LA VILLA is located in the heart of the old quarter of Pondicherry called ‘the white town’, at walking distance from the main attractions. Respecting the heritage of its colonial architecture, inspired by its Pondicherien past, the original walls of the ground floor converse with the immaculate white walls, teak wood, and glass and metal of the new extension. A second birth has been given to ancient materials and techniques like centuries-year-old bricks, lime plaster, colour cement flooring, and hand made tiles from the villages of Tamil Nadu as well as local granite. Old wood from levelled houses has been reused to create elegant contemporary furniture and local handicrafts are combined with the most luxurious and sophisticated western design. Avoiding the false interpretation of the city’s heritage and the mistakes of the modern developed world, the local environment has been treated as an ally, not as an enemy. This challenge has been enthusiastically taken up by French architects Tina Trigala and Yves Lesprit to create a unique hotel in south India with a phantasmagorical and timeless atmosphere, so old, so modern, so fresh, so rare.