that I found for $190,” she says, referring to the cute khaki armchair in the corner.
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
Guenoun-Delessard used the large canvas as the starting point for the rest of the decor, which looks as though it was put together bit by bit over the years. “The family bought everything for this house. A great part of my job is rummaging for antique pieces and putting them together to suit my clients’ wishes as much as possible,” she says.
To make interiors stand out and feel both modern and authentic, she carefully selects unique pieces from different eras and styles. “The chandelier came from a flea market in Sarzeau, northwestern France, the Louis Philippe mirror is from Selency, the Scandinavian coffee tables from Pamono, and the sofas were new from La Redoute,” she says. Her master stroke? “Surprising the homeowners with a real 1950s cocktail chair that I found for $190,” she says, referring to the cute khaki armchair in the corner.
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
Before: The wall with the bookcase in this image was knocked through to connect the kitchen and dining room.
After: Guenoun-Delessard also swapped the direction of the table around to make it perpendicular to the windows. A mirror brightens the immaculate backdrop, with contrasting dark furniture and new black cast iron radiators standing out. “In a real Deco move, we opted for beautiful Rococo-style cast iron models that give the main room character and authenticity,” Guenoun-Delessard says.
The designer found a wooden table and three pairs of vintage bistro chairs with curved silhouettes. “I brought them from a secondhand dealer in eastern France who specializes in vintage bentwood chairs,” she shares.
Perhaps predestined by her first name, Flore Guenoun-Delessard loves plants and flowers, both green and dried. She suggested putting some around the living area. “They add a natural touch by contrasting the squareness of other objects with their unstructured, organic shapes,” she says.
The designer found a wooden table and three pairs of vintage bistro chairs with curved silhouettes. “I brought them from a secondhand dealer in eastern France who specializes in vintage bentwood chairs,” she shares.
Perhaps predestined by her first name, Flore Guenoun-Delessard loves plants and flowers, both green and dried. She suggested putting some around the living area. “They add a natural touch by contrasting the squareness of other objects with their unstructured, organic shapes,” she says.
After: The new owners wanted the kitchen to be discreet and sophisticated once it was connected to the living room. So they opted for a line of light oak cabinets and a hutch. Perhaps inspired by the previous owners, they bought them from the English brand Neptune, choosing from two different collections. “The black tones of the china cabinet and gas stove match the charcoal black on the radiators,” she says.
The couple opted for a Carrara marble countertop for a homey feel. “The kitchen designer initially warned them against it, because marble is sensitive to contact with acidic substances such as lemon or tomato, but they insisted and have no regrets,” Guenoun-Delessard says. “It turned out to be more resistant than expected, judging by their first feedback after the installation.”
Before: The staircase is an essential feature of a manor house. Located in the center of the house, it leads up to the two upper stories. The owners had hoped to find a magnificent wooden staircase under the red carpet. Unfortunately, it turned out that it had concealed damage to the steps, so the owners decided to cover them with a new navy carpet.
After: Renovating the pitch pine floor upstairs didn’t work out as planned either. “The owners wanted to sand it down, but it turned out to have a caramel and reddish color, and we decided to paint it white instead, which ended up making the center of the house brighter. That was a really nice surprise,” Guenoun-Delessard says.
The second floor has two large bedrooms, two bathrooms and an office. The floor plan remained the same except that Guenoun-Delessard connected one of the bathrooms to the primary bedroom as an en suite.
The second floor has two large bedrooms, two bathrooms and an office. The floor plan remained the same except that Guenoun-Delessard connected one of the bathrooms to the primary bedroom as an en suite.
Since the owners loved the original toile de Jouy wallpaper, Guenoun-Delessard found a nonwoven wallpaper in the same style that brings a fresh take on the look.
After: To create the soft and luminous ambiance the owners wanted, Guenoun-Delessard put together a cocoon of white highlighted with a few hints of color to match the living areas. A Persian rug warms the feet while the small desk acts as a nice transition between the two windows. The fireplace is newly painted white, and Guenoun-Delessard had the old floor tiles in front of it cleaned.
Long raw-linen curtains adorn the sash windows. “We did not want to change the windows, which were new and double-glazed. The previous owners had brought them from England, and I always try to keep as many historical or high-quality elements as possible,” the interior designer says.
Before: The primary bedroom’s bathroom was accessed from the landing. It was in great condition, but the owners were not so pleased with it. “We hadn’t necessarily planned to redo it from the start, but once the rooms were decorated to their tastes, it really didn’t fit with the rest of the house, and we ended up renovating everything,” Guenoun-Delessard says.
After: All its features, from the subway tiles to the linen curtains, dark wood arched chairs and marble-topped vanity, were hand-picked to add old-fashioned charm. “The homeowner took the opportunity to treat herself to floor tiles that are a replica of the ones that were in her grandmother’s house — a real memory trigger,” Guenoun-Delessard says.
The bathroom cabinet resembles a washbasin cabinet from the 1900s, when people bathed from a jug. It is however new, made by a carpenter based on the professional’s drawings. “I love period furniture, but I regularly use tailor-made cabinets and bathroom furniture. It allows me to optimize the available space down to the last centimeter and get the design just right,” she says.
The cabinet was made of walnut-stained light oak, with an added Carrara marble top and a new faucet in an antique style.
Before: This is the second room on the second floor, a beautiful 178-square-foot room that’s identical to the primary bedroom.
After: The homeowners took special care not to completely duplicate the decor and mood between rooms, while preserving the overall coherence on each story. They were therefore eager to use the same palette here in the guest room as in the main bedroom.
“They wanted a simple interior with few objects, lots of floor space and white tones to foreground the dark colors of the antique furniture with its beautiful curved shapes, which they especially love,” Guenoun-Delessard says.
Before: The third floor had three rooms and a bathroom. The owners set this story aside for their daughters, ages 11 and 3. Guenoun-Delessard left the layout as is, but renovated the rooms.
The largest, 215-square-foot, room is now the couple’s eldest daughter’s bedroom.
The largest, 215-square-foot, room is now the couple’s eldest daughter’s bedroom.
After: Its interior is softened by a very light pink on the wall with contrasting white beams. The young girl already has impeccable taste. “The Jieldé lamp was in her parents’ apartment in Paris. They wanted to get rid of it and put it up for sale, but she asked to keep it since she liked it a lot,” Guenoun-Delessard says.
After: The interior designer found a vintage 1940s Danish wardrobe. Its painted flowers add a pretty touch. As the room was big, she also suggested adding a living room corner, an idea that was gratefully received.
After: For the couple’s 3-year-old daughter, the designer incorporated a soft and delightfully vintage ambiance with a metal antique-style bed and a toy chest from a flea market.
She hit the nail on the head with this Betsy print for the Liberty bed linen. The owners were even able to match it with two recycled braided bed bumpers.
After: It also features a lot of white, with touches of gray and ecru highlighted with golden tones.
After: We ended our tour with the girls’ bathroom. It has the same overall feel as their bedrooms, with pale pink and shades of white. A bathtub replaced the shower, another vanity unit was built to match the model on the lower floor, and the old walls were preserved as a charming element.
“I coordinated with several different professionals, which was no small feat since the project began two weeks before the first lockdown. With craftspeople backing out and products that had sold out, the project was significantly delayed. Not to mention that the homeowners couldn’t travel from Paris to attend meetings on-site. … But everything turned out very well, and the building contractors were delighted with the results,” she says.
Her current wish? “Quite simply, to restore charm in another family home. There are so many beautiful French houses that use a new lease on life!”
Her current wish? “Quite simply, to restore charm in another family home. There are so many beautiful French houses that use a new lease on life!”
Contractor: Philippe le Guevel
Carpenter: William Layné
Electricity: Denis Lemonnier
Carrara marble countertops (kitchen and bathrooms): Motte Décoration (Le Pré-d’Auge, France)
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Carpenter: William Layné
Electricity: Denis Lemonnier
Carrara marble countertops (kitchen and bathrooms): Motte Décoration (Le Pré-d’Auge, France)
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Just beautiful.
Dreamy place!
Gorgeous
wonderful!!!