Looking beyond the derelict state of an old workshop, one architect couple’s vision results in a bright and characterful home
WORDS JEREMY CALLAGHAN PHOTOGRAPHY GAELLE LE BOULICAUT
The densely populated district of Général-Mellinet in the French city of Nantes is a mix of narrow streets, cul-de-sacs and stone walls, which gives the area a sense of rural charm. It’s home to Stéphanie Vincent, 47, and Jerome Berranger, 50, and their two children, Hippolyte, 19, and Zéphyr, 13. But, although the location of their house was perfect, it was too small. ‘We wanted more living space and somewhere to put all the things in stacks on the floor and in boxes,’ says Stéphanie. ‘And a garden.’
Architects Stéphanie and Jerome set their sights on a derelict property just five doors down that Hippolyte and Zéphyr dubbed the haunted house. Nevertheless, the couple saw its potential and Jerome took the opportunity one lunchtime to have a discussion with the owner, who revealed they were selling, preferably to someone local.
Built around 1900, the ruin had been abandoned for 30 years. ‘We bought a crumbling structure that didn’t hold together,’ says Stéphanie. ‘Logically, Jerome and I would want to knock it down and start again, but the Architecte des Bâtiments de France – the French architecture conservation office – insisted we keep the stone walls.’ Formerly a workshop in the middle of a market garden, the building and the 500sqm plot extends to the south – making it relatively easy for the couple to envisage a bright home open to the garden. Stéphanie and Jerome drew on design influences picked up while on an architectural internship in Morocco, North Africa, where the boundaries between the inside and outside living spaces blur. So their scheme ensures all the original window openings remain, supplemented by new overhead glazing and the new extension’s glazed sliding doors leading to the garden.
Work began on carefully restoring the original stone walls by cleaning them, after which the blocks were repointed and rendered with lime, as is the local tradition. And all the new roof timbers and roofing materials are identical to the originals, except for a dormer that makes space for Hippolyte and Zéphyr’s bathroom.
Stéphanie and Jerome gave particular attention to their selection of materials. ‘We have an aversion to plasterboard,’ she says. The new single- and two-storey ext
