June 11, 2014

I’ll Take This: Riverside Maison Bourgoise in France

I stumbled across pictures of this gorgeous maison in the Dordogne region of France and though, “this is how you do a house!” Even though this house is of a different era than the charmless house I showed the other day, a house with great proportions always looks great, and it pleases the eye.

This house has some of the same elements as the other one did, like the quoins around the sides and the chimneys, but they are restrained, and make sense in the context of the building. The exterior materials are similar, but this house’s exterior has the patina that can only come with time. The niches are also at eye level so what they’re showcasing can be seen. The ground level arch is accented and doesn’t look as stark as the other house. image

The stairs on the front and back of this house actually lead somewhere, unlike the other house. One basic rule that should be applied is make sure the decorative elements on a house make sense. If you have shutters, make them proportionate to the size of the windows. If you have stairs, they should lead to something.image

This house is of an actual period – the Belle Époque period, which ran from 1870 to the beginning of World War I. Compare that to the other house which was described as an antebellum-style plantation mansion which recreates an English manor hall. There’s a lot going on there.

This house’s interiors are a reflection of its exterior, which helps the house have a cohesive look. Although it has high ceilings, they’re outlined in beautiful millwork that help the room have a finished look. image

The house is situated on its property as though it belongs there and not like it was dropped from the sky. image

As I have learned, so much of what pleases our eyes follows a classical pattern, and rules that have stood through millennia.

For more information on this house, click here. It’s on the market for €599,550 or a bit over $800,000.

15 comments:

  1. Stunning. You would barely get a 1BR apartment for that price in London. And Perigeux is a very nice part of the world.

    I know someone who does a weekly commute from Toulouse to London, so this could almost be doable.

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  2. I think that I would be quite happy in this beauty. I love your description of "appropriate design"--must make sense.
    xoxo Mary

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    1. There weren't a lot of interior images, so I am quite curious about it.

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  3. love this property. xxpeggybraswelldesign.com

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  4. So pretty. Love how you include the historical details in these posts.

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  5. Yes, the other house just didn't get it right at all - this one is perfect. I have such a difficult time trying to convince people to just quit with the shutters!!! In my neck of the wood - southern IL - people STILL build these new homes and flack a huge window with 2 skinny shutters - vinyl usually. This drives me nuts. Also the arched windows being used when a classic tall double hung would of been just right - ugh. In the past several years I have seen transom windows (cheap, vinyl) tragically placed. I feel like I'm talking to the wall - most people just don't get it -around here anyway!

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    1. It's all on the proportions. Huge windows and skinny shutters don't fool your eye. Same as columns with no base. Your eye sees it as wrong.

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    2. Market Decor - I am moving back to So. IL after 15 years away in an urban area - in TX! I HATE bad windows and shutters - first thing I'm doing in the house we bought in Columbia is ripping out stupid disproportional vinyl shutters and SNAP-IN muntins! The worst!!!

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    3. sorry, meant disproportionate. Just have to add - if anyone wants shutters, which certainly have their uses, why then they should be useable! Otherwise what's the point?

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  6. Flank. Flank a huge window - I wrote flack???

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  7. I'm off to inform my husband I've found our new house!

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  8. In an old house in Paris that was covered in vines....

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