Living, Travel & Culture

Summer House

Published on by IRMA

ST. TROPEZ: Just imagine creating your own place for the summer. If you are going somewhere or even if you stay at home, summer should enter your walls. We talk to Joceline Sibuet, the creator and founder of the Villa Marie in St. Tropez, a very special place to spend your holiday but also a great inspiration for your summer interior.

Your summer home should change colors and textures like for example with these beddings by Missoni Home Collection, at Villa Marie, the art on your walls and the fruits on your table.. I like the ideas of integrating gallery & Travel posters temporarily just taped on the wall. Côte d’azur © Atelier Mourlot - Image will be exhibited as part of Riviera Style: Resort & Swimwear since 1900 at the Fashion & Textile Museum, with the print available to buy at kingandmcgaw.com
Your summer home should change colors and textures like for example with these beddings by Missoni Home Collection, at Villa Marie, the art on your walls and the fruits on your table.. I like the ideas of integrating gallery & Travel posters temporarily just taped on the wall. Côte d’azur © Atelier Mourlot – Image will be exhibited as part of Riviera Style: Resort & Swimwear since 1900 at the Fashion & Textile Museum, with the print available to buy at kingandmcgaw.com

IRMA: What was the initial idea when you started with the concept of a hotel which opens only for the summer months?

JOCELINE SIBUET: The main idea was first to stay in phase with the origins and authenticity of the place, a seaside house with a beautiful view of the ocean. We really wanted to take over the codes beloved to the place, Riviera spirit and style, in other words.

IRMA: Your favorite colors for summer?

J.S.: Mandarin orange, turquoise, sunflower yellow and a lot of others but those are my favorites.
The color spirit is strongly present in various nuances at Villa Marie; we could see pastel shades or more intense colors in the rooms, that’s in order to give expression to the south and Mediterranean spirit.

IRMA: How do you create cosiness with a summer feeling in a room?

J.S.: The harmony is going to be divided with color and everything that’s going to point out the south — color accordance, concord of materials, objects or pieces of furniture that are going to give charm and underline the color, to lend the room a strong identity.

I like the idea of bringing vintage garden furniture inside, make them comfortable with cushions and vibrant colours. Use accessories, like found objects from the sea, summery candleholders and always fresh flowers to bring the garden inside. Light should be indirect and play as much as you can with the natural sunlight coming inside, use mousseline curtains to break up the light.
I like the idea of bringing vintage garden furniture inside, make them comfortable with cushions and vibrant colours. Use accessories like found objects from the sea, summery candle holders and always fresh flowers to bring the garden inside. Light should be indirect and play as much as you can with the natural sunlight coming inside, use muslin curtains to break up the light. Copyright travel poster (c) Kirstin Sinclair

IRMA: Where are you looking for inspiration when you think of a summer house?

J.S.: The creative inspiration will be different in function of the origins and the place. We always could find some similarities in the colors, but we want to offer a different style between the Provence and the French Riviera.
That’s why we get our inspiration deeply from the spirit of each region, a seaside house in a Mediterranean style for Villa Marie, always in respect of the architectural codes of the mansion and traditional places.
We’re looking each time stronger to be as close as possible to the initial spirit and authenticity of the place.

IRMA: Your favorite flowers to put in a vase for summer?

J.S.: Roses, especially antique roses, very fragrant and delicate, keeping a certain charm with a beautiful old vase or highly modern one. Our garden ones with white and pastel shades that we’re using are lovely.

IRMA:Your favorite room scent?

J.S.: In the south, jasmine and neroli, definitely.

IRMA: Is there a trick to create an illusion of bringing the garden into your house or apartment in summer?

J.S.: We could use a lot of plants inside if we’re not lucky to have a garden. Using green colors could be a good way as well, in addition to flowers, it would be nice to use ivy or fern, that’s going to bring some coolness.

IRMA: Thank you very much, Joceline.

More information:

Villa Marie
1100 chemin de Val de Rian
83350 Ramatuelle/Saint-Tropez

Madame Joceline Sibuet has created a hotel which feels like home. Like all their very unique getaways the Villa Marie makes you feel at someones home rather than a hotel, it has all the comfort and chic effortlesness which lets you bring home with you the nicest holiday memories. The IRMA Pouch (now available at www.lodenfrey.com accompanied us on our stay in St. Tropez).
Madame Joceline Sibuet has created a hotel which feels like home. Like all their very unique getaways the Villa Marie makes you feel at someone’s home rather than a hotel, it has all the comfort and chic effortlessness which lets you bring home with you the nicest holiday memories. The IRMA Pouch (now available at www.lodenfrey.com) accompanied us on our stay in St. Tropez