Villa Cannelle

Sleek, Geometric View Villa with a Mid-Century-Inspired Touch

With its geometric, Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired styling and its vivid, modern Mediterranean design splashed with artful accents, cool wallpapers and easy furnishings, this nearly 400-square-meter villa for eight offers a stylish, family-friendly retreat just outside of Montpellier in a scenic country setting in the South of France.

Generous open-plan rooms feature oversized glass doors and windows, infusing the clean-lined space with an abundance of natural light and ventilation. The interior design is at once sleekly modern and a little bit mid-century, with a sculptural Focus suspended fireplace in the living room.

All four bedrooms are made for two, two set in a wing of the home that stairsteps down the lush, green lot with a show-stopping swimming pool. The primary bedroom has an en-suite bathroom and private terrace, and there’s a TV room in addition to the more formal living room, as well as a workspace.

Indoor-outdoor living comes easily here, with glass sliding doors opening to outdoor dining, shaded, and sun-splashed terraces set with sun loungers, chairs and tables, garden furniture, a plancha and a boules pitch.

Layout

First floor: Entrance hall, open-plan living/dining/kitchen, primary king bedroom with en-suite bathroom and terrace, one queen bedroom, den with TV and workspace

Ground floor: Two queen bedrooms, two bathrooms

Outdoors: Pool, terrace with dining for 10, on-site parking, boules court, plancha, sun loungers, outdoor furnishings

Around

Located less than two minutes by car from the village of St. Clément de Rivière, and about 20 minutes from the city of Montpellier, this home’s huge garden is lushly manicured, with flower- and shrub-filled beds, a wide green and plenty of olive, Aleppo pine and cypress trees. The land around St. Clément de Rivière is quilted with vineyards and orchards, and the village landmark is its aqueduct, a historic structure that carries water from the Lez river to Montpellier. The town’s central square is a classic, shaded by plane trees and a popular spot for picnics. There are two ancient hamlets and traces of a Roman church and the 18th-century aqueduct extends for 13 kilometers. Vineyards and wine shops can be visited in the area, mountain bikers take to the trails around the Pic Saint Loup, and outdoor enthusiasts can ramble through the local woods of Saint Sauveur, enjoying the shade of the oaks and Aleppo pine trees across some 100 hilly hectares. Adventure types can try canyoneering in the nearby limestone Canyon du Diable, within the strikingly scenic Gorges de l’Heralt, an outdoor experience that includes an aquatic trail, jumps, slides, ziplines, rappelling and abseiling.

The tranquil village of Montferrier-sur-Lez is also nearby, its charming center offering a weekly market, two bakeries and other local shops such as a butcher, café/bar and grocery store. Perched on an extinct volcano, the village is crafted from iron-grey basaltic stone buildings topped by traditional red-tiled roofs. A 12th-century castle tops the village, and from the castle terraces, you can admire local mountains, the Pic Saint Loup, The Hortus, and even the Cévennes range in the distance to the north. The local Fabre Museum of Montpellier Mediterranean Metropolis is located in town, housing a collection of paintings by François-Xavier Fabre, a cook turned painter. And the Mediterranean coast is about 30 minutes away, with its favorite nearby beaches at Palavas-Les-Flots or La Grande Motte.

Location

St. Clément de Rivière, Hérault, Occitanie, France. Nearest airport: Montpellier (30 minutes)

Best time to visit

April to October