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We spoke with Christophe Pillet about his country home in France, where architecture and landscape meet, and why he of all his creations chose Maiori A600 for his garden.
Speaking via Skype during the Siberian freeze that stormed Europe and froze Paris recently, we find warmth on Christophe words as he describes how he has made an effort to find himself a bit of paradise in La Provence where he remodelled a country house for himself. If the house is intended as a retreat or a muse time will tell, but what is clear is that while he could have made more than a mark in La Provence with his style. Instead, Christophe opted for a low-key structure in which to fit. Why? “This is a picturesque place in La Provence (France), the whole set up is a kind of museum-village, and it is medieval and historical” he explains to then remark that when he first saw the house he “understood its context well”. For him, the task was thus to achieve some balance, to belong there. “I chose this house, particularly for that reason. This was an old house, not a white paper. And I re-did with the utmost respect for the vernacular characteristics it had so it could fit in my own personal space too.”
The house, of course, had an adjacent outdoor space, a must for a country home, a garden, which is “part of the landscape so to speak” he explains; “it is just that it is within the boundaries of my property, rather than a garden in the more traditional sense, which has been transformed, here nothing was altered and it was just about using what was there and to co-exist with it”. Christophe chose his Maiori A600 chairs, tables and lounge chairs to furnish his outdoor space, why of all his creations he choose A600, in his words, has more to do with belonging than with style: “Sometimes I design something to match a pre-existing scenario, The A600 collection was inspired by the French back garden, but is also a universal design, it blends and matches pretty much everywhere”, to add that “ I designed A600 with myself in mind as a common man using a product in any setting. You have the impression that A600 sits well within the landscape, it is just like the jeans an white t-shirt, it just does it every time”