Nicknamed "The Barefoot Explorer", the great traveller was born here on 31 May 1847,
and lived there for his first few years.
From 1872 to 1895, Auguste Pavie travelled through Siam and Indochina, from Vietnam to Laos, via Angkor and Saigon. Originally a telegraph officer, he became an explorer, ethnologist and photographer on the banks of the Mekong River ("Mission Pavie" 1889-1890).
He was the first French vice-consul in Laos (1887), then became Consul General of France in Bangkok in 1892, then Commissioner General in Laos in 1893.
He died on 7 June 1925 in Thourie, Ille-et-Vilaine (Brittany).
Echoing the life of Auguste Pavie, travel and Indochina in the last century have inspired the choice of materials and colours at the Maison Pavie, as well as the design of the furniture, the choice of tableware, fabrics and lighting.
The logo of the Maison Pavie itself, a stylised leaf of the Ginkgo Biloba, evokes the mixed soul of the house. The result is a contemporary and warm decoration, as well as a singular allure and charm.
Key elements of the house's history have also been preserved and enhanced.
Medieval origins remain, notably the large granite slab floor in the entrance hall, the staircase leading to the third floor bedroom and its cob walls. The parquet floors on the first and second floors, large dark brown chestnut strips, are reminiscent of 17th century fittings.
Finally, the living room, with its panelled walls with rounded corners and its lion's paw fireplace, recreates the delicacy of the 18th century.
