Architect Dorothe DeLay redesigned the traditional Land and listed home to make it an exceptional residence in the spirit of Ocean House. He reveals his “production secrets”.
Architect Dorothe DeLay, leading her eponymous agency, has committed herself to the mission of reviving sleeping places, restoring and renovating them to give them new life. Among his achievements, we can mention magnificent Parisian addresses, such as the Restaurant de la Marine at the Hotel Jean-Francois Pige, Place de la Concorde, Hotel Mercedes at 17.e neighborhood or the Sooke Hotel in Murray. His style? A marriage of boldness and know-how, the place to “stir” better. Unexpected colors, sublimated materials, custom-made furniture… Everything is good for filling the unexpected. The proof is in a registered villa in Bords de mer, Hossegor, owned by Iconic House, a company that offers dream homes for rent, combining hotel services, that it has shocked while respecting its history to make it a breathtaking place. .
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The starting point
“I was contacted by the Iconic House team in mid-November 2021. The challenge was to make this Basque building, gorgeous on the outside but uninteresting and dated on the inside, out of and in consideration of the general rental space. All the services that Iconic House can offer, including a garage for surfboards… I had to imagine a place before these services, but also connected to the spirit of this city. I had the opportunity to spend all my summers, until the age of 18, in Hosegor. I love the sporty family atmosphere of this region and I know its climate just as well. So I absolutely wanted to bring in and out between these walls, a very sunny side of Hosegor. Because it is a sunny corner, even if the weather there is capricious… It was important for me to be able to feel in this house on two levels, this atmosphere even on rainy days… So I worked with one spirit. Ocean House, as you are, can be found everywhere you travel, in California, Australia, especially with the true reflection of colorimetry. This is how this house, Les Bords du Lac, was designed.
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The kitchen
“Here we are in a fake big house. That’s how I felt when I walked in. The first floor was very divided, the rooms were small and especially the kitchen was small. The bias was to break everything up to work on the new volumes, also introducing arches on certain openings to bring roundness and soften the square aspect of this big box. The only thing we kept was the grand staircase, which was gray and which we repainted white, and the wooden shutters above the patio doors. For the kitchen, which fits on this spacious first floor, I integrated references reminiscent of surfing with a blue worktop, a blue quartz central bar top reminiscent of ocean waves, this island fantasy with open woods, honey and caramel. , with patterns similar to the rays of the sun, which are repeated like a red thread throughout the house. I thought this kitchen was a central place where you could meet around the bar to cook, talk, all day.”
The library
“This space, still on the first floor, is in the extension of the kitchen. The idea of my work was to increase volumes by removing partitions, promoting free movement, but also providing warm corners. This window seat, like a bookcase, still made of blonde wood, is a perfect example of this approach. You can sit there for your coffee in the morning, enjoy a cocktail at the end of the day, being both intimate and a bit secluded from other people who might be active in the kitchen.
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The remainder
“There is a dining room with a table that I designed and made to scale, very impressive. It is 3.50m long and inspired by surfboards. It has semi-circular green lacquered wooden legs and in the center a travertine inlay in the wood. It is an impressive piece, like the fireplace in the living room. The latter turned into a simple tube and we were done masterpiece covering with zelligs. It’s framed by two Gaston y Daniela raspberry fabric benches facing an ocher sofa. In the middle, a coffee table, also designed and made for the house, in bubble glass and bronze, which is nothing. Looking up, we also see this green lacquered ceiling. It was a bold choice that I really stood by. This Landes green brings the environment into the home, and the lacquer is treated with a mirrored side that brings volume. It also complements the decor and helps break up the classic side of the house.”
the entrance
“The entrance sets the tone for the house. There are always two possibilities: either it is very emphatic and the visitor immediately captures the atmosphere, or it is a softer introduction. I chose the second option, with an entrance that includes certain codes of the house, such as photos and posters on the walls with a surprising touch, which allows you to guess that the collection will bring surprises; hanging a big ball from paper and straw.”
Yellow room
“The six suites are upstairs. We didn’t break everything like we did on the first floor; but we had to demolish or build walls to create bathrooms in all the rooms. There was a huge hallway and we played with its surface to revise the distribution of the rooms. One of them has yellow walls, again a reference to the sun. It opens to the bathroom, initially closed, following a curved layout that softens, better erases the corners. In addition to this architectural choice, there are many decorative biases, as in the rest of the house. Here, the headboard undulates like a wave, a niche is created at the back, and the molding of the walls is very important. All the details of the en-suite bathroom are very written: the blue marble, the shower niche, the coconut tree wall light… You can’t really see it in the photo, but the wall on the side of the sink is curved, which required many challenges to hang mirrors on it.”
Bedroom with marquetry
“It’s the room with the largest volume and sloping ceiling that I chose to paint yellow. The back wall is covered with light wood marquetry. I drew patterns that reminded me of longboards, but with organic details. There was a lot of work on the grain of the wood to achieve this wall. It’s a strong party, but it works really well. Guaranteed wow effect!
Edges of pool and surf garage
“Outside, we were constrained by the fact that the house is listed. Therefore, all elements had to be replaced or painted in the same way. For the pool, I wanted to create an area where it would be nice to chill all year round. So we had a mural done by a local artist. There is a large bench made of modular balloons so that the terrace can be developed as needed. I also hunted down some rattan furniture from the 70s, I didn’t want to use ‘classic’ outdoor furniture to continue to print this surf and sun vibe that is cultivated throughout the house. There is also a massage room next to this pool. As for the surf garage, we put it in an old tool shed. There are surfboards, bikes, skateboards… But above all, I saw it as an extra room where teenagers can come and take pictures. »
Dorothée Delaye. agency, 5 rue des Colonnes 75002 Paris. https://www.dorotheedelaye.com/
Les Bords du lac villa can be rented at https://fr.iconic.house/.
Source: Le Figaro
