In Search of Poetry: A Historic House in Béziers by Doux Août and Architect Maria Masgård

After several years living and working between Paris and the South of France, Araceli Villar and Pierre Négrier founded Doux Août in 2019, a Béziers-based creative studio working across interiors, art direction, and object sourcing. Their projects tend toward what they describe as poetry: spaces that reveal character slowly.

That sensibility aligned naturally with Swedish architect Maria Masgård, who studied at the Royal Institute of Technology and heads her own firm in Stockholm. In 2024, Masgård and her husband, Stefan, purchased La Maison B, a three-story historic house in the center of Béziers that had been remodeled repeatedly over the years. Plasterboard, laminate, and layers of paint concealed the original stone walls and beams beneath.

Working in collaboration with Doux Août, the approach became less about renovation than uncovering: stripping the house back to its original structure and allowing the materials to reemerge. Lime walls were revealed and paired with a natural micro-cement. The renovation is ongoing and deliberately slow. Join us for a look inside.

Photography by Doux Août of La Maison B.

Above: A kitchen designed in reclaimed wood and raw pine with stone counters, zellige tile, and a pair of Serax Seam Pendant Lights by Seppe Van Heusden.
Above: A round dining table with a collection of 001 Dining Chairs in pine from Vaarni. Above is the HAY Ellipse Paper Shade. The landscapes of the Gorges du Tarn are painted by Tim Bickerton.
Above: The team designed built-in seating with a linen pad beside the chimney. They sourced a vintage Edin and Lina Kjellvertz Washi Paper Lamp found on Dusty Deco. The team uncovered lime walls and applied a natural micro-cement from Spanish company Mas Maya.
Above: A Linen Table Lamp from Zara Home sits between two linen loveseats in the living room. Stripping back paint revealed a section of wallpaper the design team chose to showcase.
Above: A main bedroom with floors covered in Mas Maya micro-cement, softened with layers of linen and pendant lights in linen from Ceci Ferrero.
Above: The main bath is designed with chestnut drawers and a quartzite top. The shower beyond is tiled in zellige tile. The team sourced the Olympia No.4 Terres de Rêves Pendant designed by Anita Le Grelle for Serax. The copper faucets are by Koperenkranen Belgium.
Above: In addition to the interior walls, Masgård designed a custom bath and console finishing them both in Mas Maya minerals. The bath is fitted with a custom faucet from Koperenkranen Belgium.
Above: Masgård and Doux Août retained the original terracotta tiles. They added a Rice Paper Lampshade from HAY.
Above: The architect and designers fully transformed the staircase that runs between the three floors by repairing the structure and softening edges into a sculptural form with the use of Mas Maya micro-cement and the expertise of a local painter.
Above: A look down the hallway between rooms on the second level.
Above: A charming compromise between old and new with original walls, new micro-cement finish, original tile, antiques, and new linens.
Above: A concrete Wall Lamp No.1 by Thijs Prinsen in the bedroom. The outlets are porcelain fittings from Fontini.
Above: Reclaimed shutters found in a storage room in the house and a quartzite countertop and sink. The copper faucet is from Koperenkranen Belgium.

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• Atelier Vime in Brittany: An 18th-Century Childhood Home Lovingly Updated
• Les Bains Gardians: White Horses and “Conscious Hedonism” in France’s Camargue
• Maison Légère: Restoring Balance and Harmony in France
• D’une Île: A Rustic Retreat in Normandy with Cottages to Rent