Refined and Reinvented
Striking a balance between then and now, this 1940s villa has a new lease of life after a thoughtful overhaul by RMGB Studio
In the heart of Lille, France, stands a spacious villa built in the 1940s – a home that, until recently, had fallen past its prime. Thought to have been inspired by nearby Villa Cavrois, designed in the early 1930s by Robert Mallet-Stevens, it was an architectural gem that had been dulled by decades of clunky renovation and ill-advised interior decoration. Filled with ornaments and furniture that weren’t in harmony with the space, Villa Lambersart was in dire need of an update. Enter Baptiste Rischmann and Guillaume Gilbert of RMGB Studio: a design duo tasked with preserving the home’s original spirit while adding a contemporary twist.
Upon seeing Lambersart, RMGB studio immediately found potential in embarking on a restoration project. Luckily, the original architecture appeared to be more disguised than obliterated: alterations had been made to the home’s handcrafted bow windows, with the installation of artificial wooden beams and mouldings. Doors were added where there once was a free flow through the space, and the upstairs master bathroom had its original sink and tiles removed. The villa’s original carpeting had also been replaced with modern parquet. But some details were partially intact, such as a mosaic glass roof over the entryway, remnants of an intricate staircase balustrade, and the building’s exterior.
“The house before its renovation gave the impression that the previous owners had not seen all of its aesthetic qualities, so they tried to gentrify it with features that didn’t work at all with the villa,” says Rischmann. “Now, the house proudly assumes its attributes while having left room for a certain modernity.”
The merit of the house’s original features was recognised by the new owner, who works in fashion, and wanted to incorporate modern elements in a way that complemented the building’s heritage. This was an ideal project for RMGB, says Rischmann, as their work draws inspiration from the past without falling to pastiche, leaving room for a contemporary interpretation of a space.
The updated interior combines unobtrusive ivory walls, restored 1940s elements and integrated vintage pieces from the 1960s to the 1980s. “We tried to make sure that there were no star pieces that would overwhelm the less important ones,” says Rischmann. “And we always paid attention to cultivating the feeling that all furniture present was curated to live harmoniously together.”
In the main living room, the duo restored an alcove seating area, inserting Rodolfo Bonetto’s Boomerang lounge chairs. Upholstered in natural linen, the chairs set the tone of the room: comfortable and modular, with all the furniture intended to be mobile and interchangeable for different parts of the home. A handcrafted Gio Ponti table and Florence Knoll seating sit in the living room, and the dining room’s central space holds a handcrafted Rosso Levanto marble table.
To restore some of the villa’s primary charm, the master bathroom’s original sink was recovered, and the studio’s craftspeople replicated earthenware from the 1940s to reintroduce the bathroom’s original tiling: subtle eggshell with a crackle effect.
“Discovering the old ceramic tiles in the upstairs master bathroom, finding a company capable of reproducing those tiles identically, unearthing the old sink buried in the basement… all the work as an archivist has been fascinating,” says Rischmann.
With no parquet in sight, Lambersart now thrives under the glow of newfound care. The carefully considered setting strikes the right balance of charisma and calm, nostalgia and the contemporary world.