London-based designers, Lone and Chris McCourt, had long fallen in love with the the small town of Uzès, France, and in fact, had bought a summer house on the outskirts. When a medieval building (built in 1200!) right in the heart of the village came on the market, they realized that while they enjoyed rural life, town life might just have more to offer.
So the couple traded their country retreat for a four-story townhouse and embarked on a six-month restoration that was as sensitive as can be. They bolstered, fixed, and enhanced but “were careful not to alter the structure and detailing,” says Chris, a furniture maker and owner of Isokon Plus, a company specializing in Bauhaus as well as contemporary furniture design.
They did, however, have to add a kitchen (the building was most recently used as a lawyer’s office and as such, lacked one), but even that was a relatively non-invasive procedure, thanks to Vipp‘s modular kitchen units. “It’s the first kitchen I have ever bought,” shares Chris, who had always crafted his own kitchens in his workshop. “But this house needed something else. . . . We fell for the industrial look that stands in sharp contrast to wooden doors and detailed ornaments.”
Now that the townhouse has been restored and decorated (many of the artful furniture pieces are available at Isokon Plus), the couple are reveling in their new life—and new passions. He’s mastering the art of guitar-making and she’s focused on textile design. “Instead of spending the whole day nursing a garden like we used to, we can have our morning coffee in the local cafés or eat out in the downstairs brasserie if we have spent long hours in our studios and are too tired to start cooking. It brings a certain freedom,” says Lone.
Ready for a glimpse of their slowed-down (but not too slow) life?
Photography by Anders Hviid, courtesy of Vipp.
![lone and chris mccarter with their granddaughter, lily, on the front step of th 17](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/lone-chris-mccarter-vipp-townhouse-uzes-portrait-733x977.jpg)
![three vipp modules make up the kitchen. the legs can be adjusted, a useful feat 18](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/lone-chris-mccarter-vipp-townhouse-uzes-kitchen-733x545.jpg)
![a vintage painted hutch offers a warm contrast in the kitchen. note the \13 foo 19](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/lone-chris-mccarter-vipp-townhouse-uzes-kitchen1-733x1091.jpg)
![“we bought the kitchen in denmark after having seen it in a magazine. be 20](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/lone-chris-mccarter-vipp-townhouse-uzes-kitchen6-733x1065.jpg)
![in the dining room, vintage school chairs surround an oak dining table. the \19 21](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/lone-chris-mccarter-vipp-townhouse-uzes-dining-733x977.jpg)
![the fireplace in the dining area is original to the home, built in \1\200. 22](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/lone-chris-mccarter-vipp-townhouse-uzes-dining1-733x967.jpg)
![several of the pieces in the living room are from isokon plus, including the ba 23](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/lone-chris-mccarter-vipp-townhouse-uzes-living-733x977.jpg)
![the tiled floor is original to the home. the sofa is from swedese. 24](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/lone-chris-mccarter-vipp-townhouse-uzes-living2-733x977.jpg)
![lone chris mccarter vipp townhouse uzes living3](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/lone-chris-mccarter-vipp-townhouse-uzes-living3-733x995.jpg)
![a painting by kate blee hangs behind spanish chairs by børge mogensen. not 26](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/lone-chris-mccarter-vipp-townhouse-uzes-living1-733x1018.jpg)
![a peek into a quiet corner, anchored by a french garden table, in the office. 27](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/lone-chris-mccarter-vipp-townhouse-uzes-office-733x874.jpg)
![a peek from the landing into a bedroom. 28](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/lone-chris-mccarter-vipp-townhouse-uzes-hall-733x1024.jpg)
![in another bedroom, a john lewis bed is dressed with toast bedding. 29](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/lone-chris-mccarter-vipp-townhouse-uzes-bedroom-733x1032.jpg)
![the bathtub is from jacob delafon in paris; the plywood chair is by barber & 30](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/lone-chris-mccarter-vipp-townhouse-uzes-bath-733x977.jpg)
![the couple have side by side studios (his for guitar crafting, hers for textile 31](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/lone-chris-mccarter-vipp-townhouse-uzes-lone-workshop-733x945.jpg)
For more French design inspiration, see:
- La Vie en Rose: Inside a Costumier’s Dreamlike, DIY Maison in France
- 10 Easy Pieces: French Bistro Chairs, High to Low
- French Lessons: A Designer and an Antiquary’s Remodeled Guesthouses in Reims (Soon Available to Rent)
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