A 16th-century residence restored by J-B Astier de Villatte, with a guests' house, ornamental garden and swimming pool, in the former Touraine provinc
A 16th-century residence restored by J-B Astier de Villatte, with a guests' house, ornamental garden and swimming pool, in the former Touraine province.
This property is located in a perched village on the Richelais hills, in the south of the Indre-et-Loire area, on the edge of the former Touraine and Poitou provinces. The municipality, which was a former barony of Saumur's castle, as documented from the 10th century, has preserved the coherence of its architecture and all of its heritage. Today, its inhabitants include many artists as well as craftspeople and they commit to developing a booming cultural scene. It also boasts a restaurant as well as a grocer's shop with a post office desk and where fresh bread is delivered. The town of Richelieu, with its pleasant weekly market, its antique dealers and its remarkable park is 10 minutes away by car. Châtellerault and Tours are respectively 25 and 55 minutes away, from where high-speed TGV trains put Paris-Montparnasse within 1 hour 40 minutes and 1 hour respectively.
An oakwood carriage gate opens into a cobbled courtyard, where the three-storey, tuffeau stone-made house stands, topped by a gabled roof made of tiles and flanked to the east by an imposing staircase tower. The residence was erected in the 16th century on older foundations and was completely restored at the end of the 2000s by Jean-Baptiste Astier de Villatte. The volumes have been redesigned, while certain openings have been modified or created to refine the perspectives and allow light to pour in. The lime rendered walls are dotted here and there with enamel tiles, which are one of the architect's signatures. The painted and delicately florally decorated French-style beamed ceilings dialogue with the weathered terracotta tiled floors, which boast different patterns specifically designed for each room. The oak-framed windows are made to measure, while the furniture has been specially designed, made and installed for this particular place.
To the rear of the house, on the garden side, a vast tuffeau stone barn topped with a slate roof stands at the end of a drive cobbled with Chauvigny stone. It has been restored in resolutely modern style, with vast volumes bathed in light through the wide, metal-framed windows and doors. The floors are paved with terracotta tiles, while the doors and roof frames are made of oakwood. Between the two buildings, there is a classically inspired garden providing structure to the perspectives, planted with cypress, olive and fruit trees as well as rose bushes, creating a transition towards a relaxation area between the patio, swimming pool and lawn. The property also boasts two vaulted cellars, a well and two storehouses.
The 16th-century residence
The ground floor
From the pedestrian gate, a stone paved path leads to the entrance and the various rooms behind its door, including a kitchen paved with hexagonal terracotta tiles. Half of the walls' height is covered with enamelled tiles and their rounded edges form the border with the lime and sand rendering above. This space spreads out beneath exposed beams and is bathed in light through small-paned doors and windows, fitted with interior and exterior shutters, on the south and west facing elevations. The kitchen opens into a dual aspect, east to west lounge, paved with terracotta tiles boasting floral decorations. The stone fireplace is highlighted by the presence of a work by painter and sculptor Pierre Carron, while a reproduction of a Neapolitan creation, by Ernest Pignon-Ernest, adorns one of the walls. Off this room on one side, there is a shower room, with a lavatory, boasting shell-like decorated floor tiles and white tiled walls, punctuated by delicate friezes of cherubs. On the other side, a dining room enjoys a remarkable view of the surrounding countryside. The hexagonal or diamond shaped, ...
