Villa Demoiselle is one of the most perfect examples of art and architecture being brought back to life in full glory in a present-day that is often sorely lacking in aesthetic elegance. A visit to this enchanted domaine that lay in ruins following a gradual, steady decline from the interwar period onwards, can only lift your spirits and heightens your sense - even more so, should you take a glass of the
Demoiselle champagne afterwards!
Indeed, for decades,
Villa Cochet, as it had once been called, had been left in a shocking state of disrepair and must - or should have been - a source of shame and sadness for the
Domaine Pommery that is situated across the road. When
Vranken bought the domaine from
LVMH in 2002, the couple Nathalie and Paul-François Vranken set about restoring the delapidated villa, thus combining their passion for art, culture and the champagne heritage. The result is nothing short of spectacular...
From its 'rebirth' in 2008, almost a century after its initial commission and construction under the orders of Henry Vasnier, Director of the
Pommery Champagne Maison, Villa Demoiselle has regularly housed art exhibitions. However, for me, just a tour of the grand house and grounds is sufficient, enabling me to discover new elements each time, just as the sunlight pouring in through the stained-glass windows reveals some other detail of colour or shape in the architectural structure or the furnishings within...
The imposing Art Nouveau fireplace in the main entrance is incredibly majestic as a whole - it was initially exposed at the
Exposition Universelle at the turn of the century - however it is the intricate features that draw you closer to admire their skill and beauty. This piece, designed by a pupil of
Louis Majorelle from the
Ecole de Nancy, is but one of many items of decor and furniture that were gathered by the Vrankens to refurbish the villa that had lost all its original works to theft and acts of vandalism when it stood empty from the 1970s onwards.
The restoration work has been so thorough and thoughtful in its realisation, that one could easily assume that this is how the villa always was, but in fact the Vrankens had little on which to base their plans since rather meagre information remained, barring a few old photos that offered some guidance. As such, the Villa Demoiselle is truly a credit to the Vrankens' determination to see this site relive, literally snatching it away from land developpers who had planned its total destruction.
As in most
Art Nouveau manifestations, particular importance is attached to the swirling, sweeping forms of a heightened, natural world, with plants, flowers, foliage, insects, snakes and birds twisting, sliding and slithering across sculpted surfaces, paintings, mouldings or furniture itself. Here at Villa Demoiselle it is magical to pick up on these details in all their beauty...
Of course umbellifer plant occupy a central position, with their delicate crown of ribs that radiate out from the flat-topped inflorescence in such a fascinating manner...
These curved and clustered forms were repeated throughout the villa on fireplaces, buffet-bars, cabinets and so on...
Meanwhile contorted, spindly stalks and branches intertwined...
Or lily leaves seemed to melt and flow down the solid forms of furniture in a liquid, vital fashion...
Whilst other objects concealed snails that glide silently on gnarled vines, set alongside smooth marquetry...
Or lizards that are frozen in a furtive, darting movement as they dash across scaly branches...
And in the main hallwall, the stairwell is dominated by the incredible chandelier, with its strange bulbous lights, which emphasises the great vertical drop from the ceiling of the top floor to the ground...
And the vast wrought-iron glass door with its stark, black tendrils that furl out like a spider's web, looking out onto the garden beyond...
Whilst one
demoiselle peers on joyfully from a flurry of petals and light!
