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Interior Design
“Interior design” is a rather grand term for what is often elementary advice. Advice that handyman-france.com can offer.
French houses, particularly the older ones, deserve to be as pretty as possible. Stone walls, fireplaces, oak beams, windows, floors and ceilings can all be enhanced to make small rooms look bigger, and large rooms appear huge. Colour schemes are vital.
A flowing theme from room to room so that the whole house is in accord with itself can work wonders, not only for comfort but also for property values. Much of the work needed is often inexpensive. But what is needed? We at handyman-france.com can help. Inexpensive consultancy fees (available on request) can bring a substantial return.
handyman-france.com can also carry out some work, or arrange local artisans if needed.
Case Study
Due to complex and highly unusual legal problems, this two year-old house - which must be rented as a maison de vacance (holiday home or gîte) - needed a great deal of work done before it could meet its' obligations. It had been used as a residential home for two years without the owners' consent or even knowledge initially, and though not trashed as such it was not in a fit state to be rented.
Bare light bulbs in every room; badly marked walls (painted white originally); no curtains; no tiles in the kitchen; no crockery, cutlery or cooking utensils; an electrical system that was, frankly, dangerous; an electric shutter broken beyond repair; doors and windows that had the wrong glass, or would not open or close properly; broken loo seats and cisterns; a swimming pool that had not been cleaned for over two years; insufficient furniture; damp stains on walls and ceilings because the previous tenants did nothing about a leaking bath. The list seemed endless...
The owners live a thousand miles away - the logistics for them meant that they simply could not do much for themselves. They called SARL Handyman France.
The brief was simple. Get it up together.
The client gave us a free hand, saying just that the red sofa and pouffes had to stay; yellow was the preferred colour for the three bedrooms; costs had to be reasonable.
Some of the works needed were sub-contracted to the relevant tradesmen - i.e., electrician, builder, double glazing specialist and plumber. Despite the house being just two years old, several days work was needed on the electrical system alone (this is an indictment of this particular developer rather than all French workmen). All work was organised and coordinated by SARL Handyman France.
For the décor, the idea was to have the colour theme following on as you move around the house. Red and yellow may not be obvious colours to use together, but they are the Catalan colours seen everywhere in south-west France.
Throws for the sofas were needed, and by using a matching pair that had the colours reversed the red sofa had some colour removed which was then added to the black sofa. The effect is that much of the black is removed without adding too much to the overall amount of red.
Because the house is the usual open plan design (kitchen, lounge and dining room all open to each other) the colour scheme needs to follow through. Also, as the kitchen is immediately visible when entering through the front door, here was an opportunity to introduce a burst of colour.
The tiling in the kitchen was the only part of the project to go over-budget. It was seen as being well worth the additional cost.
The cushion covers were hand made by SARL Handyman France. Chosen with care, the material matches the red colour scheme without adding to it very much, whilst the stone colours blend into the cream of the throws.
The downstairs walls are painted stone colour which, as well as matching the kitchen units perfectly, remains neutral to blend into whatever future colours may be introduced.
By using only yellow curtains at the rear, to match the yellow at the front, the dining rooms moves slightly away from red and begins the second predominant colour for the bedrooms.
Particularly in a holiday home where the publicity photos are all-important to secure bookings, the bedrooms need to accurately reflect the level of comfort offered. The pale yellow walls provide a calming effect, lending a summery feel and yet cosy for the winter months.
All the bedding was chosen and supplied by SARL Handyman France to provide an eye-catching image to encourage potential guests to want to stay at this house.
An often overlooked detail is that holiday homes are subject to being cleaned throughout not just in one day, but to a tight time schedule. It is important therefore that all laundry can be done together as far as is possible. SARL Handyman France offers this service to gîte owners, along with pool management and more general property management services.
SARL Handyman France is indebted to Michael & Eileen Clair in Ireland for their permission in using this material. The property, which is in Trébes near Carcassonne, is available to rent at any time of year. Please contact us if you are interested is renting this property and we will put you in direct contact with the owners.
