Villa Bagatelle is one of a kind: it is a period home from 1900 filled with antique furniture and artefacts, but it is also a fully functioning hotel where guests step back in time.
Owner Matthieu Chauvin came up with the concept of creating this living museum to honour the history of all the beautiful antiques that were part of the property.
“Having inherited the villa from my grandparents, we are immensely privileged to be its custodians,” he said.
“The antique pieces that have been collected by our family over the years should be seen and touched and used in their true setting, not sit lifeless in museum displays.”
Lyon businessman Pierre Juppet commissioned the villa as an elegant holiday home, and architect Pierre Curieux designed the 700m² house in an eclectic style, drawing on Louis XV, colonial orientalism and the more recent influences of Art Nouveau.
From the grand entrance hall to the smallest parlour, each room has its own surprising details and the whole property is steeped in history.
Set in nearly five acres of gardens located just 15 minutes from Lyon, Villa Bagatelle was bought by the Chauvins in 1930, but by the time Matthieu and his wife, Bernadette, inherited in December 2015, it had become rather run-down.
History lesson: a major job was laying some new parquet flooringVilla Bagatelle
Listed as a Monument Historique, it is one of only a few such properties that remain in the hands of private owners – most have been bought by larger companies to be developed and modernised.
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“Villa Bagatelle dates from the height of the Belle Époque,” said Matthieu, “a period when France was prosperous and full of energy.
“Colonial influences are everywhere, from the paintings of Venice and Constantinople to the minaret tower.
“We knew that it would take a lot of time and funds to restore the villa to its former glory, but we also felt that it could become something extraordinary.
“It had been mostly unmodified through the decades, with each generation adding its own carefully selected pieces.”
Many of the objects that are part of the hotel-museum were collected over the previous century by five generations who never wanted to throw anything away, preferring instead to store them in the attic. Among the long-lost treasures were crockery, linen and houseware, outdated pieces from the study and office – including an ancient Underwood typewriter – and curiosities such as old cameras and a Pygmophone record player from the 1920s.
Matthieu decided to bring these pieces back into the fold, into the main house where they could be enjoyed.
“Certain pieces are too fragile to be used every day, but many are still durable and in excellent condition. As our plans evolved to create two or three guest rooms, we realised that several of these historic items could be brought back to life to create an immersive experience, one where you have the sensation of staying as a house guest with the family in the early 1900s.”
Using original techniques
The ongoing restoration has used original techniques and materials wherever possible, including linseed oil paint on the woodwork and beeswax polish on the parquet. The owners have tracked down antique fabrics and curtains to complete the atmosphere.
Guests walk on period parquet flooring, gaze through stained-glass windows and enjoy the warmth of the original fireplace in the ground-floor lounge.
In the bathrooms, the taps are the very ones installed in the 1930s, each having been removed, painstakingly renovated, then replaced to serve once more.
These Porcher bathroom fittings are identical to those used on the Normandie ocean liner, famed for its luxury and opulence.
Bernadette and Matthieu ChauvinPhilippine Chauvin
The bedrooms, meanwhile, feature antique bed frames that are unusually spacious, as Matthieu explained.
“In the 1900s, most beds were only 110 or 130cm wide as it was common for married couples to have separate beds, and only to ‘visit’ their spouse.
“However, Bernadette's great-grandfather was a very tall man who had a large bed made especially for him, measuring 170cm by 210cm.”
It features a decorative carved pansy motif inspired by Louis-XV style, reflecting the bourgeois aspirations of the time.
“We also wanted to use the original tableware,” continued Mathieu, “so we offer a breakfast option called ‘Paulette et Robert’ that is served with a silver tea service dating from the 1880s, tableware that’s around 100 years old, and an original tablecloth and napkins. It’s quirky, but it’s unique, the sensation of enjoying breakfast as it was so many years ago, especially if you do so on the terrace, looking over the grounds.”
While the house is impressive, with its sweeping stairs, wide stone terrace and high ceilings, it still has the feel of a family home.
Matthieu and Bernadette are artists, and their sensitivity comes through in how they have renovated and taken care of their property.
Above all, Villa Bagatelle is a family residence, where they live and work, regularly welcoming relatives into their home, so that the villa continues to echo to the sounds of children and multiple generations.
