 Homebuilding
& Renovating Magazine
Dreamhome Challenge
May 2001
Linda and Brian Cracknell have recently bought a farmhouse in the
Dordogne, south western France, which they are looking to renovate. La
Richardie is an old stone farmhouse with a modern extension on the back.
Somewhat bizarrely, the farmhouse's most recent incarnation was a
discotheque. The brief is for the designers to come up with something that
will do justice to the location while at the same time giving an atmospheric
home.
"Martyn Kiy produced a stunning mix
of outdoor living and cosy winter warmth - complete with elegant mezzanine
level."
Martyn
writes... I feel that the main criteria for this type of property are to keep
the stone and exposed timber features, both for their appearance and also the
cool atmosphere that they maintain during the long hot summer months in this
part of France. With open fires and wood burning stoves, a warm and cosy
atmosphere is soon established in the colder months even with the large rooms
and high ceilings.
The entrance hall is quite large and provides
access to all of the bedrooms, the master bedroom being at a higher level in the
old part of the building. A glass door separates a lobby that is shared by
the other four bedrooms and a bathroom.
The double doors from the entrance lead into a
large open plan kitchen/dining/sitting area. The plan shows a breakfast
bar as well as a more formal dining area. The sitting room annexe, which
again will have an open plan, features a spiral staircase to the galleried
mezzanine level. There is also a timber deck which links the sunroom,
dining area and sitting room, accessed via the French doors.
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Linda
and Brian say... A design that we felt would be very easy to achieve
by adapting the existing structure with minimal cost.
We very much liked the large
entrance hall which leads into the main living area. We also like the idea
of a sitting room and a day room in the older part of the house, as these will
be very much the winter rooms.
In summer we will be more inclined
to live 'outside' in the main living area to the rear.
