The king’s designer

You’ll never hear this from the man himself, but rumor has it that if you walk around Courchevel, half of the ski resort’s snazziest chalets bear Christophe Tollemer’s signature. But his reputation for perfecting the modern-day luxury look that ski resorts boast has in recent years been matched by a string of impressive stately homes. His latest renovation project? No less than the former dwellings of King Louis XIV.

Born in the village of Gap in the French Alps, Tollemer’s vocation was clear since childhood, when he’d spend most of his time doodling houses – “which sometimes got me into trouble at school,” he says –