Richelieu, Centre-Val de Loire 37120

In Touraine, a 16th century dwelling. Rehabilitated by J.-B. Astier de Villatte, its guest house, its ornamental garden and its swimming pool. Accessed via an oak carriage door to a paved courtyard, this three-storey freestone house is topped with a gable tiled roof and flanked on its east side by an imposing stairway tower. Built in the 16th century. On older foundations, the house was completely renovated at the end of the 2000s by Jean-Baptiste Astier de Villatte. The volumes were redesigned, while some bays were modified or created in order to refine the perspectives and the contributions of light. The walls, rendered with lime, are occasionally covered with glazed tiles, the signature of the architect and decorator. The French ceilings, painted and delicately flowered, dialogue with patinated terracotta tiled floors, whose shapes and patterns are specifically designed for each room. Custom-made oak joinery is made, while furniture is designed, manufactured and installed especially for the place. At the back of the house, on the garden side, a vast freestone barn, topped with a slate roof, opens at the end of a path paved with Chauvigny stone. The restoration here is resolutely contemporary, with vast volumes bathed in light thanks to large windows with metal frames. The floors are paved with terracotta tiles and the doors and frameworks are made of oak. Between the two buildings, a classically inspired garden structures the perspectives. It is planted with cypresses, olive trees, rose bushes and fruit trees. It organises the transition to a relaxation area between terrace, swimming pool and lawn. The property also has two vaulted cellars, a well and two sheds.