Description
A family Case Study House at the foot of the Vosges mountains
Built in the hills above Epinal by Nancy architect Dominique-Alexandre Louis, this house is a superb example of the modern Lorraine style of the 1960s.
Set in 6,000 m² of wooded grounds, this house offers approx. 400 m² of living space divided between two volumes, terraced along the slope.
The main living area, with its large windows, opens onto the garden, the pool and the view. Animated by the interplay of levels, it houses a vast double-height living space, organized around a suspended fireplace with a monumental copper-clad mantle. Surrounded by a granite wall, this volume with its veined marble floor comprises a living room, a dining room, a separate kitchen, a music room and an office-library space on the mezzanine. Generous bay windows immerse the space in the landscape, while the light-colored wood of the ceilings and minimalist staircases create a soft, warm atmosphere conducive to serenity.
Upstairs, the two sleeping areas comprise 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.
The second volume, linked to the first by a minimalist glass gallery, includes a living room with fireplace, a suite with bathroom and dressing room, and a panoramic office.
A cellar and tasting room, a pantry, a laundry/boiler room and a cold room complete the property, which also features an outbuilding housing two garages and a garden shed.
The division of the program into two distinct volumes makes it ideal for a self-employed business or seasonal rental.
Set in unspoilt countryside in the hills above Épinal, the property is just a few minutes from the town center and all amenities (shops, schools…). It is also close to a hiking trail.
Epinal, the prefecture of the Vosges département, is 2? hours from the capital by TGV, and is a 50-minute drive from Nancy or Gérardmer, the Pearl of the Vosges. Strasbourg, Basel and Colmar are around 2 hours away.
Nature and modernity
In an approach strongly reminiscent of the modern American architecture of the period, notably the Case Study Houses program, the architect uses an exposed metal structure that frees the building entirely from any planning constraints. The non-load-bearing facades are clad in large glazed units with varnished wood frames, alternating with white laminated panels and black-painted wood cladding, giving the whole an elaborate, graphic aesthetic. The use of glass in the facade brings nature into the heart of the home, framing generous views of the landscape.
Cruciform metal brackets support a wide roof overhang, protecting the bay windows from the sun’s rays. The glazed fascias at the top of the roof give the building a light, airy feel, with the roof appearing to float above the interior spaces.
Particular care was taken with the flat roof, which had to meet the climatic requirements of the region. A watertight steel frame supports gravel-filled steel troughs, enabling it to withstand more than a metre of snow. The gravel promotes water evaporation and provides protective inertia in summer.
A collaboration between architect and client
The Bardy couple, who were commissioning the house, decided to call on Dominique-Alexandre Louis after discovering his work in Nancy. Seduced by the search for lightness and transparency that characterizes his work, they met with him and commissioned him for their building project. Together, they chose this wooded, south-facing plot, with its unobstructed views over the landscape, as the site for his most accomplished work.
The architect took the time to talk to all the family members, familiarizing himself with their tastes, hobbies and habits, in order to compose a living space that was perfectly suited to its inhabitants.
Dominique-Alexandre Louis, an architect from Lorraine
Born in Epinal, Dominique-Alexandre Louis (1924-1991) developed an early interest in nature through scouting. He studied with Roger-Henri Expert and Georges Dengler at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts de Paris, graduating in 1955. A trip to California in the 1950s transformed his vision of architecture. He developed a search for lightness and transparency, replacing the load-bearing walls of his projects with a principle of metal structures that freed up interior volumes.
Active in eastern France, he built single-family homes, places of worship such as the Haut-du-Lièvre church in Nancy in 1963, and public facilities such as the Centre régional de transfusion sanguine in Nancy, also in 1963. Although his career as an architect lasted only a dozen years, his bold, resolutely modern approach to construction made him an important figure in the region’s architectural history.
Technical info
Asking price: €1,250,000
Fees included at vendor’s expense.
Full ownership
Property tax 2023 : €6,271
DPE : E – GES : E
Estimated annual costs: between €6,990 and €9,150 per year, average energy prices indexed to January 1, 2021
