HOT | Notes
NICKY HASLAM SPEARHEADS REFURBISHMENT OF
“LE PREVERGER”
KARMA ROYAL GROUP’S FABLED COTE
D’AZUR ESTATE FORMERLY OWNED
BY LAURA ASHLEY AND JEANNE MOREAU
Celebrated English interior designer Nicky
Haslam is spearheading refurbishments to
update Le Preverger, the magnificent former estate of the late British designer Laura
Ashley in the medieval French village of La
Garde-Frenet. Set on 150 picturesque acres
of woods, olive groves and vineyards, just 13
miles from St-Tropez, Le Preverger is considered one of the jewels of the French Riviera,
purchased in late 2012 by Karma Royal
Group Chairman and CEO John Spence and
added to his Karma Royal Group global portfolio of exclusive private enclaves. The refurbishment project encompasses the estate’s
four-bedroom main chateau, including the
creation and curation of a new library overseen by Ultimate Library,
78 • HOTELIER INDONESIA | SEPTEMBER 2013
the bespoke library service founded by
English entrepreneur Philip Blackwell, and
will eventually include the updating of the
estate’s gardens and grounds, five-bedroom
guest villa, four-bedroom coach house and
two-bedroom pool house.
“I have always admired the work of Nicky
Haslam and it was an honour and a thrill
when he agreed to work on the interiors at Le
Preverger. Nicky has known the house over
the years and, indeed, many of the people
who have stayed here,“ said John Spence.
“We were extremely keen to maintain the
provenance and history of the house and its
previous occupants, notably Laura Ashley
and Jeanne Moreau, and his brief was to do
this whilst modernizing it and making it an
outstanding example of interior design. This
he has done beyond expectation.
“Equally, Philip Blackwell has created and
curated an amazing library which complements the house and interior design
and which will be a joy for people for years to
come,” Mr. Spence added.
Describing Le Preverger as “a hidden haven
of calme, luxe, et volupte”, Nicky Haslam says
that the task of updating the estate is a “huge
pleasure.”
“From the onset, we shared a vision for Le
Preverger, an equal understanding of how
people wish to live and entertain, as well as
in our shared passion for architecture and its
relationship to both its landscape and those
who inhabit it,“ said Mr. Haslam. “In this, Le
Preverger is so much more than a summer
home.”
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