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House with poolLectoure (32)
This private and magical hamlet is a delightful hill-top group of farmhouses and barns, converted into comfortable accommodation, with five living rooms, (three with American style kitchens,) eleven bedrooms, ten bathrooms, a jacuzzi/hammam, a wood-fired sauna, a dedicated commercial-style kitchen and a lovely swimming pool with magnificent views.
The house is situated in Lomagne, in the heart of the Gers (Gascony) in an area known locally as ‘the golden triangle’ due to its particular beauty.
The land of d’Artagnan - Gascony is often known as the Tuscany of France, with it's rolling hills, endless seas of sunflowers, wonderful fortified hilltop villages and a multitude of vineyards, many producing the local nectar of the Gods, Armagnac.
Within a short drive of the ancient market-towns of Lectoure, Condom and Fleurance, and less than an hour and a half from Toulouse airport, the property is easily accessible by a great number of flights from the UK and many international airports.
The immediate landscape around the property is an ever-changing tableau as the harvest is brought in, fields are plowed and different crops are sown.
The light at the property is indescribably beautiful, changing dramatically from season to season, never completely grey and flat, but embracing and enveloping; caressing the landscape and the delicate hilltop villages with an ever-changing pink, blue, violet light.
This property is perfect for the enrichment of the senses, for those that love to see and hear the, the owls, and many different birds of prey; hares, rabbits, foxes and deer.
A huge variety of birds nest in the mature oak trees around the house; nightingales, hoepoes, golden orioles and many others who choose this lovely tranquil space to raise their chicks.
The property is the perfect place to retreat from the world; for yoga and meditation.
It boasts a custom-built open shala in the garden ( a space where yoga, spiritual and meditation practices can take place) overlooking the magnificent view, a space also usable for concerts and parties.
Similarly there is a dedicated guest kitchen to enable preparation of food away from the main living spaces.
The garden is broken up into various spaces, specifically to create different feels so that one can eat at different tables or sit in a variety of places and enjoy different experiences each time. It's a place of contemplation and pleasure with constantly changing landscapes to gaze out on from every part of the property.
The property has many cultural influences:
The roof tiles on the gite have been intermittently glazed with colourful tiles inspired by 'La Colombe d'Or' (the restaurant in St Paul du Venice frequented by Picasso.)
The swimming pool boasts six fountain jets inspired by the Generalife gardens at The Alhambra in Grenada. Similarly the pool house is domed with a blue dome to continue this theme.
In the centre of the property is an old cast iron village fountain, Inspired by Marcel Pagnol's 'Manon de sources'.
The swimming pool and the wood-fired sauna form a part of this delightful sensory experience.
The Bespoke Barn Conversion.
The bespoke barn conversion consists of a huge living room with fireplace and ceiling fans, this has an American kitchen with a counter in natural wood. At the fully glazed end of this room, are four gigantic doors which pivot off centre to open directly out onto the terrace, creating a huge inside / outside space.
There is an American fridge/freezer creating lots of ice and iced water and cabling for surround sound audio and a projector with a huge electric drop down screen for watching movies.
The property was restored with great awareness of environmental responsibility and wherever possible, the materials used have been completely non-toxic and without off-gassing properties. This applies to the walls (which are rendered in natural lime) and the floors which are made of natural woods finished in natural oils. The lighting is electronically controlled from central dimmer units.
The whole of this house is heated using an underfloor heating system.
The house is full of items sourced from around the world. There are stone Jalli incorporated into the building from Jaipur in India, and an original haveli temple candle stand in the wall which comes from Jaiselmer in Rajasthan.
Behind the central stairwell is a second large living room. There is also a comfortable toilet in the main space, hiding behind an artisanal door from the Swat valley in Pakistan.
The house also features a fully functional and equipped laundry room.
The Master bedroom
Hiding behind a carved door, this room overlooks the countryside and has its own special glazed indoor/outdoor bathroom.
This is a room of fabulous comfort with floors made of solid walnut tree wood, its own wood burning stove and a custom artist-built storage unit along one wall. The toilet and bidet is in an adjacent room and the indoor/outdoor shower bath is finished in slate and boasts a steam hammam facility and a jacuzzi bath.
The perfect place for relaxation.
The Balcony room
This room overlooks and has access to the south-facing balcony, the view is of the oak trees on the south side of the property and of the garden of aromatic plants. The room has its own ensuite toilet and shower room and is a lovely calm sunny space.
The Shell room
This is a smaller room also opening out onto the south-facing balcony, and it has its own dedicated bathroom, clad in natural stone and with a highly eclectic shower in the form of a shell, this is a room for those who love the unusual.
The Barn room
This room forms the larger part of a barn conjoining the main property. It is an open and high space with views directly out onto the garden of aromatic plants. It has a beautiful ensuite bathroom with a natural stone basin and a shower flooded with natural light.
The Garden room
This room is a smaller part of the barn conjoining the main property. It is an airy space looking out onto the garden of aromatic plants and has a beautiful ensuite bathroom with a natural stone basin and a shower flooded with natural light. It is only accessible directly from the garden so provides great privacy.
The Gite
The Gite Living Room
This is a traditional French country living room / kitchen, boasting an open fireplace (great for cooking food in,) natural stone walls and a simple kitchen. A lovely traditional space.
The Gite Master bedroom
This is an airy and spacious room with two sets of double doors looking out onto a private terrace with a stunning over the valley. The room has its own ensuite bathroom and has a rustic charm whilst offering all modern conforts.
The Room of Tiles
This room shares a bathroom with the Tomette room, and benefits from beautiful floor tiles dating from the 1940s, it is a cosy and rustic place to dream the night away.
The Tomette room
This is a beautiful room with natural stone walls and tomette tiles on the floor. It maintains a relaxing rusticity whilst offering comfort and tranquility. This is a great room to listen to the owls and the nightingales whilst you sleep. It has a bathroom and toilet accessible in the hallway.
The Atelier
It should be noted that this a very flexible building. It is constructed to be structurally sound without any internal partitions. So it can be adapted to any usage, a music studio, an art studio, a performance space or even potentially stables.
In its current configuration it is configured as:
The Suite
This room has it’s own wood-burning stove and two sets of sliding doors looking out into the garden. It has an ensuite bathroom and space both to sleep and relax.
This space has a calm and modern feel to it.
The snug room
This is a small but comfortable bedroom with ensuite bathroom, ideal for use by a nanny, a tutor or a cook. It can also be used as a private office if preferred.
The Working Kitchen
This is a large area configured as a working kitchen, ideal for cooking for large numbers of people or even teaching cookery classes.
The Studio
The studio is an independent building with a large living room with American kitchen opening directly onto a terrace (which is as wide as the main living space,) suspended over the countryside.
The living room
A large and comfortable vaulted space, containing an open American kitchen with island, this living space opens through folding full width doors onto a 16 m² terrace suspended over the countryside. The room is effectively an inside / outside space. From this Terrace one really feels as though one is floating in the air, with red kites flying by, often below eyelevel. Heated using a woodburning stove and a heat exchanger (which can also work as an air-conditioner) this space is both very open and very cosy.
The Bedroom
A cosy bedroom with views straight out over the countryside through sliding glass windows. A very tranquil sleeping space, surrounded by the enchanting cries of nightingales.
The bathroom
This room features an open shower with a self draining floor and is fully glazed on one end (with privacy film), however at eye height, the glass is clear. Enjoy a refreshing shower against a backdrop of open countryside.
The Office
A cozy and tranquil space in which to work with enough daylight to prevent it from feeling dark, but not so overwhelmed with light as to make it difficult to work on a computer.