Gersum, a royal factory recreated in a warm minimalist spirit

New luxury for the holidays? Take your summer accommodations to a charming guest house. With just a few rooms (maximum five), often located in bucolic locations, furnished and decorated with care by hosts who put their whole soul into it, they are the guarantee of a quiet, unique, unforgettable vacation. They can also become a source of inspiration in terms of interior architecture. An overview of our favorite addresses, with a third stop at the Manufacture Royale de Lectoure in Gers and a meeting with its owner, Christel Egeorge.

The Manufacture Royale de Lectoure, in Gers, a unique place that combines pure art and warmth.

History of the place

“Hubert, my husband, and I first fell in love with Lectoure, which we discovered while walking the road to Santiago in the summer of 2017. For the village, its heritage, beautiful mansions and, more broadly, a truly lovely village. favorite for the Gers. When we got back from this vacation, we came across an advertisement for this 18th century building^e century, more precisely, in 1754 It was commissioned by Toulouse merchants who were developing the leather business. They wanted this workshop to be a royal factory, and they had to build a building to match their ambitions, hence the grand porch and monumental staircases that are still there today. The property was divided into two parts. one part was dedicated to pure production and which has almost disappeared, and the other part was administrative and residential, where we settled. Over the centuries the place became a distillery, a ballroom… Then, in the 60s and for 30 years, it became a nursing home before being abandoned and besieged… We visited in September 2017. For Hubert, it. it was obvious. we should have bought this house. I hesitated more about the scale of the work. However, at that time I already wanted to use what I had learned in my work as a decorative stylist to create a brand, a concept. A project that I could carry out in Paris, where we lived, and that I envisioned as a parallel, part-time activity. The factory being too big to be just a vacation home, we had no choice but to settle there, live there, and my somewhat vague idea became concrete. we were going to open guest rooms. However, it took almost a year to complete the financial package because the investments were very heavy; there was the purchase of walls, but first a very important project to start. We created a business plan, knowing the region had strong tourism potential, hired an accountant to help us, and shopped around the banks. Everyone was excited… but no one followed us. Except Crédit Agricole de Lectoure is fascinated by the idea of ​​supporting a very local company. So we signed the sale in 2018… That was just the beginning of the adventure. »

Works

“From the moment we bought it, we knew exactly what we wanted. We hired architect Francois Muraciolet to create the technical designs. The project took four years as we revised everything. Roof, plumbing, electricity, windows, but also partitions, currents… Everything has been redesigned, reorganized…

We were able to keep track of the factory’s activity. our indoor pool was built, where we discovered a tanning bed that had 130 of them in its heyday. Another feature. we chose to work with a master craftsman of hemp limestone to create a natural, ecological insulation that matches the spirit of the place. »

Decorative options

“We wanted to make Production a very personal place. I wanted to show everything that I loved in the context of my work as a decorative stylist and infuse it into my style, that is, a mix of old and more modern things. What greatly contributes to the warm and cozy atmosphere of the house are the lime paints, twenty special colors created for the special place by the house of Mercadier. This palette was dictated by our taste, but above all by the environment, the green blends of the surrounding nature, the pink sky, the stones of the property… With these nuances, we wanted to bring the outside inside. We have chosen the furniture, objects, lighting specifically for the space, that is, for this 1290 m² space. In Paris, we lived in barely 60 m², which means we had nothing to furnish the house with. Also, we left a lot of things behind when we left town. So we arrived here with just a few boxes of books and treats.

Organizing this huge space wasn’t too difficult because we’re pretty minimalistic. For me, a few beautiful, well-chosen pieces and subtle details stand on their own and create a style. And comfort in the guest house revolves around several pieces of furniture: very good beds, nice tables for breakfast and sofas for relaxation. With us, it’s the lime paints that ultimately set the tone and allow us to maintain a very subtle atmosphere that our visitors describe as calm and relaxing. »

Favorite brands, objects, furniture

“The midi furniture, armchairs and entry bench are part of the identity of the place, as is the Osaka sofa by Pierre Paulin in the living room, the bed is from Maison de Vacances, and the headboards are from Pierre. Frey in the rooms that bring a very magnificent aspect and immediately make you want to go to sleep. There are also pendant lights that evoke large round lanterns from Knit-Wit.

To hunt for treasures

“Among the antiques I like the most in the house are two little red chairs from the 70s that I bought from Lectoure antique dealers Jérôme Pla and put in the living room. They are a bit quirky in the decor, but their simple lines blend well into the atmosphere and add vibrancy to this very mild atmosphere. There is also an old block in front of the fireplace that doubles as a coffee table, and in the kitchen I hung an old chandelier with drapes above the Knoll table. It works very well! »

Tips for decorating

Mixing old cloth and modern works well. Generally, when you combine elements that you like, it definitely works. But you should avoid too many objects unless you are playing a stacking game. For example, I collect large white ceramic pots that I collect in groups. Adding a touch of bright color to a very soft atmosphere brings something a little extra. After all, I love touches of poetry, like a large branch found in the garden, placed on the ground or sliding into a vase. It’s simple and beautiful. »

La Manufacture Royale de Lectoure, contact and reservations.