Exquisite Blend

Published on 1 June 2020
Featured by Livingroom

There are houses, there are homes, and there are showstoppers - and if you’ve even so much as glanced at the photographs on these pages already you won’t have any difficulty deciding which category this property slots neatly and perfectly into. Everybody has their own tastes and opinions as to how their surroundings should look, feel, and make them feel, so the temptation for developers to play it safe must be overwhelming, but surely not as overwhelming as the sheer brilliance of the artisinal hand that has shaped Le Vallon. You don’t even need to step through the door to appreciate the architectural mastery at play. What strikes me most is the mix of different surfaces - even through the photos alone, those with a keener eye and strong sense of imagination will almost be able to feel the subtle combinations of satin and gloss; dark and light wood; tile; stone, loose or otherwise; glass and metal. It almost sounds like too much, but it just works - it’s a haptic delight. Take the pairing of glossy metro tiles with satin, patterend floor tiles in one of the bathrooms, for example, or the or light stone tiles against dark, horizontally-stacked stone exterior walls meeting pristine render, leading to a mix of brick borders beside dark wooden sleepers. Taking it all in is a journey. Combining a beautiful mix of curved and straight lines that flow in harmony throughout, from the round-edged kitchen island playing off against the stark, angular fireplace opposite, to the meandering brick borders meeting chunky, raised wooden beds and steps in the garden, it’s clear that incredible levels of consideration have been pored over even the smallest of details and no expense has been spared when it comes to both materials and fixtures. Whether it’s a small, almost inconsequential-looking feature such as a practical tiled recess in a shower room, or the way that the front door hinges not from the wall, but from inside the door itself providing a talking point before your guests have fully arrived, or the bold, oversized wooden planks in the airy, expansive living area that’s reminiscent of classical parquet flooring, this clean take on contemporary luxury would make an ideal high-net-worth lock up and leave - should you be in the market for such a property - but in all honesty it’d be a shame not to take full advantage of what Le Vallon has to offer by enjoying it all year round. As if the interior space didn’t offer enough in the way of expanse, an almost effotless slide of the elegant glass doors into the raised section of garden will take things to the next level, where you’ll be able to gaze out across the island’s south coast and admire St Aubin’s Bay with views of Elizabeth Castle from atop your elevated position. Closer up though, are views of the carefully landscaped garden, planned to allow ease of maintenance and provide ample privacy, as you might expect. The upper level provides the open living spaces you’ve already read about, including a separate study and the beautifully appointed kitchen, and on the lower floor level you’ll find the all-important integrated garage, utility room and wine cellar, as well as four bedrooms; each with ensuite bathrooms. If three’s enough though, one of the bedrooms would make an excellent gym with direct access to the terrace if you need to cool off after your workout, or even a cinema room owing to the ease of blocking out light when the projector is rolling. On the subject of light, the subtle use of ambient, recessed and pendant lighting both indoors and out gives the property another dimension after dark. There’s no shortage of natural light during daylight hours though, thanks to the integration of slim, additional high-level glazing in the main living space as well as plenty of elegant, dark-framed windows throughout to provide an aesthetic that’s both individual and highly functional. The artisanal eye and combination of different surfaces mentioned earlier comes into its own in the cloakroom and ensuites, each of which are adorned with their own bold colour accents - deep blue against bright white, a sort of thyme green, deep teal and a teracotta, for example - which sounds brave, but each room is so beautifully crafted that it won’t date any time soon. The star of the show bathroom wise, however, is attached to the master bedroom suite. An incredibly high-impact blend of stark, white stone walls against a show-stopping black framed shower screen and bath stand, cradling the white freestanding bath with freestanding gold fixtures. Further contrast is provided by the circular mirrors above the his-and-hers sinks against the rectangular shower screen - and although I could write about Le Vallon all day long, it’s probably best to allow the photographs do the rest of the talking from here on. Explore. Envisage. Enjoy.

Estate Agent

Livingroom Estate Agents