A Plaster Staircase Masquerades as Kitchen Storage in This Serene Seaside French Home

PublishedJun 12, 2022 1:00 AM EDT

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The sea was what sold photographer and artist Aurélie Lécuyer and her husband, Jean Christophe, on their home on France's west coast almost four years ago. From their doorstep, it's just a short walk through the woods to the water. The only catch? The house that came with this dreamy plot was a total dud. The fixer-upper, which Aurélie notes had "zero charm," looked like it hadn't been touched since the 1970s—the tiling, round windows, exterior's floated plaster, and more all had to go, she says. Honestly, sometimes you gotta see past the ugly to find the magic.

Limited by a tight budget, they decided to take on the bulk of the renovation themselves—DIY warriors, honestly. They opened up the space almost entirely, tearing down nearly every partition and removing the false ceilings, which let way more light shine through the home from both the east and west ends. The size of the building—nearly 2,000 square feet—was a major plus for the couple and their three kids (now 16, 13, and 9). It was also perfect for Aurélie's ever-growing list of creative side projects. For a while, the house even doubled as the headquarters of her studio, Gres Ceramics. How cool is that?

Drawing inspiration from the landscape around them, Aurélie kept her palette and material choices super minimal, sticking mainly to various types of wood—beyond the ceiling and floors, from the handmade backsplash to the shelves, even the IKEA cabinets in the kitchen and the vintage furniture finds—which are not only hard-wearing, she shares, but promise to patina beautifully over time (so important for a kid-filled home, right?). This strategy also helped define space without walls; where warm planks meet concrete, that's your cue you're moving from the living room to the kitchen, while the entire interior is painted in the same timeless shade of white. It's giving effortless cohesion.

Aurélie admits that keeping things simple was largely a result of having zero wiggle room budget-wise. "A renovation never stops; the house always evolves a little," she adds. And while there are a few things she'd do differently today, being forced to work within such stiff financial constraints actually led to some pretty brilliant creative compromises. Sometimes limitations really do spark the best ideas.

One such brilliant compromise? Figuring out where to put a playroom. "We had a sort of inaccessible mezzanine," Aurélie notes of the dead space above the kitchen. Jean Christophe had the genius idea of building a staircase with storage niches leading up to the once-unused nook. The plaster-coated piece holds glassware, vases, bowls, plates, and more. "At the top, the children have made their little reading corner with mattresses on the floor; [it's] like a hiding place," says Aurélie. The same plaster treatment can be spotted around the fireplace, merging with a seating area in the living room and providing the perfect spot to stack firewood (the pellet stove, fun fact, mainly heats the entire home). I'm honestly obsessed with this multi-tasking design.

And while the whole family loves gathering in this cozy space, they spend just as much time out on the veranda off the side of the house and in the garden. "There was nothing before," recalls Aurélie of the desert-like yard (it was basically all sand). "We planted a lot, mostly Mediterranean species, which are not afraid of drought." This includes natural vegetation you'd find in a dune environment—marram grass and thistle, to name a few. A small wood deck and stretch of orange tile offer more room for an olive green patio dining set. "No matter the weather, we enjoy it every day: the proximity to nature, the smell of pine trees, and the sound of the waves," shares Aurélie. OK but can you even imagine? Living the absolute dream.

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