The Country House: A Pared-Back Place to Rest in Saint-Julien-le-Petit, France
Photography by Maris Mezulis, courtesy of Ciguë.
Today’s house tour, in the commune of Saint-Julien-le-Petit, Haute-Vienne, France, explores the spirit of the archetypical country house. Built for a private client, and with influences ranging from Japan to modernist Californian architecture, French studio Ciguë created a stripped-back escape, “a place in which you live carefree and unconfined, in direct contact with the landscape, surrounded by bare necessities.” A place of rest.
“This wooden house scrupulously chooses its land, its exposure, its height, and its references (from Japanese architecture to Californian Case Study Houses) to revisit the archetype of the country house,” the studio says.
The studio kept the material palette intentionally simple: The structure is made mostly from wood from the surrounding forests.
An essential element of the country house: a wide wooden porch.
Inside, the floor is made from calcium sulphate (widely used in Europe, it’s known for being eco-friendly, recyclable, fire- and moisture-resistant, and highly insulating).
Large windows keep the focus on the ever-changing landscape outside.
A corner of the simple spruce kitchen.
The house has a camp-like feel, complete with a camp cot for summer afternoon naps.