Built in 1912 between the late Art Nouveau and early Art Deco periods, the four-storey Villa sits high on the hillside overlooking Lake Geneva. Having lost many of its original features during a phase of modernisation undertaken by the previous owner, Mark Gillette Interior Design was appointed to return the property to its former glory.
The process began by re-modelling the layout of the house and developing designs for the Reception Rooms, Bedrooms, En Suite Bathrooms and Kitchen. Back came the architraves, plaster mouldings, skirtings and panelling. Limestone floors were replaced by marble. New doors and ironmongery were designed and specified along with new front gates in the homeā€™s signature black metalwork. Art Deco was a natural landing place for the homeā€™s aesthetic, capturing the clientā€™s fondness for the Belle Ɖpoque while harmonising both with the age of the property and with its seductive setting on the Swiss Riviera.
The Entrance Hall sets the stage with a spectacular graphic black-and-white marble floor reminiscent of a grand hotel lobby. The eye is then drawn up and straight ahead to the salon drawing room, where sunburst-capped windows frame expansive views of the lake. What was once flat and featureless is now a multi-layered abode infused with a sense of history that nods to the refined glamour of a bygone era.