Eugène’s son Octave spent much of his time in Paris, befriending the artistic avant-garde. It was Octave who asked Emile Gallé, one of the pioneers of the French art nouveau movement, to create a design for the family’s champagne bottles. In 1902 Gallé enamelled an ornate curl of Japanese white anemones onto four magnum bottles: the design now graces the cuvée known worldwide as Perrier-Jouët Belle Époque.

“The anemone is a strong symbol of our history,” explains de Buffevent. “It is incorporated in the Maison’s décor... on the glass windows, on the walls, the curtains and on the tile fresco.” The maison is awash with the nature-inspired motifs of birds, blooms, and curling tendrils that were the signature of the art nouveau movement, and it boasts the largest museum-quality private collection of art nouveau work in Europe. This is in large part thanks to Michel Budin—a relative of the Gallice family—who took the helm of the business in the 1980s. A great lover of art nouveau, he expanded and enriched the existing collection with furniture and artefacts. “He had a glorious vision to transform the house into a celebration of savoir-faire and savoir-vivre, uniting the wonders of art and nature,” says Perrier-Jouët brand director Tim Croizat.

It was this fabulous collection of artwork, hand-carved furniture, and bronze lighting that Parisian design firm Gaia was tasked with sensitively showcasing when they undertook the project to return the house to its original grandeur. From the cutters and setters who hand- assembled the 330,000 tiles of the entrance hall mosaic, to the stencil artist who hand- painted the decorative friezes in the rooms, the renovation is a showcase of exceptional craftsmanship and ingenious creativity. “It took 1,100 metres of fabric, 270 metres of fringes, 80 pairs of tiebacks, and 2,000 hours of work to achieve the effect,” explains de Buffevent.

The Maison has five bedrooms, each decorated on a different theme. But it is the Chambre Guimard that, for Croizat, epitomises the spirit of the place. “The cool blue tones, interspersed with touches of gold, create a serene and restful ambience,” he says. “The bed, by Hector Guimard, is a masterpiece of perfect proportion and refined decoration.”

As title sponsors of Design Miami, Perrier-Jouët continues to forge relationships with contemporary artists who embrace the botanical world. In addition to masterpieces of sculpture, painting, and furniture from artists such as Hector Guimard, Louis Majorelle, Raoul Larche, François- Rupert Carabin, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, two remarkable contemporary works are also on display in the house.

In the entrance hall, Ephemera by Mischer’Traxler is a modern allegory of the relationship between man and nature. Revealed at Design Miami in 2014, it represents an ornamental garden growing from a long table, which shrivels away when anyone approaches.

Champagne is, naturally, not forgotten. The maison’s new bar is crowned by Japanese artist Ritsue Mishima’s spectacular All’ombra della luce—a hive of suspended Murano glass discs which sparkle like bubbles in champagne. A nearby door leads to cellars containing the vast private cuvée collection, whose bottles date back to 1825 and include the legendary 1874, which broke records when sold at a Christie’s auction in London in 1888, becoming the most expensive champagne in the world.

Anyone wishing to sample these extraordinary vintages should know the maison is largely invitation-only. But those able to splash out €100,000 on Perrier- Jouët’s “By & For” experience are invited to explore the vineyards and gardens, indulge in a tasting, lunch or dinner, and an overnight stay in one of the guest rooms of the maison. Best of all, they’ll have the chance to join cellar master Hervé Deschamps to create their very own bespoke prestige cuvée.

For brand director Tim Croizat, an invitation to the Maison Belle Époque is “an invitation to a certain art de vivre, to a moment suspended in time, a moment beyond time. It is an invitation to savour not only champagne, but all the refinement that goes with it.”