Meeting Frédéric Thet: reimagining the Ferretcapian holiday villa

Frédéric: People often think of me as a Cap-Ferret architect. However, I founded my design agency in Paris, where I did all my studies and worked for many years before returning to my native Bordeaux nine years ago. In Paris, I designed lofts, housing, extensions, and renovations, always with an artistic touch. I enjoyed Paris, but I was continually thinking about Bordeaux and Cap-Ferret.

Nine years ago, after the birth of my second child, I returned to Bordeaux with my wife and began working in the area. However, I soon found myself drawn to Cap-Ferret, where I could fulfill my lifelong dream of building wooden houses. It felt like a homecoming. As a child, I spent countless hours constructing wooden huts in my grandparents’ garden, creating them everywhere I could. When they grew tired of my projects, I would relocate them to the basement or up into the trees. I’ve always wanted to come back to Cap-Ferret to create and build, and now, that dream is finally becoming a reality!

Frédéric: In Cap-Ferret, most of the cabins are built with wide wooden planks. Between each plank, a wooden batten is added to cover the joint. I tried to come up with something different by alternating narrow and wide boards and leaving the gaps between the boards exposed, creating a louvered cladding with a black rain barrier, to set it apart from the local technique.

Most cabins here are left with raw wood. The cabins I work on are always painted. I draw inspiration from the old oyster-farming huts that were coated with coal tar oil, but I use much less harmful and less polluting wood stains.

Another distinguishing feature is the contrast between the black or very dark wooden cladding and the tiled mosaics used sparingly—as skirting boards, in pools, or even on some furniture pieces. The contrast between these brightly colored tiles and the dark-stained wood gives a truly unique identity. Another distinctive element of the villa is the large central glazed gables made up of big panes, which define the main entrances and volumes of the villa.

Finally, we’ve extended the interior volumes to the outside by creating pergolas with very thin metal structures. These pergolas cast beautiful shadows from the reeds onto the ground and serve as supports for climbing vegetation. When all the glass doors on the facade are open, these openings and pergolas create an indoor-outdoor living experience, which is quintessential to the lifestyle in Cap-Ferret given its climate.

Frédéric: When working on villas in Cap-Ferret, I try to add a distinctive touch to contrast with the often very dark cladding—black, almost black green, or nearly black blue—to prevent it from looking too austere. I like to introduce a small, colorful element to balance out the color scheme of these dark façades. For Le Cœur du Ferret, I initially included yellow and white Moroccan zelliges as skirting for the façades and the pool to contrast with the black wood. This idea evolved when Thibaud Elzière and Robin Michel associated this design with Mexico. It was an endless source of inspiration, which we decided to fully embrace!

Frédéric: I incorporate these considerations into all my projects in Cap-Ferret. Everything needs to be low-maintenance, and the spaces must be highly functional. I took particular care in designing the garden, as it’s an area where guests spend a significant amount of time.

We preserved and increased the number of local plant species while also introducing tropical and exotic varieties, creating dynamic atmospheres with tiered levels, platforms, shaded areas, climbing plants, and enchanting pathways. There’s a playful aspect to the design as well: we included an outdoor cinema, a small sauna, a sports structure, a pétanque court, and a garden shed at the back.