< PreviousABOVE: An André Arbus piano decorated with gold leaf and a 1950s Paolo Buff a table stand in the hall; the rug is from Tai Ping. OPPOSITE PAGE: A sculpture called La Marathonienne by Philippe Hiquily stands on the lawn beyond the pool; the historic Château de Grimaud can be seen in the distance. PREVIOUS PAGES: The distinctive shade of red on the façade of the chateau was applied by specially hired Venetian artisans. RINGING AN OLD BUILDING INT O THE MODERN D AY requires passion, vi- sion and a little bit of magic: all qualities that the Porto-based design duo Artur Mi- randa and Jacques Bec, aka Oitoemponto (Portuguese for ‘8 o’clock precisely’), bring to each of their projects. In the case of this one, a 40,000-square-foot chateau over- looking the Gulf of St-Tropez on the French Riviera, their task was to transform a hig- gledy-piggledy collection of unloved struc- tures into a refi ned and luxurious home, a design mission that they accomplished with their customary fl air and precision. When the designers fi rst visited the châ- teau, they found what they remember as ‘a kind of Sleeping Beauty – an enormous and heavy bastide composed of a lot of different buildings. It was old and nearly abandoned, a very dark and chaotic maze.’ What fol- lowed was a fi ve-year project to bring it into the twenty-fi rst century and restore a sense of its grandeur and unique character. Ex- panded by various families over several cen- turies, the property includes a medieval tower and a 17th-century chapel. Initially, the owner wanted them to de- molish the entire site and start again, but they persuaded him to let them transform it into the elegant house ‘with a kind of Tus- can allure’ that they knew instinctively it could become. Their fi rst proposal was to move the winery that occupied the entire ground fl oor to its own building outside the chateau, which allowed them to vastly ex- pand the living space. The owner, an extremely successful chil- dren’s clothing entrepreneur, is a long-time client and a friend of Miranda and Bec, so they knew exactly what he wanted from a holiday residence. As he loves to entertain family and friends, key to the brief was to create a house with enough social spaces and bedrooms for his three children and their families to stay at the same time. Fur- ther, as the house is used year-round, he re- quested ‘summer’ and ‘winter’ areas: the former occupying the ground fl oor and gar- dens, while the latter are housed on the fi rst fl oor. Throughout, the sense of luxury comes through not only in the decoration, but in the sheer scale of the rooms. This is a home designed for downtime and fun, for all ages, as befi ts the free-spirit- edness of its location. Days can be spent lounging by the pool – which Miranda and B 72 AD_036_70-79_Arena_Provence_11436464.indd 7213/12/2020 10:53:57 AMAD_036_70-79_Arena_Provence_11436464.indd 7313/12/2020 10:54:15 AMA pair of extra-tall windows fl anking the doors to the dining room emphasise the height of the winter salon; above the door hangs a large round artwork incorporating preserved butterfl ies by Damien Hirst. AD_036_70-79_Arena_Provence_11436464.indd 7413/12/2020 10:54:24 AMCLOCKWISE FROM TOP: The Chinese-red kitchen cabinets were designed by Oitoemponto, as was the granite-topped table; bookshelves constructed from richly coloured ziricote wood in the smoking room; in the winter salon, a bronze Diego Giacometti table stands in front of the fi replace, and an oil painting by Georges Mathieu hangs above. To the left, a concealed mirrored door leads discreetly to the smoking room. “ WE WANTED THE HOUSE TO HAVE A HISTORY – TO GIVE A FEELING OF TIME PASSING ” AD_036_70-79_Arena_Provence_11436464.indd 7513/12/2020 10:54:37 AMA set of fauteuils by Maxime Old, upholstered in an Hermès jacquard, surround an art-deco-style rosewood and brass table by Oitoemponto in the dining room. The opaline Murano- glass chandelier chimes with the boiserie, painted in Blanc de Roi by Atelier Mériguet Carrère. 76 AD_036_70-79_Arena_Provence_11436464.indd 7613/12/2020 10:54:56 AM000 Bec created from the former sheepfold in the grounds – relaxing at the spa, or, for the owner’s seven grandchildren, at the huge playground in the garden. After dark, there are indoor and outdoor bars, a jewel-toned roulette room, a clubby smoking room and a self-contained disco, housed in the former tractor garage, to choose from. When it came to the interior design, Mi- randa and Bec aimed to balance the comfort and ease needed in a family home with style and a sense of gravitas. ‘We wanted to give a feeling of time passing, of different styles and periods,’ says Bec. ‘We wanted the house to have a history.’ The fi nishes and furnish- ings they have used have been carefully cho- sen to defi ne each space: the spectacular sculptural staircase that spirals up from the entrance hall has a Macassar-ebony balus- trade; delicate boiserie lines the dining room; and each bedroom is given its own character by an exquisite wallcovering in hand-painted De Gournay silk, Pierre Frey embroidered linen or a chic Thibaut print. In each case, the designs complement the owner’s remarkable art collection. The brief for the colour palette was that there should be absolutely no green: ‘That was the biggest challenge,’ says Miranda. ‘The owner believes that green should be for the garden only.’ So they decided to envelop the exterior with a natural lime coating in a rich Venetian red, a colour echoed inside by the dashes of Chinese red lacquer that are shot through the varied – albeit greenless – palette of the rooms. Cutting-edge technology has been seam- lessly integrated, so that it ‘disappears under the decor’, as the designers put it. Televi- sions are hidden by mirrors or concealed within the ceilings; there is a USB socket wherever one might be needed; and the lights, sound and temperature in each room is controlled by a discreet tablet. For Miranda and Bec, the room that sums up the aesthetic of the chateau is the winter salon, where they installed three grand arched windows that fl ood the room with light and give expansive views of the gardens and sky. Combining opulence with a convivi- al atmosphere, it’s the epitome of a property where lavish scale and luxury combine with minute attention to detail and comfort to create the ultimate relaxing retreat. New book, A Chateau on the French Rivi- era: Modern Interiors by Oitoemponto (Flam- marion), is out now. AD_036_70-79_Arena_Provence_11436464.indd 7713/12/2020 10:55:10 AMCLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: A banquette by Hervé Van der Straeten stands at the end of the bed in the main suite. The wallcovering is a hand-painted bamboo-motif silk by de Gournay; the Macassar ebony and shagreen chest is a Jean Pascaud design from 1936; a view from the dressing room into the Grimaud bedroom, whose walls and bedcover are in Nemour, a fabric by Thibaut. OPPOSITE PAGE: An acrylic and neon artwork by the German artist Peter Klasen hangs above in the disco, which occupies the former tractor barn. “ THIS IS A HOME DESIGNED FOR FUN, WITH A DISCO IN THE OLD GARAGE ” 78 AD_036_70-79_Arena_Provence_11436464.indd 7813/12/2020 10:55:22 AMAD_036_70-79_Arena_Provence_11436464.indd 7913/12/2020 10:55:41 AM80 IN THE HEIR At Glorup on Denmark’s Funen Island, history whispers in the corridors. The sprawling house is decorated with centuries-old antiques and art, but with the 9th generation now at the helm, the winds of change are blowing through the estate Words & styling Mille Collin Flaherty Photography Line Thit Klein AD_036_80-91_Arena_Denmark_11435652.indd 8013/12/2020 10:57:48 AMAD_036_80-91_Arena_Denmark_11435652.indd 8113/12/2020 10:58:05 AMNext >