Modern New-Builds - Gorgeous Or Ghastly?
Spring has arrived! I have crocus in flower, daffodils nearly in flower, and two dogs racing round the garden like mad March hares. It was so sunny this morning that I actually took the unprecedented step of heading out in my new spring coat - before realising that it may be lovely and sunny, but it's still perishing cold - and subsequently retreating inside to change back into my winter coat. Boo. Never mind, we have sun for the first time in months so all is well with the world.
So naturally when the sun comes out I immediately start thinking of summer holidays, and of course our French Master Plan - so with that in mind I'd like to share some images of a stunning modern home from The Telegraph Magazine:
Gorgeous, no? By the way, the dude on the balcony is actually fully dressed, despite evidence to the contrary. I find myself being increasingly drawn to the concept of buying some land in France and then constructing our dream contemporary house from the ground up, rather than buying an old farmhouse and renovating it. Of course the build would have to be sympathetic to the local environment - local wood, local stone, a sloping roof at an angle that compliments the slope of the rolling hills and mountains surrounding the Luberon valley, paint colours to match the surrounding olive trees and vineyards - but I think it could work...
Check out this pool:
I love the feeling of light and space in the interior:
I've been keeping an eye on the property market in the Luberon for nearly a year now - but I've been focusing on houses for sale, rather than land for sale. I think I need to broaden my focus to include terrains - and also to do some research into French planning permission (ie how challenging it would be to get permission to construct a glorious modern maison in the middle of an olive grove). Of course, Andre and I don't intend to make our minds up right now - but at least we want to have considered all the available options house-wise, you know?
What's your take on the whole modern v traditional house debate? Which kind of home do you prefer to live in? Do you think that modern houses enhance their natural surroundings, or detract from them?
Le Five Year Master Plan | tagged France, New Build
Reader Comments (6)
That is my dream home, basically. I love the modern aesthetic. I would also love the control of using whichever materials I so desired. And you could build a really eco-friendly home.
Having bought a tumbledown wreck of a flat myself that persistently throws up unforeseen problems, I will only ever go new build again!
I'm quite torn here: we live in a 1923 house and the work is endless..... (just had squirrels in the attic this weekend: spent hours blocking off every possible entrance/exit!) On the other hand, the walls are thick and well made etc. We're going to be selling the house, however, come this summer and moving further south (yes ! no snow!) and buying an almost new house. I look forward to that! Larger, sunnier windows, plumbing that works, and oh so much less maintenance.
So, it's a toss up! Those farm houses in the Luberon are to-die-for, of course, but to build your own house would be a treat! Good luck.....
I can think of nothing better than starting from scratch and building my own eco friendly home. I love to see modern houses, and after years of living in a victorian home I'm craving one!!
The above house is wonderful! Can you imagine waking up there every morning :-)
I am emailing my husband your 5 year plan. Wish we had made one earlier. We want a mid cent inspired house in Europe. We may have missed the boat with the economy (hit our nest egg hard :( ) but we plod forth looking for sunshine, modern homes, and a friendly little village hopefully in France! Nice to know there are others.
How hard is it to find a place on the ground floor? I have rheumatoid arthritis (hence the blog arthurndi ) and all the lovely stairs in the 3 apartments you blogged about earlier would do me in.
Hi guys, thanks so much for commenting! I'm really drawn to the idea of an new build eco-home. We seem to have this myth (certainly in the UK) that the only houses that have character are older houses - but personally I think that character is derived less from the bones of the building, and more from the people who live there, and the way the house is decorated and lived in.
Kimberj - we've kinda also missed the boat economy-wise but we're doing it anyway :-) And in Paris (and I guess everywhere else in France) you can absolutely find ground-floor apartments - the ones I blogged about earlier were all top-floor apartments because I'd chosen that as a deliberate specification when we rented them in order to get views and roof terraces.