Villa Vigne: amid stone and the sky

In dialogue with the exterior, with low-key shapes and pure profiles - this is the DNA of a villa owned by a family in the Gard region.

Built in 2011 on a 2,000 sq.m hillside plot, the villa is situated in an area where mazets once stood - small stone houses used in the past by city-dwellers who wanted a pied à terre in the garrigue (dry moorland). Now populated with villas, the hillside has kept its rural identity - covered in loose stones, distinctive plots planted with pines and olive trees and thick stone walls separating one home from the next.

A house looking to the exterior. A fundamentally Mediterranean transparency is achieved by the wide bay windows with the constant interchange of exterior and interior light. The house is a total of 200 sq.m. in area. The area is divided into a vast, lofty kitchen/lounge (72 sq.m., 3.20m high), a space for a fireplace and bookshelves, two children’s rooms and a master bedroom with en-suite and an office. The rear wall of the lounge is lit by a fine atrium window. The garden is designed as a half-patio “to avoid creating a break between the house and nature”, explained François. A deck is built into the swimming pool just in front of the house, creating an additional living space. This exterior unit offers an excellent surface area of 200 sq.m..

From an insulation standpoint, the villa has been fitted with heat pumps and heated and cooled flooring. Bedrooms facing west are protected from the rain or sun by front overhangs - two elements with unrestrained force in the Gard. To the south of the plot, a spa corner is built against the outside wall “to recreate a constructed element and match the house”, emphasised François. The ultimate satisfaction for the architect - “the customer followed through with the project right away. There was no wait for finishing work making for an even better result.”

Architect : François Clavel

Manufacturer installer : Alu-Tech (34) Jacou

Joinery ranges : Profils Systèmes Large height, Satin Road® color “gris antique“ Terra Cigala®

Photos : Richard Sprang