Armel Soyer’s New Showroom is a Rustic French Fantasy

Provençal charm meets contemporary design at this new showroom opened by French gallery Armel Soyer, joining its locations in Paris, the Alpine town of Megève, and Saint-Tropez – to which this space acts as an extension. La Maison Bellevue sits high in the hills above the Cote d’Azur town, in the scenic commune of Gassin, where gallery owner Gilles Pernet has used the vernacular architecture to his advantage.

The showroom is laid out like a home, using the terracotta floor tiles, exposed ceiling beams, and iron handrails as a backdrop for its inaugural exhibition: Design at the Summit, which follows a theme first used by Armel Soyer in Megève three years previous. This second edition brings together a wide variety of the gallery’s clients, with furniture, artwork and sculpture spread across the different rooms as if someone with immaculate taste (and a fairly sizable budget) lives there amongst the collection.

The majority of the pieces on show are neutral-toned, harmonizing with the home’s original color palette, while natural materials and textures including raffia, linen, plaster and wood all add to the rustic aesthetic. In the living area, plump marshmallow-like sofas and chairs by Olga Engel are juxtaposed by faceted reflective tables by Julian Mayor. A bedroom features a sculptural shelving unit by Christian Caulas looks as if it’s been carved directly from the white-washed wall, and displays smaller items in wood and ceramic.

There’s also a russet-hued bathroom interrupted by an outcrop of natural stone, a kitchenette clad top to bottom in green marble called Rain Forest, and a dining area featuring a tropical mural across an entire wall. Armel Soyer has no plans for an end date for the exhibition, but plans to constantly change and replace what’s on display through the house depending on what’s sold. Can we take the lot? Or just move in?

PHOTOS BY ERICK SAILLET AND GILLES PERNET