In the Vexin Français, an hour from Paris, Villa Coraline sits on the edge of a golf course, in the heart of a bird sanctuary. Here, the calm is broken only by birdsong, and the light has a rare softness — the very light that drew the Impressionists to this corner of France.
Its owner, a Frenchman with a deep love of quiet, once lived in the region and had a house here. This time, he was looking for something smaller: a pied-à-terre where he could settle in whenever he returns to the countryside he holds so dear. Maison Aurelys renovated it from top to bottom.
In the living room, a fireplace was installed and fitted with a small wood-burning insert, so that a real fire now warms the room. Above it hangs a gilded mirror which, like the paintings, comes from the owner's family. The walls are dressed in the Rayure Joséphine wallpaper by Isidore Leroy, found at Au Fil des Couleurs in Paris, while the lamp with its patterned shade comes from Casa Lopez.
« I had three chairs in my house; one for solitude, two for friendship, three for society. »
— Henry David Thoreau, American writer and naturalist
Opening onto the garden, the sitting area invites you to slow down: the Odna sofa from La Redoute, scattered with cushions from Le Bon Marché, and the Thierry side tables in beige, designed by Piero Lissoni for Kartell. Golden curtains by Caravane frame the view of the trees, where birds come and go all day long.
The kitchen was entirely redone with Bocklip: oak cabinets and open shelves above, soft cream fronts with rounded corners below, and a brass tap against a softly veined splashback. Underfoot, the parquet comes from CarréSol. Alongside, the dining table and chairs are vintage finds from Selency, set simply with fresh flowers and a bowl of fruit.
The staircase has become one of the house's signatures. Slender wooden slats already lined the mezzanine, so Maison Aurelys chose to repeat them along the stairs: they give the house a more architectural rhythm while keeping the staircase safe. Beneath it, where there was nothing before, made-to-measure storage now holds sliding drawers and the washer-dryer. Throughout the house, the brass door knobs are by the English brand Corston.
« Architecture is the masterly, correct and magnificent play of masses brought together in light. »
— Le Corbusier, Swiss-French architect
Upstairs, under the eaves, the bedroom is bathed in light from a skylight that opens onto the treetops. Soft bedding in warm, earthy tones makes it a place of rest, where mornings begin with birdsong.
As night falls and the birds grow quiet, the house glows by candlelight.
On the wall hangs the Aubépine wall candleholder, while the Bellflower candleholders, finished with 22-carat gold applied by hand with a fine brush, light up the table and the sideboard. Both belong to Lumière Sauvage, the first Maison Aurelys collection: each piece is shaped entirely by hand from porcelain in Montreal, so no two are alike. Discover Aubépine and Bellflower → Collection
« There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort. »
— Jane Austen, English novelist