Landscape of Freedom

La Garde-Freinet by Christophe Gevers

La Garde-Freinet is an architectural gem designed by Christophe Gevers, nestled in the Maures Massif in the South of France. Built on the ruins of an old structure, this home embodies Gevers' philosophy of blending interior and exterior spaces, creating a seamless relationship with nature. The project reflects his design ethos: functional, pure, and deeply connected to its surroundings. Not only does it serve as a private retreat, but it also inspired some of his most iconic pieces, like the CG01 lamp, which captures the colors of the Mediterranean landscape.

Landscape of Freedom

In 1975, like he did at Fond Coron, Christophe Gevers sketched the house of La Garde-Freinet down to the tiniest details, as is proved by dozens of architectural plans, of both interior architecture and of furniture. He joined several clients who also became friends in this village occupying the highest point of the Maures Massif, which led to the name ‘guard,’ evoking the role of a sentinel in this position. It’s precisely this landscape that will be his muse, his refuge, and his freedom. Because the site was protected, he builds the house on existing ruins. He spends years completing the project with his own bare hands.

The Design Unfolds

It can all be divided into four sections: the swimming pool, the parents’ main house, the children’s house, which is perpendicular, and the workshop garage. The latter is the first thing you see coming from the steep path, and is discreetly tucked into the woods of the hill that overlooks it, thanks to its green roof. It includes the workshop, an essential refuge, as if his life, his survival, depended on it. Parched for sun, he would spend hours there instead of by the pool, resting in a deck chair of his own design.

CG01 'Le Sud'

One of Christophe Gevers’ most iconic designs, the CG01 lamp, finds its roots in this very house. The special blue color, ‘Le Sud,’ was directly inspired by the tones of La Garde-Freinet, evoking the warmth and depth of the Mediterranean sky that enveloped his refuge. Gevers specifically chose this blue for the legs of a table and the CG01 lamp in La Garde-Freinet, making it a 100% personal decision. All other CG01 lamps were red! Alongside red, this was the only original color he used for the lamp, making it a true reflection of his environment. The CG01 embodies the same philosophy as his architecture—pure, functional, and deeply connected to its surroundings, a piece of his home translated into light.

The Interaction with Nature

By its appointed orientation, the small house, the children’s house, is limited in its view of the scenery. In stark contrast, the main house is designed for the natural paintings formed by the windows looking into the Maures Massif. From west to east (the general orientation being north-south) we go from night to day, the kitchen being logically connected to the outdoors. The pièce de résistance, which is an understatement, is this gigantic construction incorporating the fireplace. This sculptural installation is inventive in its diffusion of hot air. A testimony to its efficiency, it reappears in several of his contemporary interiors in the Garde-Freinet project. It was actually built in Belgium, and brought with much difficulty through the village’s narrow paths.

Gevers' Approach to Architecture

Christophe Gevers’ leitmotif was to create homes around their interiors. This vacation home escapes the rule for several reasons. He sets the scene for the mica-schist, a local dressed stone, in a masterful way. He creates a continuity between the exterior and the interior and vice versa, reinforced by the glass door in the kitchen. This perception is accentuated by the progressive path that he creates by way of flights of stairs and the way that he manages the surprise of the opening onto the Massif’s terrain until the end, successive snapshots evolving with the race of the sun or moon.

A Personal memory

“My father was proud of his round doorknobs, so characteristic and ingenious, equipped with an opening mechanism all his own, a chain that you inserted into the cylinder to activate the opening mechanism. Once the chain was removed, the knob would turn in thin air. As children, my brother and I knew our parents were awake when the chain was back in place and, from that moment on, we had access to their universe for breakfast.” – Nathalie Gevers

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Footnotes: 
Text and Images: Jean-Pierre Gabriel