After years of travelling for work, Aurélie was looking for a place to settle down in the countryside. Buying her first home was something she’d been dreaming of for a long time, and it was in the Pays d’Auge, a region she loves for its rolling landscapes, that she finally concentrated her search.
‘I prefer to be inland rather than by the sea, even though we’re only 10 minutes from coastal Honfleur,’ she says. ‘I like feeling isolated, with the forest at the end of our path.’ Despite the dated decor, she immediately felt at home. ‘The space, at 140 square metres, is just perfect. Big enough for entertaining family and friends, but not too huge for maintenance,’ she says. ‘I love the cosy cottage feel, with small rooms.’
Aurélie, who shares her passion for decorating on her Instagram account, did most of the work herself. She kept the layout of the house the same, with a library, kitchen and living room on the ground floor, and two bedrooms, bathroom and mezzanine upstairs. The main changes were aesthetic. ‘I wanted to reintroduce the charm of the old. When you don’t have the budget to change everything, I think the floor is the most important thing – it completely changes the atmosphere of a room.’
are from Maison Péchavy. - Julien Fernandez -
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In the living room, the blue-green staircase and off-white wooden ceiling transform the previously old-fashioned space into a bright, stylish room. The home is infused with Anglo-Norman touches, with equestrian and nautical details typical of the region, and a bold use of colour. ‘I love the way the English combine colour and pattern. This style is appropriate for Normandy, where there have always been British influences,’ says Aurélie.
Green is used in every room, starting with the shutters and front door, which are painted moss grey. ‘It’s the colour that best represents the Normandy landscape,’ says Aurélie. She chose to give the kitchen’s original furniture a makeover in Farrow & Ball’s Duck Green, too. The worktop and sink have been updated, while appliances are hidden behind floral curtains for a British touch.
in Garden by Little Greene, as is the Ikea bed, which has been transformed into a bench seat.
The eiderdown is from Haomy. Curtains are homemade and from Loberon. - Julien Fernandez -
to the bedroom, which is decorated with an antique nautical painting and a landing net. The Ikea hanging lamp was customised with dried hydrangeas. All the furniture are antiques, the bed linen and cushions are from La Redoute Interieurs and the eiderdown is from La Maison Deauville. - Julien Fernandez -
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Nature also inspired the fresco adorning the alcove beds on the mezzanine. ‘I called in the painter Térence Minassian, whose work I discovered on Instagram. My brief was ‘a trip to a forest in Normandy’, Aurélie says. ‘Even adults want to sleep in these beds! It’s like being wrapped in a cocoon.’
Aurélie loves spending time in her characterful green library. ‘It started out as a soulless games room,’ she says. ‘I wanted to make it a cosy, intimate room that contrasts with the living room and its high ceilings. Books have this ability to take us on a journey.’
Apart from the sofas, all the furniture was found at the region’s flea markets and antiques shops. ‘I wanted to give the impression that the cottage had been lived in for generations. When I was a child I used to fantasise about having a holiday home where all the generations could get together for holidays and Christmas. I’ve made that dream come true here,’ she says.
The cottage is available to rent.For more information, visit @la_roquerie