The Los Angeles–based fashion and accessories designer Clare Vivier and her husband, Thierry, had long pined for a place in France. During family visits to his hometown of Saint-Calais, southwest of Paris , she quietly eyed a handsome 19th-century manor set on a lush patch of land along the river Anille. In 2020, they heard that the family who had owned the seemingly abandoned house for the last 50 years had put it on the market. The Viviers swiftly bought it—a dream come true, times two. A Lydie Arickx painting (left) and an unattributed portrait flank the living room fireplace; sofa by Orior , Nordic Knots Zero Basket rug and sheer curtains in Pale Sand , sculpture (on floor) by Redjann Victor. ART: Lydie Arickx / Capazza Gallery. Redjann Victor. Vivier at the front door The house was a bit ramshackle—it needed a new roof, the wiring was ancient, and the attic was, she remembers, “really decrepit.” Nevertheless, they decided to undertake the renovation themselves.…