Rendez-vous sur la Côte: A Family Hotel in Bréhec, Brittany
by Alexa Hotz
I’ve been following the work of Studio de Lostanges, the exceptionally well-made clothing label from sisters Louise and Jeanne Tresvaux du Fraval, for a few years now. Based in Brittany, the duo produce one collection each year inspired by regional craft and maritime workwear, with garments made almost entirely within the region using natural fibers, deadstock fabric, locally felted wool, glass buttons, and traditional manufacturing.
It wasn’t until recently that I realized another part of their world could also be visited: Rendez-vous sur la Côte, two apartments for rent tucked inside the family’s former seaside hotel in Bréhec, a five-minute walk from the English Channel. Built in 1952 by Louise and Jeanne’s great-grandparents, the building originally welcomed summer vacationers before gradually becoming the family’s own gathering place. Louise spent every childhood summer here with her siblings, and after her grandmother’s death in 2020, returned to live in her apartment. Soon after, her sister Jeanne took over the family’s former holiday apartment on the ground floor, their mother moved into another wing of the building—complete with a painting studio—and, in 2022, the family was able to purchase the final apartment, restoring the building to a single ownership for the first time in decades.
Today, the house serves several generations at once: Louise lives here with her partner, Renaud, and young son, her mother is a year-round resident, Studio de Lostanges is based here, and two apartments once again welcome guests, much as the building did seventy years ago. Louise and Renaud restored the apartments themselves, peeling back later renovations to reveal original hardwood floors, kitchen tile, glazed doors, and built-in cabinetry beneath layers of carpet and wallpaper. The rooms are furnished with family antiques, vintage household linens have been sewn into curtains, upholstery, and slipcovers by Louise herself. The approach is much the same as Studio de Lostanges: thoughtful, practical, incremental, and “far removed from industrial logic.” The house continues to evolve slowly, becoming less a restoration than an ongoing act of stewardship.
Photography courtesy of Rendez-vous sur la Côte.
Above: The whitewashed building was constructed in 1952 by Louise’s paternal great-grandparents as a summer hotel overlooking Bréhec Bay.
Above: With the English Channel just a five-minute walk away, nearby are a tidal sandy beach, a small harbor with cafés, and the coastal Customs Officers’ Trail.
Above: Rendez-vous sur la Côte comprises two rentals: a 592-square-foot (55-square-meter) apartment on the second floor for up to four guests, and a compact attic studio on the third floor for two.
The second-floor apartment follows the building’s original 1950s plan: two bedrooms, a sea-facing living room, a separate kitchen, and a central entrance hall connecting each room.
Above: Simple linens, table lamps fitted with custom shades, and a vintage photograph.
Above: Furniture has been gathered by the family over generations, with a particular concentration of French pieces from the 1930s through the 1960s. Chairs, tables, shelves, and smaller wooden pieces move between the apartments as they’re repaired, restored, or simply needed elsewhere.
Above: Louise and her partner, Renaud, carried out the renovation themselves, removing later additions to rediscover the apartment’s original kitchen tile, glazed interior doors, built-in cabinetry, and oak floors hidden beneath wall-to-wall carpet.
Above: Louise reinstalled a traditional stoneware sink in the kitchen after stripping away later renovations. Simple open shelving holds a collection of everyday French tableware.
Above: A painted wooden shelf displays vintage glassware, plates, and serving pieces—objects that feel collected rather than styled.
Above: Louise has a particular affection for modest wooden furniture from the 1960s. “Some are still waiting to be restored,” she says.
Above: Vintage household linens appear throughout the apartment as curtains, upholstery, and sofa covers, sewn or reworked by Louise herself. A pair of traditional clogs which Louise and Jeanne source and refinish in glossy lacquer for Studio de Lostanges.
Above: The attic studio occupies the top floor beneath the roofline, with oversized skylights framing views toward the Channel.
Above: A kitchen under the eaves with a rooftop casement window that opens to the sky.
Above: Rather than filling the rooms with mass-produced, newly purchased goods, Louise takes a sustainable and intentional approach, utilizing creative reuse wherever possible.
Above: Originally, there were only sinks in the bedrooms and a separate toilet. Today, the bathroom combines a toilet, sink, and shower. The spaces are connected by an entryway hallway.
Above: The garden continues to be planted and reshaped over the seasons. In summer, it becomes a shared space for family meals, guests, and whatever happens to be in bloom.
Above: The ultimate French country scene where outdoor tables come together via shared tablecloths and pair with a collection of mismatched chairs.
Rendez-vous sur la Côte can be booked by emailing [email protected] or by contacting Louise through Instagram @rendezvoussurlacote.
For more hotels and interiors in and around Brittany, see our posts:
10 Easy Pieces: Checked Sofas for Summer
by Alexa Hotz
No other pattern says summer quite like gingham, or check, or the right plaid. Here are our favorite bold plaid sofas available to order directly—or to serve as inspiration for upholstering a vintage or current piece of your own.
Above: From London interior designer Nicola Harding’s line NiX, the charming Dolittle Love Seat is available in a variety of colors, patterns, and mix-and-match options, like this blue/brown checkered option; $7,160. For more, see our post: Nicola Harding Launches NiX, a Considered Collection of “Just So” Homewares.
Above: A design classic, Børge Mogensen’s 1945 Spoke Back Sofa combines a sofa with a chaise via soaped oak frame and removable cushions. The cushions seen here are plaid wool, Cotil 863, one of two plaid patterns available via Fredericia.
Above: From interior designer Beata Heuman, the Frame Sofa is shown in a mid-blue gingham fabric. Available through Beata Heuman directly.
Above: The stately Carlisle Sofa from Pottery Barn is available in a variety of ginghams and colors; from $3,419.
Above: The Marlow Sofa in subtle Millie Sage checks has French seams and thick cushions; from $4,608 from Pepper Home.
Above: The Nickey Kehoe Low Back Settee starts at $5,000 from Nickey Kehoe.
Above: The Serena & Lily Spruce Street Sofa in Gingham Earth linen is one of a few gingham/check upholstery options for the model; starting at $4,998.
Above: A one off vintage option, the Bruno Mathsson T201 Checkered Wool Sofa is $3,200 at Hopp Home.
Above: The BDDW Abel Sofa has a Douglas fir frame, cast bronze feet, and is available in all BDDW fabrics including the red and white tweed shown here.
Above: The Layered Rosso 3-Seat Sofa is available in the EU in a checkerboard fabric, either beige or orange.
For more sofa styles see our posts:
- 10 Easy Pieces: Striped Sofas
- 10 Easy Pieces: Pink Sofas
- 10 Easy Pieces: Corduroy Sofas
- 10 Easy Pieces: Modern Leather Sofas
N.B.: This story originally ran on July 3, 2024 and has been updated with new links, products, and pricing.
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