James' idea was to engulf the entire house in a haven of greenery, where you could walk barefoot in the sand, in the shade of pine trees, amid a resolutely local plant palette...

Mission impossible? Not for Frédéric! Even if he had to start by hoisting equipment, earth, stones and plants up the cliffside using sliding platforms... Then create a succession of terraces, steps and paths on several levels. Finally, cover the roof with earth, line it with slats, decorate it with a pool and finally install armchairs on wooden decking. Like a beach suspended between sea and sky! The canisses covering the pergolas create light effects. In terms of vegetation, the emphasis is on rusticity: blue catananche, dorycnium hirsutum, stipa calamagrostis...

The dry garden, planted with Mediterranean species, dances to the rhythm of the mistral wind without fear of heat or drought, for a final wild and free look. When the weather's fine (which is almost every day), Nicolas and Marie climb the steps leading to their rooftop dune to admire the sea and the evening light. Our 2 places in paradise, as Marie says.