Outside Paris, a Stone Cottage Helped This Designer Through Divorce

Two years ago, Gesa Hansen could never have predicted that she would be living in a stone cottage. “I was so desperate to find an apartment or house that I was open to anything,” says the German-Danish interior designer. “I even considered houseboats.” In the end, Hansen did not choose life on the water, but she still found a home close to a river. In 2024, she was looking at property in the idyllic community of Samois-sur-Seine, nearby the Parisian suburbs. This was where she saw a two-story stone country house sitting behind a half-timbered Belle Époque villa typical of the region. Apropos of nothing, Hansen knocked on the door to inquire about the property. “The artist who lived there opened it and, to my surprise, it was an old acquaintance,” she says.

At the time, the painter wasn’t interested in selling. But that soon changed, and Hansen moved in with her children and her dog in the winter of 2024—newly divorced and at a crucial tipping point in her life. This is probably why the interior designer, who also designs furniture for her brand The Hansen Family, didn’t want to settle with only a few surface touch-ups to her new home. She decided instead to completely reimagine the layout of the 1,100-square-foot cottage, specifically by removing walls and letting in more light.

Interior designer Gesa Hansen.

Hansen’s garden in Samois-sur-Seine is sheltered by stone walls.

Today, the cottage is a stunning lesson in the use of bold colors, fabrics, wallpapers, nautical influences, and warm materials. All these elements add up to a cozy home surrounded by nature which also displays an intriguingly unconventional and uninhibited side—the home’s garden was designed by Hansen, in collaboration with Estelle Marandon. It also has an unusual mix of old (a certain English cottage style) and new (a more wild and natural approach, in the vein of Piet Oudolf designs.) Everything, from the house and its interior to the design of the garden reflects Hansen’s life in a time of transition. “I’ve been through a bit of hell,” she says, referencing this period. “But it also feels like liberation.”

An unexpected Bauhaus influence

From the first moment she saw the country house, Hansen noticed its large windows, like those you might find in an artist’s studio. “They remind me of the Bauhaus,” she says, referring to the school in Dessau, Germany, where Hansen herself studied before working for Jean Nouvel and later founding her own studio. Bauhaus was where she began truly “to see colors,” and view them in context thanks to the work of Josef Albers. Her practice today is a continuous focus on how colors change their appearance depending on their surroundings. The right balance is crucial, as her home in Samois-sur-Seine illustrates.

In the kitchen, for example, none of the appliances are framed by wood or soft tones. Hansen opted instead for the rich Moss paint from File Under Pop, which lands somewhere between an ochre and a mustard yellow. “I had never been able to use this color in any of my projects,” she says. But to her, this paint is special. It contrasts skillfully with the kitchen's brass fittings and existing tiled terracotta floor, as well as the stainless steel surfaces. “For me, the kitchen is a place of a certain emancipation,” says Hansen. “I felt I had outgrown the cute country kitchen look. I wanted something that reflected my experiences and that meant a kitchen that was more direct, urban, and even somewhat masculine.”

The stainless-steel kitchen by Jean Nouvel looks both sleek and unfinished and is framed by the tiled terracotta floor and the walls in Moss paint, a mix of mustard yellow and ochre from File Under Pop.

The worktop is made of natural stone, with tiles by Giovanni Barbieri used for the backsplash.

To round off the shiny metallic look, Hansen added a stainless-steel shelf from MyKilos.

The dining table's Arabescato top was designed by Hansen—she also covered the custom bench with Pierre Frey’s Fontainebleau fabric. The lacquered oak chairs with woven seats that Stine Lundgaard Weigelt designed for FDB Møbler complete the look. Pass through a round arch into the living room, which features a white and romantically playful fireplace. A Spanish chair by Børge Mogensen next to it seems destined to become a favorite reading spot. Hansen placed a grass-green rug from Nordic Knots on the existing terrazzo floor and designed another love seat and coffee table herself. The curtains by Fadini Borghi echo the golden-brown upholstery.

Round up: The dining area includes chairs from FDB Møbler, an oak dining table with a marble top designed by Hansen, and a bench with backrest upholstered in Fontainebleau fabric. The brass-colored pendant lamp was designed by Daniel Klapsing, the wall lamp is by Areti. The black and white photo is by Nathalie Mohadjer.

The rug on the terrazzo floor is from Nordic Knots, the table and love seat ensemble, both made of oak, was designed by Hansen for her own brand. The photograph on the wall is by Charles Freger.

In Hansen’s bedroom, she combined Pierre Frey’s graphic floral fabric Rangira Atoll with wooden sculptures and a floor lamp by Areti. On the wall, a photograph by Michael Lange.

In Hansen’s bedroom, she combined Pierre Frey’s graphic floral fabric Rangira Atoll with wooden sculptures and a floor lamp by Areti. On the wall, a photograph by Michael Lange.

Hansen designed the oak desk for her home office and paired it with Marcel Breuer’s tubular steel chair from Good Moods. The wall lights, which are painted matte black on the outside, are from Areti.

Water and wood

“As a child, I’d visit lumberyards with my grandfather and father,” says Hansen. “I would also work on our wooden boat with my father in the winter. My family would spend our vacations sailing it.” This is why the interior designer’s first furniture designs were specifically inspired by boat designs, and why almost all of the furniture that Hansen has created for her home is made of high-quality wood. In her upstairs bedroom you’ll find jagged wooden sculptures, and in her office, a wooden desk further complemented by a Marcel Breuer chair produced by Good Moods.

Hansen and her children are already surrounded by nature in their cottage—but water provides a serious touchpoint for her aesthetic inspiration. Hanging on the wall of her office are fins and a diving mask, both of which are essentials for the aquatic enthusiast. “Whether surfing or diving, being in the sea gives me strength and freedom. I can look back on my life on land with a sense of distance,” she says. Hansen’s bedroom is also partially bathed in the blue-green Mid Azure Green from Little Greene, with a wall mirror from Ferm Living with an irregular profile creating a sense of movement. Even more striking is the staircase with Pierre Frey’s Clapotis wallpaper. It depicts the sun reflecting on the rippling waters of the Mediterranean creating a rhythmic and multi-layered effect.

Nautical themes also play a key role in the two bathrooms. The guest bathroom has a range of blues including Pale Powder from Farrow & Ball on the walls. Hansen bought the light green-blue Zellige tiles from a friend in Marseille. The sink and fixtures are from Villeroy & Boch, a brand for whom she regularly creates designs and leads color workshops; there’s also a practical container in baby blue from Hay. In the principal bathroom, Caraibes fabric recreates an underwater landscape, while the ceramic Hommage column washbasin is from Villeroy & Boch. “It’s elegant and historic, yet also minimalist,” says Hansen. It’s a description that applies also to the Conum fittings in Brushed Gold, designed by Christian Haas for Villeroy & Boch. Light is provided by two harbor lamps from Hansen Vintage. It almost feels like Hansen did end up in a houseboat of sorts, but this one is in the form of a cottage in Samois-sur-Seine with large windows and sweeping views.

Pierre Frey’s Caraibes fabric is paired with vintage harbor lamps in the principal bathroom. The Hommage washbasin is a classic from Villeroy & Boch. Christian Haas designed the brass-colored fittings. The mirror is Hansen’s design.

Singing the blues: Hansen opted for a dramatic staircase by using Clapotis wallpaper from Pierre Frey.

A picnic table in Hansen’s garden in Samois-sur-Seine is ready for summertime parties when the sun shines late into the evening.

The guest bathroom is also dominated by blues, from a pale sky blue to turquoise. Sink and fixtures from Villeroy & Boch. The towel is from a series designed by Gesa Hansen for Klafs.

Shades of blue and the irregular profiles of waves (in the form of a mirror from Ferm Living) can also be found in the principal bedroom.

Gesa Hansen’s stone cottage was originally published in AD Germany.