Photographs by kind permission of PureFrance.com

"A grand house given a new lease of life with outstanding external spaces and contemporary balance."

There's a lot of unloved grand old houses across the South of France, particularly in the Languedoc region. Often empty for many years, they can make spectacular renovation projects with the right client, the right vision and sufficient budget. This project illustrates perfectly what can be achieved in a careful balance of old and contemporary styles. The external spaces in this project add significant impact. Created from waste ground which served only for the parking and storage of wine equipment, the transformation is both impressive and magical.

Renovation projects always have hidden surprises

Like so many old properties in need of repair, this project had its fair share of surprises. A very high water table was causing severe damp on the ground floor, while parts of the building were in severe dilapidation, but hiding below was a surprisingly elegant house.

The brief called or a complete renovation, but we had to tackle the problems first as part of the execution. The dilapidated ‘wing’ was demolished to only the external walls, an attached mass was demolished entirely. This gave us the opportunity to create a high ceiling salon with very large non-standard height feature Vitrocsa sliding glass doors with a loggia above, accessible from a galvanised staircase. The entire ground floor was excavated by 80cm to add damp-proofing and underfloor heating. The new simple geometric openings in the rear facade were carefully arranged to reflect the internal floor-plan which contrasts with the formal symmetrical classic facade. A large terrace spills from the rear elevation to the garden beyond.

A spectacular private oasis

Th external spaces were designed and landscaped around the 13m x 6m heated pool with diving area. Terraces give to landscaped zones and a covered summer kitchen. The bespoke summer kitchen of polished concrete houses a high quality kitchen and gas BBQ. The final effect is of a complete private oasis. Just close the gates and lock it all out. The comprehensive professional grade lighting installation and commercial grade fittings give this property a magazine feel at night, all controllable from a single touch-pad.

This design combines modern volumes with traditional rooms, high ceilings and contemporary features in a perfect balance. The external summer kitchen, pool and landscaped spaces created from scratch make this a unique and spectacular renovation. The final touches involved re-pointing the facades and rendering to complete what is a truly wonderful private family home.

There were many challenges with this renovation.