The home oscillates between old and contemporary, with ancient stone next to floor-to-ceiling glass windows and concrete. Furniture includes classics by Jean Prouvé, Charles and Ray Eames, and Hans Wegner, mixed with pieces by Jasper Morrison, Terence Woodgate, Tom Dixon and Wouter Scheublin.

Guests can catch up on their film queues in the Cinema Room or cook in the cinematic kitchen. Or descend into the cellar bar, stocked with honesty spirits and snacks. The owners suggest churning your own reine-claude sorbet with the bar’s Magimix with the greengage plums off their trees.

Outdoor living is equally as alluring, where the alpine air meets Provencal light and the Circus Stools of Martino Gamper pop up along the landscaping and patio. Have a dip in the UV-cleaned pool, toast with a RinQuinQuin cocktail in the lavender-scented front courtyard. Move into the eating and cooking area under the oak tree, make your own pizza in the wood-fired oven, prepare a barbecue on the charcoal grill, and visit the concrete hot tub to ensure a restful night.

The couple says that restoring this villa in Hautes-Alpes was “truly a labour of love.” Arguably the most singular in Haute-Alpes, that feeling is evident in every glimpse.

You can also rent the Studio, an open-plan stand-alone apartment that was converted from an old chapel connected to the farmhouse.

This villa in Hautes-Alpes is made up of the principal Terrace Villa on the upper ground floor. Of its five bedrooms, each has an en-suite walk-in shower and WC, and two of the bedrooms feature cast-iron bathtubs. The villa can sleep up to ten people.

The owners live in a separate villa on the ground-floor level, where they stay to make sure everything is running smoothly. They offer total privacy to their guests.

ADDITIONAL FEATURES

Inflatable kayaks, paddle boards, and electric mountain bikes for guests' use on the lakes (only 20 - 30 minutes away) or many great local trails for mountain biking.

FIELDS OF LAVENDER & WINTER SNOW

The area is suited to outdoor exploration, with hiking, cycling, mountain biking, fishing, rafting, and rock-climbing.

Families love to take their kids to Plan d’Eau in Veynes, a lake just 20 minutes away, for swimming and picnicking. It has an inflatable aqua park and water slides. The outdoor pool at La Germanette, surrounded by the mountains, is also a children’s paradise with its play area, paddling pool, and lifeguard.

Visit the local markets Veynes and Laragne-Monteglin on Thursday mornings, and Serres and Gap on Saturdays, for fresh fruit and veggies, cheeses, olives, herbs, spices and lavender honey. Or find out where that honey comes from by following the “Routes de la Lavande” (Lavender Routes) for pale purple-saturated fields set among the beautiful landscape of Hautes-Alpes.

Come winter, the Devoluy ski resort is a 35-minute drive away from La Maison du Mûrier. Made up of two resorts, La Joue du Loup and Superdévoluy, it has a total of 100km of slopes.

LOCATION

La Beaume, Hautes-Alpes, France. Nearest airports: Marseille or Grenoble. Also accessible from Lyon and Nice.

BEST TIME TO VISIT: Summer and winter