Simplicity doesn’t mean sterile, and a fisherman house doesn’t always imply unworldly either. Quite often good design is harder to interpret in simple, authentic ways than in grand, opulent ways. As this charming fisherman house shows, good Interior Design embraces the home instead of disguising it. Christian Liaigre took inspiration from the 18th-century architecture in Île de Ré, an Island of the West Coast of France, to decorate his family country home. The rusticity found in the unspoiled island is interpreted in the design details of the house from the understated facade with its simple main door to the original white painted panels throughout inside the home. The main red doors Liaigre saw in his trip to Nantucket inspired the touches of red dotting around the house. “This is a simple home for a fisherman, and that is reflected in the decoration” Christian Liaigre
The table is custom made, and the chairs were made for a boat.
An 18th-Century Dutch portrait above an antique Chinese black lacquered chest.
The kitchen is also very native to the island. It looks as if it belongs in a boat.
The sofa set into a wall nook creates a cozy feeling.
Love the simple facade with its blue door and French arched window shutters.
The dining room walls and ceiling are covered with Chestnut wood.
A fun bed for Liaigre’s son Leonard.
A rich wood Indo-Portuguese desk in the bedroom contrasts with the white floor and walls.
Photos by Stephen Kent Johnson for Homes & Gardens
