Family
A neo-orangery lost in the countryside between the Bay of Arcachon and Bordeaux
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Anne-Laure Mais, Edouard Moreau and Adèle, 3 years old
There it stands, in the middle of nowhere, enveloped in the surrounding countryside. Anne-Laure Mais-Moreau, creator of the Musier brand, and her husband Edouard Moreau, an entrepreneur, chose to build their family holiday home "right in the middle of the map": near and yet far from both Bordeaux and Arcachon, in just the right degree of rural seclusion. And it was here that they designed their neo-orangery: the wide, round glass arches punctuate the façade of this house, which has been stripped of its upper floor to reveal its high ceilings. Inside, there are a few bedrooms, bathrooms with an early 20th-century feel, and a vast open-plan living room overlooking the swimming pool and olive trees. The Socialite Family invited itself over for an orangeade and some cannelés.
Location
Bordeaux
Author
Elsa Cau
Photos and videos
Clothilde Redon, Carine Bouhier
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TSF
Anne-Laure and Edouard, who are you?
Anne-Laure
I'm the founder and artistic director of the Musier brand, and I'm also a content creator.
Edouard
I'm the manager of a civil engineering company in the Arcachon basin. I'm Anne-Laure's husband and Adèle's father.
TSF
Tell us about your background, both of you.
Anne-Laure
I have a master's degree in marketing and international sales management. But my first job was as a community manager. While I was studying, I started a blog, and that helped me find my first job. That's why I came to Paris. I stayed for two years, but my blog grew and allowed me to make a better living than I did with my job. So, in 2014, I took the plunge. Then, in 2018, I launched my womenswear brand, Musier.
Edouard
I studied at a business school in Bordeaux. I spent two years in Southeast Asia, in Hong Kong in southern China, working on accessories for a brand of extreme sports cameras after I got my master's degree in international marketing. After that, I lived in London for three years, where I worked for extreme sports magazines. Anne-Laure joined me for a year and a half. When we returned to France in 2017, we decided to move back home to Bordeaux and the nearby Arcachon Basin. It was there that I took over the family civil engineering business. We have around twenty employees.
TSF
Did you always know you were going to relocate to your home region?
Edouard
Me, yes, I did.
Anne-Laure
This is our home. We couldn't see ourselves bringing up children in the big cities we lived in. In our minds, Bordeaux has always been our base. What's more, we met in Biarritz. And then, with a child... It's true that seeing her grow up here, in a natural environment, is fantastic. It's also a house for having friends over, where people gather for big meals. Everything's always open, and in winter, we have huge open fires... We think of it as a summer house, but it's a great winter house, too! I think everyone feels comfortable here.
TSF
What environment did you grow up in, and how did it influence your tastes?
Anne-Laure Mais
I was born on the island of Réunion, but I came to France when I was three, so I have no memories of that period. I grew up in the Basque Country, close to the ocean, but my mother's family is Spanish. There's a distinctly artistic streak in my family. My grandmother was a painter. My mother has a passion for antiques and collectables. Our garage is like an Ali Baba's cave. My mother collected all the crockery here. It's a passion that runs in the family!
Edouard
I grew up between the Charente-Maritime region in Jonzac and the Arcachon Basin on my mother's side. The pine trees, the boats, the ocean: we grew up in similar environments! I had a very sporty childhood. I started surfing when I was ten, then moved on to rugby and skiing... The decor wasn't an important part of my environment, no... But the work was!
TSF
How did you discover this place?
Edouard
I was looking for a sense of my childhood, an isolated house in the middle of the pine forest in the Landes. Here, we're close to Bordeaux, Arcachon and the ocean, and we're not far from the vineyards and châteaux of the Médoc region. We're right in the middle of the map, which is perfect.
Anne-Laure
We got married in the Médoc, not in a château, but in a house that looked a little more like a Provencal farmhouse and which, above all, had an orangery. We ended the evening in there. The rectangular structure, with its large open arches, lots of light and height, really made an impression on us. We fell under the spell of the place. A few years ago, we decided we wanted to find a secluded second home not too far from where we live. One day, on our way home from a visit, we saw this house, but it wasn't for sale. The next morning, we looked at the ads on Leboncoin, as we did every day, and we saw it. The house dates from the 1970s and is rectangular on two levels with a balcony. The garages are downstairs, while upstairs are the living spaces as they were thought of at the time. We already had these large orangery-style bay windows in mind, so we thought it was the ideal structure. Two months later, we had the keys. But we had to think ahead: we removed a floor.
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TSF
Have you done a lot of work here? What was the biggest challenge?
Edouard
Oh that, yes. The demolition. We retained the structure of the house, but inside, everything was knocked down: just four walls and the roof remained. Changes were made to the opening in the façade and to the interior floor. We gutted the house completely, removing almost the whole of the floor and all the balconies around the perimeter. We had two opportunities: there were no load-bearing walls, so everything inside could be demolished, and we could keep the roof. In short, it was two years of work, but it went very well.
TSF
Tell us about the decor you wanted to create.
Anne-Laure
When I was a child, I spent all my holidays in Spain and Edouard and I went to Italy a lot, so I really like the Mediterranean style. Here, we've tried to capture that spirit. First, the whitewashed walls are important. Mind you, this is not a standard application: it's French-style, and completely vertical. The idea was to take inspiration from the palazzi you see in Puglia and, more broadly, from the walls around the Mediterranean. Our cement tiles in the entrance hall echo this idea, too. I found everything I needed for the decor as I went along. I don't buy at auction, but rather on Leboncoin or Selency, and at second-hand shops too. Some of the pieces were salvaged from my grandmother's house. I didn't have anything very specific in mind. My only constraint was that I didn't want to go off on any tangents and that the decor was harmonious. Also, because we had to rent, we had to tone down the decor and do something fairly serene and neutral, while trying to be a little out of the ordinary.
TSF
Doesn't Adèle miss having her own 'children's' bedroom?
Anne-Laure
She has her own bedroom in Bordeaux, but she never sleeps there... She always ends up in her parents' bedroom: we sleep much better there (laughs). That said, we might as well make the most of it because it won't be long before she's slamming the door in our faces!
TSF
You also rent here.
Edouard
This house is a real building block in our lifelong plans. We'd like to turn it into a business over time and do other holiday rentals later... It's a challenge because, at the moment, we can see that a lot of houses are being bought in the Basin with the idea of renting them out in mind. It's a bit difficult for tourism here because there's nothing around, so we have to attract people. We make the most of the house when it's available, especially in winter. The rest of the time, we rent it out to pay for the work we've done! But now we've managed to squeeze in a week with our family here this summer.
Anne-Laure
We've created something unique. And it attracts tenants who think like us: when we go on holiday with friends, we like to be stranded in the middle of nowhere, yet still be close to the beach, the airport and so on.
TSF
Tell us about some of your favourite pieces here.
Anne-Laure
For me, the key piece is the old Spanish dining room table. It was the first item I bought that I wanted. I found it in an antique shop in south-east France. Alternatively, the hanging lights in the living room are a good example of "do it yourself"! Of all the decoration, for me, the light fittings were the most complicated to find. Vintage depends on what you can find, and it's often expensive. New was not suitable and was also very expensive. For this room, we also had to think monumental: the lights had to match the large size of the living room. So I went for it! I wanted a draped look. I bought a lampshade frame a piece of cotton and a mosquito net which I inserted between the fabric and the frame using Velcro. I'm really proud of this detail: nothing gets messed up by flying insects, and it's still easy to change the bulb if you need to: Velcro! I wrapped the cotton sheet around the metal band and sewed it in place.
Edouard
The fireplace, which didn't exist before. We built it. That's my baby, all mine! We went to Pau with a friend to pick it up in a trailer. It took us an hour and a half to load it, the same time to unload it, and two days to assemble and seal it! I'd also like to point out that I helped with the decorating: Anne-Laure chose the decor, and I put it in place (laughs).
Anne-Laure
Yes, people often think it's me, but he has very strong ideas nonetheless. It was all up to negotiation!
TSF
What are your favourite go-to places locally?
Anne-Laure & Edouard
Le Porge Océan: To enjoy a beautiful sunset. Chez Marius (1 Rue de Toulouse-Lautrec, 33950 Lège-Cap-Ferret): The best pizzas in the area. Claouey Market: For the variety and the atmosphere. Bistrot de Peyo (Avenue du Monument, 33970 Salins): For the best tortillas around, which Adèle loves! Chez Hortense (26 Avenue du Sémaphore, 33970 Lège-Cap-Ferret): A Cap-Ferret classic, with the best fries, best sole, and best mussels.
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I have a crush on the Rotondo pouf in tiger velvet… if only our dressing room had been bigger, it would have had its place straight away!
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TSF
What are your latest news?
Anne-Laure
The launch of the next Musier collection and some collaborations in the home decor field.
Edouard
Some development projects in Cap-Ferret.
TSF
What do you think of The Socialite Family?
Anne-Laure
Well-designed pieces at a fair price with a distinct offering: everything we love. I’ve always adored the media as well; I love discovering the interiors of the different families you feature. I often look at it when seeking inspiration.
TSF
What are your favourite pieces in our collection?
Anne-Laure
I love the timeless art deco look of the
; the blend of chrome and smoked glass is a classic. The
is our latest purchase; I was also drawn to its art deco look, which is quite unique! And I have a crush on the
… if only our dressing room had been bigger, it would have had its place straight away!
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