Luxury properties with pool for sale Laplume, France (page 2)

The approach to the property The property is hidden behind pretty stone walls, attractive wrought iron gates, and a canopy of mature trees, including some lovely mature Cyprus trees. The garden is full of roses and peonies and on the day of our visit is bursting with blossom. Beyond the pool and gardens, landscaped on two levels, our eyes are drawn across miles of countryside to the south. The vista from the property is lovely, from both the pretty gardens around the house and the valley beyond. The house : the ground floor The old wooden door, with its characterful “hand-shaped” door-knocker, opens onto a traditional Gascon hallway with a terracotta floor tile. The hallway runs the full length of the property. The kitchen With a door both to the main hallway and the side gardens and path to the pool, the kitchen is spacious enough to incorporate a dining-room table and chairs and also boasts a beautiful open fire-place, a characterful spot for a winter’s supper. The kitchen is divided into two area by a half wall, and has a pretty decorative chimney breast built with old terracotta tiles. The downstairs study/ bedroom/ WC A spacious area on the ground floor provides room for a downstairs study and bedroom, with a WC. The main reception room This pleasant symmetrical room has a pretty fireplace with a wood-burning stove and a lovely classical plasterwork surround. There are two spacious cupboards with shelves to each side of the fireplace. The floor is lain with terracotta tiles. The Dining-Room The dining room is of a similar size to the main reception room and also boasts a fireplace. In addition room houses a contemporary staircase to the first floor. The First Floor The first floor of the property provides a surprising amount of space. The first floor reception-room The stairway leads to an open plan area which is currently dressed with sofas and chairs and used as a games’ and reading room. This area has exposed oak beams running across the ceiling and has the “feel” of a cosy “den” or central communal space shared by the occupants of the other bedrooms. The first floor “cinema room” A doorway opens from the central reception area to a surprising space. There is evidence from the newly fitted (but not yet painted) plasterboard ceiling that there were plans to concert this room into a large master bedroom with a dressing-room at one end. (NB: “a change of usage” permit may be required to convert this area above the barn into extra bedrooms). Currently this room is used as a “home-cinema” room. The bedrooms Dotted around the central reception area of the first floor, there are three good-sized bedrooms. As this property was originally built in the style of a Chartreuse, the rooms have been added and built around exposed oak beams with low windows on ground floor level. The ambience in all three of these spacious rooms is one of cosy rusticity. The bathroom The upstairs bedrooms all share a family bathroom (with a bath-tub) and separate WC.

The property in more detail. The entrance hall The main front door opens onto a large reception area which seamlessly links the original farmhouse and the new barn conversion into one fabulous home. The entrance hall is generous enough in size to warrant being called a room in its own right. The dividing wall, between the lobby and the kitchen hosts an impressive collection of books displayed on a bespoke bookshelf. Facing the front door we see a contemporary staircase ascending to the first floor. There is plenty of room for boots and coats, and a downstairs cloakroom. The original farmhouse Double doors lead from the reception area into a small hall with a cloakroom. The breakfast kitchen The breakfast room houses the washing machine, a second dishwasher and an electric cooker. It has a cosy farmhouse feel, place for a breakfast table and is fitted with useful storage cupboards and worktops, and is plumbed for an American style fridge freezer. This is a useful room which, together with the sitting room and en-suite bedroom creates a self-contained apartment. The sitting room The property benefits from a second reception room, currently used as a television room and study, and with a window and a door to the courtyard. This room leads directly to the master suite. This is a lovely room in the winter months, being snug and cosy with the wood-burning stove. The downstairs master bedroom & ensuite This large bedroom is a fabulous room, with a window overlooking the courtyard and two French doors giving access to a private terrace. The ensuite bathroom has a double walk-in shower, a bathtub and two sinks. The bedroom and bathroom are luxurious, and include attractive original features such as a stone sink and oak beams. The barn conversion The reception area leads directly to a vast contemporary space, incorporating a fully fitted kitchen, a dining area and a sitting area. The kitchen The pristine, well designed kitchen has extensive storage and worktops, and a central island. It has an induction hob, two integrated ovens and warming drawer, with a built in dishwasher and refrigerator. The dining area The spacious dining area flows through from the kitchen to the main lounge. The main lounge This impressive area has a cathedral high ceiling reaching up to the mezzanine above. This open-plan room is filled with light from the south facing French doors which open directly onto the swimming pool terrace, giving far-reaching views over the valley below. The large sliding patio doors at the end of the lounge open onto a covered terrace which is ideal for al fresco dining. The first floor A contemporary bespoke oak staircase with stainless steel guardrails ascends to the spacious first-floor landing. This is a large mezzanine which overlooks the main reception area below, and gives access to three further en-suite bedrooms. Bedroom 1 A short hallway with fitted storage and a door to the ensuite bathroom gives access to a very large bedroom with fully fitted wardrobes. It has south and west-facing windows and an open view above the main lounge through high windows onto the garden. This room is particularly versatile as it was designed in a way that allows it to be easily divided or laid out differently, for example to create two separate rooms. The ensuite has a bath, walk in shower, double sinks and a west facing window. Bedroom 2 To the other side of the first floor landing bedroom 2 has a large west facing window with superb views. It has an ensuite shower room. Bedroom 3 This very large bedroom has two windows overlooking the courtyard, and a spacious ensuite shower room with a south-facing window looking out towards the Pyrenees and a Velux roof window. There is also a further room with a Velux roof window that was designed as a dressing room but has also been used as a bedroom for children. The garage and workshop The spacious stone garage can be accessed from the utility room or from the parking area. It houses the boiler and oil tank which supply underfloor heating to the entire ground floor, with radiators throughout the first floor. The underfloor heating is zoned, allowing different areas to be heated to different temperatures, and all radiators are fitted with thermostatic valves. The garage can accommodate a tractor and a car. It has a useful very large sink and both the garage and the adjacent workshop are fitted with extensive storage and workbenches. There is a mezzanine which provides additional storage above the workshop. The garden and terraces All of the terraces have external lighting and power points, and are laid out to offer shade at any time of the day. There are several outside taps and a solar shower. All rainwater is directed into the pond, or collected in storage tanks for watering plants.

If you are looking for a property without frills or fuss, with clean lines, spacious light-filled rooms, and a pristine finish, then this could be the property for you. Located within easy reach of the much beloved market-town of Lectoure, this rural haven offers a tranquil and restful retreat from the world. The property is situated at the end of a rural and private lane with neighbouring fields to each side, and sits in an elevated position overlooking the farmer’s bucolic woodlands to the rear; a canopy of mature trees encircling the plot. The gardens are neatly presented, with contrasting areas of woodland and landscaped areas. The lawns encircle a smart poolside terrace, decked with sun-loungers and bordered by a variety of roses, bushes and herbs. Neatly clipped pathways lead to the house both to the main entrance and to the terraces to the side, where vast bay windows overlooking the gardens from the kitchen and the reception-room. Tall and gracious trees provide an additional architectural interest to the garden. From the outside, the property has maintained the classic air of a traditional maison de maitre with its lovely stone façade. It features a stone and wood carpark and a total of five parking spaces. Inside, there an unexpected modern twist. The main hallways opens onto a vast open-plan area comprising the kitchen, dining-room and main reception-room with a vast insert log-burner. Large sliding glass doors that slot into the outer walls of the property can be pulled back to “open” the kitchen and reception rooms “out” onto the garden, creating a seamless indoor/outdoor space in the summer months, with views to the pool. An internal hallway on the ground-floor leads to a spacious and beautifully appointed bedroom with storage cupboards. A second downstairs bedroom is currently used as a study with French doors to the gardens. With access from the same hallway, there is a large a bathroom with a corner bath and spacious shower, a separate lavatory, a vast laundry-room and a boiler-room. With separate access from the garden, the current owner has converted an outbuilding into a peaceful artist’s studio. With a large bay-window ensuring a joyous flow of light into the room, this area is the perfect place in which to meditate; where creative souls can set to work, whether that be with an easel, a kiln or a quill. It is possible to create a gîte or set up an independent business. Returning now to the house, let’s take a look upstairs : A modern open-plan staircase leads to the first-floor landing which has lovely views over the lower ground-floor of the property; almost as though one were standing on the upper deck of a modern boat and looking down, sunlight zinging through the property in every direction. A large internal space at the top of the stairs on the first floor is used as an upstairs reception-room. In addition to this relaxing and private upstairs living-area, there are three comfortable bedrooms, one of which has its own dressing-room and private It has a private shower room with wc and another with a large storage cupboard. There is also an additional shower-room with wc, shared by the other two bedrooms. The house is presented in pristine condition from top to bottom. The rooms are tastefully decorated, mostly in shades of white; the occasional rear wall being wall-papered to the highest standard. The property is functional, with lots of storage space, and the comfort of a large downstairs bathroom and two upstairs shower-rooms. With five main bedrooms (all doubles) and a second private reception-room upstairs, and a separate outdoor artist’s studio, there are plenty of areas in which to work from home, or to find a quiet area in which to concentrate, albeit the main “hub” of the house is open-plan. The property also has a storage area, and a covered area linking the house and artist’s studio.

This is an utterly private property since the main house cannot be seen from the lane below. Climbing upwards we leave the car in a parking area carved out of the hillside, and continue are pathway up. The property is bordered by an adjacent barn (containing a workshop, laundry room and boiler room as well as a storage area for logs) with a non-adjacent barn opposite which has been converted into a first floor atelier or loft area. The old farm house sits at the far end of the plot. The garden is immediately welcoming being planted with frothy romantic shrubs perfectly in harmony with this rural idyll. We enter the main reception room. With its high ceilings and gigantic modern rectangular window frame against the far wall, through which we are afforded a view of the wild poppies and daisies on the other side of the glass as they dance in a gentle breeze in the gardens at the side. The main reception room is elegant and spacious with an open- fireplace promising cosy winter nights in. The high ceilings and beams are a reminder that this space was once an ancient barn tagged onto a small farmhouse before its conversion some years ago. The main reception room opens onto the kitchen. With a quirky tiled floor where one can spot the occasional ceramic lizard depicted in the tiles, the floor adds a jolly note to an otherwise timelessly elegant room. The kitchen is simple and tasteful. Natural woods and materials have been chosen in keeping with the period of the property and the room is harmonious and gentle on the eye. With plenty of space for entertaining around a large table, one can choose whether to receive dinner guests in the main reception room or the kitchen. A small handcrafted flight of wooden steps leads to an inner hallway with an arched entrance (a quirky almost Moresque detail) which leads to the only cloakroom/WC in the property, besides which sits the bathroom with its incredible views onto the farmer’s field. With a window frame worthy of a main reception room it is possible to shower with views to the field beyond. When the large rectangular window is pulled back, there is an impression of « showering outdoors ». With an elegantly curved wash basin and a walk-in shower this is a fantastic space. There are two bedrooms on the same level as the bathroom. One overlooks the field behind (with the same view as the bathroom). The second bedroom overlooks the front of the property and the barn opposite (with its first floor loft/ entertaining space). The second bedroom benefits from a dressing-room. From the internal hallway a flight of wooden stairs leads up to the third bedroom beneath the eaves. This bedroom shares the same family bathroom as the first two bedrooms. This property is blessed with numerous outbuildings, all of which have been restored and lend much charm to the property. The pool was christened for the first time this summer and blends perfectly into the garden resembling a water feature more than a traditional pool. The current owners explained to us how it was important for them to blend the pool into the landscape without perturbing their bucolic surroundings.

The advertiser did not provide an english description for this listing.

The advertiser did not provide an english description for this listing.