My Houzz: A Textile Artist's Home Workshop in France
This artist decided to slow down her life – and created a home to match in the French countryside
It’s surprising to see this Nordic-style house standing at the edge of a village on the west coast of France. The owner, textile artist Julie Oili, welcomes us from one of its patios, which faces fields mown freshly that morning.
“After several renovations and building in the Nantes area, this is the first time that we can picture staying longer in a house,” says Oili. “I worked a lot before, but after we made a change in our life philosophy we decided to rethink everything and I opted for a more fulfilling lifestyle. That’s why I wanted to work from home in a pleasant environment.”
“After several renovations and building in the Nantes area, this is the first time that we can picture staying longer in a house,” says Oili. “I worked a lot before, but after we made a change in our life philosophy we decided to rethink everything and I opted for a more fulfilling lifestyle. That’s why I wanted to work from home in a pleasant environment.”
The couple took inspiration from salorges, structures for the storage of salt, which are traditionally painted black. “We made two entirely black cubes featuring patios that have different ambiences based on their use,” says Oili.
At the entrance, two stools the family brought back from Marrakech evoke memories of holidays. They are a beautiful contrast to the wall, which is painted Diego blue from Serge Bensimon’s colour collection for the French paint company Ressource. One of Oili’s artworks adds the finishing touch.
Find an architect near you on Houzz to draw up your dream home
Find an architect near you on Houzz to draw up your dream home
The entrance leads directly into the dining room, which features a generous table that Oili found on a classifieds site, flanked by Matteo Grassi chairs.
“I don’t hesitate to invest in beautiful pieces, like Ingo Maurer’s ‘Zettel’z 5’ pendant light, which I’ve had for thirteen years and never get tired of,” says Oili.
The home has a classic and elegant solid-oak floor.
The home has a classic and elegant solid-oak floor.
Elegant Tolix stools highlight the custom-made kitchen area, which is finished with recycled timber from Canadian barns.
This unit contains all of the kitchen appliances and stores cooking equipment. The benchtop is currently zinc, but it will soon be replaced by another made of Dekton, which is more resistant to acidic foods. A large skylight floods the bench with natural light.
This unit contains all of the kitchen appliances and stores cooking equipment. The benchtop is currently zinc, but it will soon be replaced by another made of Dekton, which is more resistant to acidic foods. A large skylight floods the bench with natural light.
Large glass doors open up the living room to the outside area. A black wall subtly camouflages the traditional heater in the corner of the room and provides a beautiful sense of depth.
“As the house is new, the ceiling is 2.5 metres high, which compromises the perspective a little,” says Oili. “So, [in order to emphasise the true height of the room] I went for a huge bookcase of raw scaffolding wood recovered in Belgium, which was custom-made – as was the kitchen – by Jerome at La Grange à Bois [in La Baule-Escoublac, a nearby village in France]. The pellet stove heats the entire house for €30 [about AUD$50] a month.”
“As the house is new, the ceiling is 2.5 metres high, which compromises the perspective a little,” says Oili. “So, [in order to emphasise the true height of the room] I went for a huge bookcase of raw scaffolding wood recovered in Belgium, which was custom-made – as was the kitchen – by Jerome at La Grange à Bois [in La Baule-Escoublac, a nearby village in France]. The pellet stove heats the entire house for €30 [about AUD$50] a month.”
Oili fell head over heels for her sofa.
“This is the iconic Vizir sofa by Caravane, which I found on Le Bon Coin [a French classifieds site]. Only two exist,” she says. “It was in terrible condition, but I restored it with vintage indigo Malian fabric that I bought in San Francisco, which is similar to the original. All the rugs are from Marrakech, where we have been going every year for the past seven years.”
Oili made this raffia artwork a few years ago to echo the mirror (pictured in the previous image). The lamp on the suitcase is made out of a barrel hoop.
The living room opens up to one of the decks, which the owners tend to use in the evening. It has a fire pit for cool nights. The timber bench and table are decorated with cushions, some from Marrakech and some bought at Caravane, the store where Oili also bought her sofa. Cushions with Liberty-style prints by Ondine Saglio add a delicate touch.
The master bedroom is housed in one of the black cubes.
“I went for seagrass on the floor because I love natural and raw plant fibre,” says Oili. “The bedside tables were carved out of pieces of oak.”
On the wall next to the bathroom is one of Oili’s works, which features a soft mix of black wool and raffia.
On the wall next to the bathroom is one of Oili’s works, which features a soft mix of black wool and raffia.
Both the floor and walls in the bathroom are finished in waxed concrete.
Charming wall-mounted faucets purchased in England are matched with a basin inspired by old-fashioned schoolhouse sinks.
The master bedroom opens to another deck, which features military camp beds that date back to 1942 (pictured to the left of the door). The family uses this area under the pine trees for rest and relaxation, reading, or spending time together.
The outdoor area beyond the master bedroom’s deck
The attic is reserved for the creation of Oili’s textile works. On a large Beni M’rirt Moroccan rug stands a marble table from Emmaus, a network that employs individuals excluded from work, which specialises in collecting and recycling products and furniture.
“I used to weave in my living room, and when we considered building this house I dreamt of having a space apart from the family where I could create in peace,” says Oili. “I was able to arrange this room from the beginning of my work on Lindigo Weaving [her online store].”
Next door is the office and an area where she wraps her works for delivery. “I wanted to create separate zones,” says Oili.
Oili’s art studio is located in the attic
“Here, upstairs, I enjoy more of a Scandinavian feel, with birch trunks installed by Benjamin and the black wall to bring out my works.”
“The flooring is wood that’s simply been painted white. For the walls, I went for a paint by Ressources,” says Oili.
A metalworker custom-made the hanging rail by passing a hemp rope through a simple aluminum tube. Next to it are a camp bed and trunks bought at garage sales.
This is Oili’s office, where she does her weaving.
Oili working on one of her textiles
Oili’s work occupies eight to ten hours of her day: “I brainstorm without drawing. I start working from an inclination, like with raffia or sequins, and I’m inspired by things I like. I prepare my linen thread on the looms and then pass the wool through it or make knots, like for rugs.”
Oili’s art supplies
This latest, larger-than-life work took her five weeks and contains an impressive 15 kilograms of wool.
And who could resist falling in love with this “woolothèque” storage unit, made by Benjamin from recycled scaffolding planks.
Your turn
Which features of this home capture your imagination? Tell us in the Comments below, like this story, save the images, and join the conversation.
More
Craving more design inspiration? You’ll love this My Houzz: A Designer Transforms an Abandoned Swedish Farmhouse
Your turn
Which features of this home capture your imagination? Tell us in the Comments below, like this story, save the images, and join the conversation.
More
Craving more design inspiration? You’ll love this My Houzz: A Designer Transforms an Abandoned Swedish Farmhouse
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Textile artist Julie Oili; her husband, Benjamin, a sales representative for a residential construction company; and their two boys, Tom, 16, and Martin, 19
Location: In a town near Guérande, near Nantes, on the west coast of France
Size: About 185 square metres
“We decided to build on this plot because it’s so sunny, because of the fields that stretch as far as the eye can see, and the pines I used to dream of having in my garden,” says Oili.
“Using expensive materials was out of the question,” she adds. The home is a concrete-block structure finished in pine siding treated for outdoor use. “We wanted a decidedly simple and refined aesthetic within a reasonable budget. We planned the layout of the house to prioritise private spaces for both teenagers and parents. The height [of the house] allowed another of my dreams to come true: to have a private workshop.”