Julie Cloos Mølsgaard transforms medieval French townhouse into Vipp guesthouse
Danish designer Julie Cloos Mølsgaard has installed contemporary furniture inside a 14th-century townhouse in the south of France, turning it into a guesthouse for homeware brand Vipp.
The Vipp Townhouse is located in Lagrasse, a village in the Corbières region often named as one of the prettiest places in France.
Mølsgaard's renovation sees the centuries-old house updated with statement pieces including a red marble shower, a sculptural staircase and an aluminium kitchen.
It becomes the 12th guesthouse for Vipp, as the Danish homeware brand continues its expansion into the hospitality sector.
As with other Vipp guesthouses, the interior design centres around the brand's product range. Other elements were chosen by Mølsgaard to reflect the building's history and setting.
"We looked to a focused set of materials: wood, stainless steel, marble, plastered walls and coarse pebble floors," said the Copenhagen-based designer.
"The idea was to create a sense of calm and coherence, a home that respects its surroundings and lets the history of the space form the foundation of design."
Mølsgaard began by reorganising the building layout, creating three floors that each have their own character.
The ground floor, which faces the town square, serves as a reception and lounge space. The first floor is now the kitchen and dining room, backing onto a roof terrace, while a bedroom occupies the uppermost floor.
"From the very first moment I stepped into this space, it was clear that the kitchen belonged on the first floor, becoming the heart of the house," said the designer.
"I imagine guests bringing fresh produce from the square's market to the kitchen for preparation and then stepping out onto the terrace to dine."
The new staircase is the showpiece of the ground floor space. This cast-concrete zigzag cantilevers out from the wall, fronted by a geometric screen crafted by local metalsmith Alejandro Berconsky.
"The staircase acts as a sculptural, connecting element, almost like an integrated art piece, tying the three levels of the house together while paying tribute to local craftsmanship," said Mølsgaard.
The first floor was planned around Vipp's V3 kitchen island, which combines anodised aluminium fronts with a slender surface of stainless steel.
Also on this floor, a circular dining table is accompanied by a special edition of the Vipp Swivel chair, upholstered in a custom Pierre Frey fabric that matches the green-painted windows.
For the bedroom suite, Mølsgaard added a custom-designed timber bed. The round marble shower tray provides the focal point, with a taller stone slab providing space for toiletries.
In a subtle nod to the surrounding architectural heritage, walls throughout the house are painted in a warm white matched to the exact shade of the nearby Lagrasse Abbey.
Toilets and storage areas are neatly hidden away, behind wooden partitions on the ground floor and mirrored doors in the bedroom.
"There's so much mirror work in old French buildings," said Mølsgaard. "I loved the idea of using mirrors not just for decoration, but as a beautiful way to hide the more practical elements."
Vipp is best known as the manufacturer of the ubiquitous pedal bin, found in many Scandinavian homes.
After expanding into furniture, the brand opened its first guesthouse, the Vipp Shelter at Lake Immeln in Sweden, in 2014.
Its portfolio now includes a range of properties in stunning locations, including southern Italy, Tasmania, Mexico's Todos Santos and Denmark's Thy National Park. These guesthouses include both new-build structures and renovations.
According to Kasper Egelund, CEO of VIPP and the grandson of company founder Holger Nielsen, this latest addition "offers something truly different from our previous destinations".
"The transformation of Vipp Townhouse acts as a bridge between the historical memory of this building and its future, as a cultural getaway in the village of Lagrasse, and as a new chapter in Vipp's guesthouse story," he said.
The photography is courtesy of Vipp.
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