Description
Contemporary Lines and Local Pierre du Gard Stone
Built in 2006 by DF Architecture, this villa combines high-end amenities with generous living spaces, making it ideal for use as a guesthouse.
Set within a landscaped 2-hectare plot planted with century-old olive trees, the villa offers over 600 m² of living space. Originally designed to accommodate a hospitality business, it is organized into two distinct wings.
The first wing features a vast 100 m² living room with a monumental fireplace in local “Pierre du Gard” stone, opening onto a patio and a terrace overlooking the garden. Adjacent to this space, a bar area connects to a fully equipped professional kitchen and a closed garage for one car.
The night quarters comprise 4 spacious suites, two of which enjoy private terraces. A gym completes this section.
The second wing, originally reserved for the owners, boasts a double-height glass living room with a suspended fireplace, an open-plan fully equipped kitchen, a large bedroom with en-suite bathroom and dressing room, and a mezzanine office. This area opens directly onto the garden, fully private from the other part of the house.
The property also benefits from a 10 × 6 m swimming pool with pool house, set apart from the villa by a wall in Pierre du Gard stone.
An underground wine cellar and outdoor parking spaces complete this property.
This villa enjoys a natural setting just 10 minutes by car from shops, 15 minutes from Carcassonne city center, the train station, and the airport.
A Mineral Composition Open to Nature
The architect designed a minimalist geometric composition, playing with recesses, solids, and voids. The monolithic lateral load-bearing walls support the roof structure, allowing for open façades framing the outdoors. From this orthogonal structure emerges a sense of harmony that anchors the house perfectly within its natural surroundings. The choice of Pierre du Gard, a quintessential local stone, further enhances this integration.
Inside, entry is through an oblique corridor covered by a zinc vault, creating a break with the orthogonality of the overall plan. The house is fitted with high-quality features, including a Focus fireplace, solar panels on the roof, and professional-grade kitchen equipment.
An Ancestral Material Serving Modernity
Pierre du Gard is a coarse-grained yellow limestone, ideal for stonecutting and used since Antiquity. In the 20th century, as an alternative to concrete, some architects turned to this natural stone for their constructions. Fernand Pouillon employed it in his project for the reconstruction of Marseille’s Old Port, while Armand Pellier made it one of the signature materials of his work. Pierre du Gard is highly valued not only for its durability but also for its strong thermal inertia, acting as a natural insulator against heat.
Technical details
Price: €1,600,000
Agency fees payable by the seller
Property tax: N/A
Heating: N/A / Solar panels
Mains drainage
Information on the risks to which this property is exposed is available on the Géorisques website: www.georisques.gouv.fr
© Texts & photos Architecture de Collection
Energy performance rating: C – Greenhouse gas emissions: B
Estimated annual energy costs for standard use: between €6,030 and €8,220 per year. Prices indexed 2021–22–23.
