Uniform set on two levels

Enjoying an unrestricted view over the Mediterranean, Villa B was constructed in the Commune of Bormes-les-Mimosas by the Fatosme et Lefèvre firm of architects, which has been based in Marseilles since the mid 1980s.

'Positioned on a plot with a surface area of 4930 m2, Villa B offers 140 square metres of net floor area; the project includes an outdoor swimming pool which adds to the overall volume,' explains architect Christian Lefèvre. The construction is divided into two parts, with an outdoor pathway between the two. The living area is located on level 0, while level +1 is home to the pool house and an infinity-edge swimming pool. 'Half of the volume of the house is built into the ground, while the other half juts out in a cantilevered overhang supported by thin posts: it rests on the volume of the swimming pool, with the supporting wall for the pool being used to lay out the entrance pathway to the villa, which itself is largely immersed in vegetation,' continues Lefèvre. 

Thanks to the different materials used for the elevation, namely Bormes stone, natural wood, grey concrete, and brown metal, the villa is well camouflaged and almost invisible from the surrounding area. The floors of the access paths to the villa and the retaining walls are made up of brown ochre stone quarried in the region, formed with cement joints: this natural environment helped to focus the choice towards a tiled floor with a mineral matte finish, as exhibited by the unglazed ceramic tiles from the Mosa Quartz collection. This tile has a grain that is similar to sand with its shimmering crystalline particles. Within the living areas, and in order to draw together the project, the architect in fact recommended the same covering for the surfaces, both inside and out. 'Thanks to its spangled, sand-flecked material and its non-glossy appearance, Quartz catches the light and gives the entire surface a soft effect,' adds architect Christian Lefèvre.

Fatosme & Lefèvre Architectes