Houzz Tour: Sustainable, Elegant Design for a French Farmhouse
Reused materials, upcycled finds and rustic antiques speak of the owner’s travels and his commitment to sustainability
Tucked in among the hills of Provence in southern France, with long views toward the Mediterranean, this 19th century farmhouse had old bones, original features and an idyllic setting. Its interior was in reasonable shape, but when its new owner — a Brit working mostly in Nepal — took it on, it was not to his taste.
He contacted Decorbuddi interior designer Stephanie Bailey to work on a redesign. “I happened to be in France when I got the call so I hopped on the [train] to Provence to meet him,” Bailey says. Decorbuddi designer Jo Miller flew over from the UK and was struck by the beautiful setting. “Out of every window there were views of valleys and vineyards,” Miller says.
Bailey and Miller created a relaxed, striking design for the interiors and the outdoor entertaining area using natural materials, antiques and upcycled pieces, as well as layers of mellow color.
He contacted Decorbuddi interior designer Stephanie Bailey to work on a redesign. “I happened to be in France when I got the call so I hopped on the [train] to Provence to meet him,” Bailey says. Decorbuddi designer Jo Miller flew over from the UK and was struck by the beautiful setting. “Out of every window there were views of valleys and vineyards,” Miller says.
Bailey and Miller created a relaxed, striking design for the interiors and the outdoor entertaining area using natural materials, antiques and upcycled pieces, as well as layers of mellow color.
While pulling together the new design, Bailey and Miller were careful to keep the building and location in mind. “You have to be respectful of the architecture,” Bailey says. “We were really fortunate that it had all the dark wooden doors and beams, and the most incredible flagstones on the ground floor and terra-cotta floor tile upstairs.”
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Bailey, Miller and the owner share a love of antique pieces and rich color. “He was very definite that he didn’t want that typical Provençal look, all lime-washed furniture and yellow and blue block prints,” Bailey says. “We didn’t want anything to be too pretty, flouncy or floral.”
These armchairs hit the mark perfectly. “We fell in love with those chairs and they became a keystone of the design in here,” Bailey says.
George club chairs: Oka
These armchairs hit the mark perfectly. “We fell in love with those chairs and they became a keystone of the design in here,” Bailey says.
George club chairs: Oka
The window frames were painted a pale blue, adding a cool note amid the warmer tones. Sofas in pinkish red and pale off-white pick up colors from the armchair upholstery.
Sofas: Sofas & Stuff
Sofas: Sofas & Stuff
Homes in France are often sold with the furniture included. As the owner is passionate about sustainability, he was eager to reuse any existing pieces. “Anything we didn’t use we gave to a local charity,” Bailey says.
The little console table came with the house and the team had it painted the same pale blue as the window frames.
Pendant lights: The Lamp Workshop
The little console table came with the house and the team had it painted the same pale blue as the window frames.
Pendant lights: The Lamp Workshop
Although the owner loves color and Moroccan style, the designers were careful about how they used it. “We didn’t want it to look like a pastiche of a souk,” Bailey says. Neutral walls and rustic wood help keep the design understated.
It was also important that any furniture brought in looked as if it had always been in the house. “Antique pieces always add texture and, in this context, worked perfectly with the old farmhouse,” Bailey says.
Bailey and Miller sourced a lot of the antique pieces in the UK, at fairs, online and even in charity shops, and then shipped them over. They found the old Indian shutters that are hanging on the wall at Kempton Antiques Fair.
It was also important that any furniture brought in looked as if it had always been in the house. “Antique pieces always add texture and, in this context, worked perfectly with the old farmhouse,” Bailey says.
Bailey and Miller sourced a lot of the antique pieces in the UK, at fairs, online and even in charity shops, and then shipped them over. They found the old Indian shutters that are hanging on the wall at Kempton Antiques Fair.
Miller purchased this little antique bench on eBay.
The kitchen was in good working order but had the same stone-colored granite countertop throughout. “We added loads of tiles to give it more depth,” Miller says.
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A large kitchen island was modified to create space for seating. “We chopped up the island [to make it smaller],” Miller says.
She found the kitchen chairs in France and had them painted crimson for one of those “wow” moments the owner wanted to include.
Chairs: Pamono; chair paint: Geisha, Paint & Paper Library; rattan pendant light: Lights & Lamps
She found the kitchen chairs in France and had them painted crimson for one of those “wow” moments the owner wanted to include.
Chairs: Pamono; chair paint: Geisha, Paint & Paper Library; rattan pendant light: Lights & Lamps
Open shelves along the far wall were removed and cabinets were installed in their place to provide additional storage and compensate for what had been lost by reducing the size of the island.
The island top was then clad in zellige tiles hand-painted by artist Daisy Whitney with a custom design and sealed with epoxy resin. They form a tiled edge along the countertop too.
Zellige tiles, Bert & May.
The island top was then clad in zellige tiles hand-painted by artist Daisy Whitney with a custom design and sealed with epoxy resin. They form a tiled edge along the countertop too.
Zellige tiles, Bert & May.
The budget for this redesign was not huge, so Bailey chose fabrics carefully. “The outdoor curtains are from a shop that sells double-width fabric, which is good value for money,” she says. “This also has natural UV filtering properties and is machine washable. I like my designs to be functional and to work.”
Fabric: The Cloth Shop
Fabric: The Cloth Shop
They created detailed floor and lighting plans for the remodel. “The lighting was complicated because we were working with French power supplies, which use a different amperage” from that of the UK, Miller says.
Many of the finishing touches for the house were found in Paris and St. Tropez. “That was really good fun,” Bailey says. “The color palettes on offer in some of the high street stores in France are really sophisticated.”
She purchased pillows, throw blankets, brass mirrors and little objets from French interior design retailer Caravane. “Also, Le Monde Sauvage does the most incredible [throw] cushions — lovely, authentic kantha-stitch ones, and some in crushed velvet with contrasting velvet borders,” she says.
Many of the finishing touches for the house were found in Paris and St. Tropez. “That was really good fun,” Bailey says. “The color palettes on offer in some of the high street stores in France are really sophisticated.”
She purchased pillows, throw blankets, brass mirrors and little objets from French interior design retailer Caravane. “Also, Le Monde Sauvage does the most incredible [throw] cushions — lovely, authentic kantha-stitch ones, and some in crushed velvet with contrasting velvet borders,” she says.
Another great example of avoiding waste and working sustainably is seen here, on the pizza oven. “We always buy about 10% more tile to allow for breakages,” Bailey says. “We smashed up all the leftover ones from the kitchen backsplash and mosaicked that space with them.”
“This image fulfilled an ambition of mine,” Bailey says with a laugh. “I’ve always loved the photos of Slim Aarons. This view from the bar out over the pool and the spicy orange sun loungers looks like one of his.”
On the same level as the pool is a bar and seating area. It’s built into what was the farm’s olive oil production space, complete with stone arches, and is used a lot by the owners and their friends and family.
“The yellow on the walls was the existing shade, but we quite liked it and knew it would be a good base for the earthy reds we wanted to bring in,” Bailey says. The creeping vine that grows along the ceiling here also has reddish leaves in summer.
Artist Daisy Whitney painted a design of olive leaves on the walls and a stripe around the arches (see previous photo).
Mural: Daisy Whitney Art
Artist Daisy Whitney painted a design of olive leaves on the walls and a stripe around the arches (see previous photo).
Mural: Daisy Whitney Art
The walls in the principal bedroom suite are painted a pinkish beige to create a soft, warm background. “When we first saw the property, the walls were white,” Bailey says. “There are pale blue shutters and the lighting wasn’t great originally, so it all felt a bit cold.”
To be sustainable, the wardrobe was transformed using leftover paint. “The armoire is in a combination of Leather and Geisha from Paint & Paper Library, and Tuscan Red from Little Greene,” Bailey says.
Wall paint: Leather III, Paint & Paper Library
To be sustainable, the wardrobe was transformed using leftover paint. “The armoire is in a combination of Leather and Geisha from Paint & Paper Library, and Tuscan Red from Little Greene,” Bailey says.
Wall paint: Leather III, Paint & Paper Library
The owners fell in love with this daybed early on in the design process. “It was the triangular motif on the fabric that felt really right,” Bailey says. “The property is surrounded by triangular-shaped hills. It sits overlooking a valley and the coast is in the distance. We extended that motif onto the armoire.”
Daybed: Kempton Antiques Fair
Daybed: Kempton Antiques Fair
A large headboard gives the bed a sense of grandeur. “We liked the Moorish shape and the scale of it,” Bailey says.
Curtains in a neutral cotton-linen mix are finished with a luxury velvet trim. “We fell in love with the trim, so we splurged on that and teamed it with curtain fabric that was good value for money,” Bailey says.
Cotton-linen mix fabric: The Cloth Shop; Velvet trim, Samuel & Sons
Curtains in a neutral cotton-linen mix are finished with a luxury velvet trim. “We fell in love with the trim, so we splurged on that and teamed it with curtain fabric that was good value for money,” Bailey says.
Cotton-linen mix fabric: The Cloth Shop; Velvet trim, Samuel & Sons
The rich green of the tile framing the en suite bathroom door ticked a lot of boxes. “When I think of Morocco, I immediately think of that emerald green,” Bailey says. “The owner had said green was one of his favorite colors too, and the surrounding area is so verdant. You have 360-degree views of tall Mediterranean pine and fir trees.”
In addition, Bailey was looking for something that would contrast well with the terra-cotta floor.
Tile: Bert & May
In addition, Bailey was looking for something that would contrast well with the terra-cotta floor.
Tile: Bert & May
“The tiles are a flirtatious wink of what’s to come in the en suite,” Bailey says, referring to the shower lined with dark green tiles (see next photo).
The vanity was an existing piece that was originally much bigger. “The back of it went up the wall, with a dark wooden frame around two mirrors and elaborate 1980s wall lights,” Bailey says. “We modified it, removed the wooden frame, replastered that wall and added in the more-contemporary lighting and custom mirror.”
Wall lights: Made.com
The vanity was an existing piece that was originally much bigger. “The back of it went up the wall, with a dark wooden frame around two mirrors and elaborate 1980s wall lights,” Bailey says. “We modified it, removed the wooden frame, replastered that wall and added in the more-contemporary lighting and custom mirror.”
Wall lights: Made.com
“The original bathroom was really tired, but it had a circular shower tray which was quite cool,” Bailey says. “We were hoping to keep it but in the end had to do a whole rebuild of that corner.”
Bailey instead designed a freeform shower that her build team were able to create. “Inside you have that really opulent royal green Moroccan tile, which contrasts nicely with the marble” on the vanity, she says.
Tile: Bert & May
Bailey instead designed a freeform shower that her build team were able to create. “Inside you have that really opulent royal green Moroccan tile, which contrasts nicely with the marble” on the vanity, she says.
Tile: Bert & May
The headboards in one of the guest bedrooms were painted using leftover red from the kitchen chairs. “We were trying not to be wasteful, and hopefully the house feels cohesive as a result because of those little moments of repetition,” Bailey says.
Originally, the metal headboards were whitewashed. “It was a typical Provençal Shabby Chic look,” she says. “I knew in a ‘wow’ color they would take on a different form.”
Headboard paint: Geisha, Paint & Paper Library
Originally, the metal headboards were whitewashed. “It was a typical Provençal Shabby Chic look,” she says. “I knew in a ‘wow’ color they would take on a different form.”
Headboard paint: Geisha, Paint & Paper Library
This guest bedroom beautifully illustrates the home’s softly layered look. There are lights with a Moroccan feel, layers of linen in muted shades, a Swedish kilim rug on the floor and Indian artifacts from Ardingly Antiques Fair on the walls.
Bailey covered the headboard with a simple slipcover made from dressmaking fabric. “It transformed it for the cost of a few meters [yards] of linen, and it’s removable and machine washable too,” she says. The headboard fabric goes well with the Belgian linen pillow and throw blanket.
The owner is thrilled with the new look, saying, “There are so many things I really love, and lots of little touches that I get disproportionately excited about: the color combos, the new kitchen table, the bar top downstairs by the pool. The list goes on. There are just lots of lovely things that make me smile.”
Headboard fabric: Merchant & Mills
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Bailey covered the headboard with a simple slipcover made from dressmaking fabric. “It transformed it for the cost of a few meters [yards] of linen, and it’s removable and machine washable too,” she says. The headboard fabric goes well with the Belgian linen pillow and throw blanket.
The owner is thrilled with the new look, saying, “There are so many things I really love, and lots of little touches that I get disproportionately excited about: the color combos, the new kitchen table, the bar top downstairs by the pool. The list goes on. There are just lots of lovely things that make me smile.”
Headboard fabric: Merchant & Mills
More on Houzz
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Browse photos for ideas
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House at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with five children between them
Location: Var region, Provence, France
Size: Five bedrooms and four bathrooms on three floors
Designers: Stephanie Bailey and Jo Miller of Decorbuddi
The owner bought this former olive farm in 2024 as a place he and his wife could share with friends and extended family. He wanted a warm and livable design, with sustainable choices throughout and a “wow” moment here and there. “He didn’t want anything so precious that if he broke it he would be weeping,” Bailey says.
The owner loves Moroccan style but has worked all over the world. “He’s lived in India, Sri Lanka and Nepal and is really well traveled,” Bailey says. “He has lovely textiles, amazing bold colors and a lifetime’s collection of interesting art and objects in his London house. When Jo and I were presenting mood boards to him there, we saw it and were like, OK, we get what he likes.”
Miller agrees. “To start with, the owner wanted Moroccan and he wanted color, but we swiftly realized he wanted a world look,” she says. “The challenge was to offer him that kind of aesthetic but to incorporate it within a French farmhouse.”
The walls in the hall and landing are painted a warm pinkish beige shade. “We wanted it to be really ambient and a bit moody in there, and we knew we had good lighting going in that this tone would work with,” Bailey says.
Miller sourced the old table in France. “We had to have it cut down or it wouldn’t have fitted here,” she says. “It was more like a table than a console originally.”
Hall and landing wall paint: Leather V, Paint & Paper Library; table: Pamono