Designing Escape: Your Holiday Home on the French Riviera

Perched among olive trees in the village of Cabris, just above Grasse, the world’s perfume capital, this holiday villa looks out over a horizon of deep greens rolling towards the sea. Yet when I first walked in, something felt wrong. The rooms didn’t belong to that landscape, the flow wasn’t there, and a bright red sofa overwhelmed the living room.

In around two months, we transformed it into a serene retreat for escape, working mostly with what was already there. This is its design story.

The brief: making sense of the space

The villa is a holiday home shared by several families. It came furnished, with an existing kitchen and dining area that stayed, and the budget was tight. The brief was simple: calm it down. Rather than starting from scratch, the emphasis was on making sense of the space. We reused most of what was there, changed only key pieces, reworked layouts completely and repainted everything, doors included, so the house could finally breathe.

A new layout for flow and connection

The heart of the villa, the living area, once felt disjointed, with three separate seating zones that didn’t quite speak to one another. We redesigned the layout completely and replaced the red sofa with a lighter, larger one that lets the room settle. In the TV room, we kept the existing sofa but changed the layout around it.

Two oversized rugs in the living space, hand-sewn on site, now anchor the space. They soften the room and gently guide movement, turning once-scattered corners into a flexible setting for conversation, rest and togetherness. With thoughtful editing, new layers and tactile materials, the home began to shift, becoming less about decoration and more about feeling.

Inspired by the horizon

The villa’s horizon is deeply inspiring, rich with deep greens. Around Grasse, the landscape shifts subtly into soft yellows and musky greens throughout the seasons, a palette I fully embraced.

We repainted the library shelves in the TV room a dark, subtle khaki to echo the view outside, and added linen blinds in the bathroom, matching the linen in the bedrooms, to soften the light. Every change took its cue from nature, so the house feels connected to the land around it.

Olive branches through the house

The real journey through this home follows its plants. I always bring nature indoors, and here I brought the olives inside: cuttings from the villa’s own olive garden, placed in terracotta pots and vases from room to room, with mimosa joining them in spring. We added plenty of pots so the branches can be rotated through the seasons.

Where each branch sits was carefully chosen, leading the eye through the house and connecting every room to the olive groves outside.

A palette of mimosa yellow, khaki and earth

The starting point was already there: a pair of beautiful yellow chairs that had long lived in the space. I echoed that soft mimosa tone upstairs in the bedroom for continuity and lift.

Unified off-white walls and ceilings create a calm backdrop, letting colour emerge gently, never loudly. Khaki greens, sandy beiges and warm stone browns draw on the landscape outside, while hints of Mediterranean blue, in the artwork and a playful fish sculpture, connect the home to its sea views.

Textiles that ground and comfort

New curtains, rugs and decorative textiles brought the biggest change. We kept all the existing beds but curated new bedding and bed linen, in linen, cotton and wool blends, with fringes, trims and subtle embroidery for texture. At the entrance, a bench made especially for the house welcomes guests. My artisan collaborators shaped it from an old, rotten chestnut log, giving it a second life, and the existing slate coffee table with reclaimed wood legs stayed as a quiet anchor.

The existing art and lighting were reused but moved to where they work best. New pendants hang over the kitchen and dining table, and extra reading lights and bedside lamps make every room feel cosy in the evening. Decorative objects add the finishing layer.

Inspired by the villa’s black metal accents, I added cushions with black edging, black light fixtures and matching bathroom hardware, giving the whole house a subtle, unified rhythm.

Light through the olive trees

Every home has its own light story. Here, light moves gently as the trees sway, brightening the rooms one moment and softening them into shadow the next. Curtains, natural light and layered lighting work together to follow that rhythm through the day.

What designing for escape means

Designing for escape is about more than beauty. It borrows from luxury spas, with layered light, texture and quiet zones, to help the body slow down and rest. When an interior is attuned to its landscape, it feels grounded and timeless.

This is Seijaku. In Japanese, it means tranquility.

Questions about holiday home design on the French Riviera

How long does it take to redesign a holiday villa?

This villa in Cabris took around two months. Timing depends on how much you change and on supplier lead times, which are often longer here, especially around August.

Do I need to replace all my furniture?

No. Here we kept much of the existing furniture, kitchen and dining area, and changed the layout, textiles and colour to transform the feel of the home.

Can you design my holiday home if I live abroad?

Yes. I work with holiday home owners who live outside France, coordinating the design, sourcing and local suppliers here on their behalf.

What colours suit a holiday home on the Riviera?

Colours taken from the landscape around you. Near Grasse that means soft mimosa yellows, khaki and olive greens and warm earth tones. By the sea, more sand and blue.

Where can I find furniture and decor for a holiday home in Nice?

My insider shopping guide to Nice lists my favourite shops, makers and markets. If you’re new to the area, start with 5 Things Every Expat Should Know Before Redesigning a Home on the French Riviera.

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Designed for peaceful escape. This is SEIJAKU.

Truly yours,
Jurgita