Architecture

Brittany Farmhouse

  • The homeowners have long wanted a property with a view of the Atlantic Ocean.
    The homeowners have long wanted a property with a view of the Atlantic Ocean.|
  • Entirely renovated, the farmhouse features new timber windows in a black lacquer.
    Entirely renovated, the farmhouse features new timber windows in a black lacquer.|
  • The generous high-ceilinged lounge area is furnished with linen sofas by AMPM, an AA armchair with a white frame by Airborne, a 1970s coffee table thrifted in Pont-l’Abbé, a black ceramic end table from Monoprix and a terracotta ceramic stool by La Redoute Intérieurs. The Cove 2 cast-iron stove is from Charnwood, the Formakami paper lamp is by Jaime Hayon for &Tradition, and the printed linen wall panel is by Evolution Product.
    The generous high-ceilinged lounge area is furnished with linen sofas by AMPM, an AA armchair with a white frame by Airborne, a 1970s coffee table thrifted in Pont-l’Abbé, a black ceramic end table from Monoprix and a terracotta ceramic stool by La Redoute Intérieurs. The Cove 2 cast-iron stove is from Charnwood, the Formakami paper lamp is by Jaime Hayon for &Tradition, and the printed linen wall panel is by Evolution Product.|
  • Dedicated to the owners’ children and friends, the 1960s house is a riot of colour. The ochre-yellow library features a sideboard found at the Saint-Ouen flea market, an African mask brought back from a trip, a military-green metal lamp by Bouchara and ceramic candlesticks from Portobello in Paris. A portrait by Spanish artist Manolo Ruiz Pipo hangs on the wall. The staircase features green hues of Central Court by Flamant and Vert De Terre by Farrow & Ball, while a bedroom on the garden level combines shades of terracotta and pink.
    Dedicated to the owners’ children and friends, the 1960s house is a riot of colour. The ochre-yellow library features a sideboard found at the Saint-Ouen flea market, an African mask brought back from a trip, a military-green metal lamp by Bouchara and ceramic candlesticks from Portobello in Paris. A portrait by Spanish artist Manolo Ruiz Pipo hangs on the wall. The staircase features green hues of Central Court by Flamant and Vert De Terre by Farrow & Ball, while a bedroom on the garden level combines shades of terracotta and pink.|
  • Dedicated to the owners’ children and friends, the 1960s house is a riot of colour. The ochre-yellow library features a sideboard found at the Saint-Ouen flea market, an African mask brought back from a trip, a military-green metal lamp by Bouchara and ceramic candlesticks from Portobello in Paris. A portrait by Spanish artist Manolo Ruiz Pipo hangs on the wall. The staircase features green hues of Central Court by Flamant and Vert De Terre by Farrow & Ball, while a bedroom on the garden level combines shades of terracotta and pink.
    Dedicated to the owners’ children and friends, the 1960s house is a riot of colour. The ochre-yellow library features a sideboard found at the Saint-Ouen flea market, an African mask brought back from a trip, a military-green metal lamp by Bouchara and ceramic candlesticks from Portobello in Paris. A portrait by Spanish artist Manolo Ruiz Pipo hangs on the wall. The staircase features green hues of Central Court by Flamant and Vert De Terre by Farrow & Ball, while a bedroom on the garden level combines shades of terracotta and pink.|
  • Dedicated to the owners’ children and friends, the 1960s house is a riot of colour. The ochre-yellow library features a sideboard found at the Saint-Ouen flea market, an African mask brought back from a trip, a military-green metal lamp by Bouchara and ceramic candlesticks from Portobello in Paris. A portrait by Spanish artist Manolo Ruiz Pipo hangs on the wall. The staircase features green hues of Central Court by Flamant and Vert De Terre by Farrow & Ball, while a bedroom on the garden level combines shades of terracotta and pink.
    Dedicated to the owners’ children and friends, the 1960s house is a riot of colour. The ochre-yellow library features a sideboard found at the Saint-Ouen flea market, an African mask brought back from a trip, a military-green metal lamp by Bouchara and ceramic candlesticks from Portobello in Paris. A portrait by Spanish artist Manolo Ruiz Pipo hangs on the wall. The staircase features green hues of Central Court by Flamant and Vert De Terre by Farrow & Ball, while a bedroom on the garden level combines shades of terracotta and pink.|
  • Dedicated to the owners’ children and friends, the 1960s house is a riot of colour. The ochre-yellow library features a sideboard found at the Saint-Ouen flea market, an African mask brought back from a trip, a military-green metal lamp by Bouchara and ceramic candlesticks from Portobello in Paris. A portrait by Spanish artist Manolo Ruiz Pipo hangs on the wall. The staircase features green hues of Central Court by Flamant and Vert De Terre by Farrow & Ball, while a bedroom on the garden level combines shades of terracotta and pink.
    Dedicated to the owners’ children and friends, the 1960s house is a riot of colour. The ochre-yellow library features a sideboard found at the Saint-Ouen flea market, an African mask brought back from a trip, a military-green metal lamp by Bouchara and ceramic candlesticks from Portobello in Paris. A portrait by Spanish artist Manolo Ruiz Pipo hangs on the wall. The staircase features green hues of Central Court by Flamant and Vert De Terre by Farrow & Ball, while a bedroom on the garden level combines shades of terracotta and pink.|
  • Dedicated to the owners’ children and friends, the 1960s house is a riot of colour. The ochre-yellow library features a sideboard found at the Saint-Ouen flea market, an African mask brought back from a trip, a military-green metal lamp by Bouchara and ceramic candlesticks from Portobello in Paris. A portrait by Spanish artist Manolo Ruiz Pipo hangs on the wall. The staircase features green hues of Central Court by Flamant and Vert De Terre by Farrow & Ball, while a bedroom on the garden level combines shades of terracotta and pink.
    Dedicated to the owners’ children and friends, the 1960s house is a riot of colour. The ochre-yellow library features a sideboard found at the Saint-Ouen flea market, an African mask brought back from a trip, a military-green metal lamp by Bouchara and ceramic candlesticks from Portobello in Paris. A portrait by Spanish artist Manolo Ruiz Pipo hangs on the wall. The staircase features green hues of Central Court by Flamant and Vert De Terre by Farrow & Ball, while a bedroom on the garden level combines shades of terracotta and pink.|
  • The narrow window of the barn faces the Atlantic.
    The narrow window of the barn faces the Atlantic.|
  • A vintage table under a tasselled light fitting houses vases thrifted in Pont-l’Abbé.
    A vintage table under a tasselled light fitting houses vases thrifted in Pont-l’Abbé.|
  • The barn houses a spacious suite for visiting grandparents. The whitewashed headboard conceals a dressing room.
    The barn houses a spacious suite for visiting grandparents. The whitewashed headboard conceals a dressing room.|

WORDS & PRODUCTION Laurence Dougier PHOTOS Nicolas Mathéus

A creative couple combined imagination, simplicity and a good dose of energy to transform this French farmhouse and its outbuildings into a home that reminds them of Cape Town.

“We have long dreamt of a home with a view of the Atlantic Ocean, of wild landscapes that remind us of Cape Town,” says journalist and interior stylist Laurence Dougier. She and husband Frédéric Couderc lived in South Africa’s southernmost city for four years, and have returned every year for the past 25. The tip of the world you see on these pages is Pointe du Raz in Brittany on France’s Atlantic coast. “These untamed and majestic lands are very similar to the Cape of Good Hope,” says Laurence, “so the Bay of Audierne was an obvious choice of place to settle.”

Laurence and Frédéric, a writer, landed in this part of Brittany during lockdown, and were lucky enough to come across an old farm with three buildings on the property. At first glance, they seemed rather mismatched. The 19th-century farmhouse had been uninhabited for over 50 years; adjoining it was an untouched 1960s house, and a barn in its original state. “Everything had to be re-laid out and rethought,”says Laurence.In the oldest part – the farmhouse – the couple’s dream of having a cathedral- ceilinged space became a reality. By dismantling the upper floor, they created a five-metre-high volume above the huge living room that combines the kitchen with the dining area and lounge.

French farmhouse – The kitchen combines Ikea units with custom fronts by Bocklip. A Zimbabwean black granite countertop by L’Atelier de Pierre is offset by Popham Design’s Squarish On Four cement-tile backsplash in Cypress, Emerald, Kohl, Lawn and Kelp. The dining table and benches, originally from a convent, were sourced at a flea market in Avignon, while the glass decanters were thrifted at yard sales. The Formakami pendants are by Jaime Hayon for &Tradition.
The kitchen combines Ikea units with custom fronts by Bocklip. A Zimbabwean black granite countertop by L’Atelier de Pierre is offset by Popham Design’s Squarish On Four cement-tile backsplash in Cypress, Emerald, Kohl, Lawn and Kelp. The dining table and benches, originally from a convent, were sourced at a flea market in Avignon, while the glass decanters were thrifted at yard sales. The Formakami pendants are by Jaime Hayon for &Tradition.

“In this space, we opted for limewashed walls and timber flooring of wide formwork boards,” says Laurence. “The simple materials matched our aesthetic – and they were easier to get during lockdown, when finding materials proved to be a challenge. The kitchen was the final renovation and was made to measure, with matt lacquered units by French brand Bocklip in my favourite shade – bronze. This was enhanced by a cement-tile backsplash in shades of green and blue, custom-made by Popham Design.”

The home plays host to many souvenirs collected by Laurence and Frédéric on their travels, as well as family heirlooms and creations by friends. The latter include the already-mentioned cement tiles by Caitlin and Samuel Dowe-Sandes of Marrakesh-based Popham Design, a hand-printed wall hanging of Table Mountain by Evolution Product’s Amanda du Plessis, a Bamiléké feather “juju hat”, crockery by Mervyn Gers, and Zulu pottery by Nesta Nala.

French farmhouse – With a timber floor painted in Slipper Satin by Farrow & Ball and a refurbished carpenter’s bench serving as a vanity, the bathroom’s focal point is the freestanding bathtub from Alphamétal – and that view.
With a timber floor painted in Slipper Satin by Farrow & Ball and a refurbished carpenter’s bench serving as a vanity, the bathroom’s focal point is the freestanding bathtub from Alphamétal – and that view.

The adjoining 1960s house is home to the couple’s four children, who each get a bedroom in meticulously curated shades of terracotta, ochre yellow, cactus green, celestial blue and Verdigris turquoise. Next to that is the barn, renovated with the help of their South African architect friends Jed and Julia Kritzinger of Cape Town-based Kritzinger Architects. Formerly a stable and chicken coop, the barn now houses a spacious suite for visiting grandparents, its slender window facing the Atlantic and designed to take advantage of an exceptional panorama. Thus everyone has found their own place. | kritzingerarchitects.com

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