An entirely renovated 17th-century mill, with its swimming pool and outbuildings on 7,500-m² grounds, to the north of the Luberon Mountains - ref 8815
An entirely renovated 17th-century mill, with its swimming pool and outbuildings on 7,500-m² grounds, to the north of the Luberon Mountains.
At the base of the Alps, to the north of the Luberon region and facing Lure Mountain, the former count's city of Forcalquier has been famous since the Middle Ages. With its citadel, a vestige of its multi-century history, visible from all the neighbouring villages and providing a breath-taking vista of the surrounding mountains and its rich architectural, and predominantly Romanesque, heritage, the city, known for its Provencal green market, offers many services and a dynamic cultural program with its multimedia library, art-house cinema, musical performances and art galleries scattered throughout the different villages of the Pays de Forcalquier-Montagne de Lure federation of municipalities. In addition, the region, accessible via several different transportation methods, is surrounded by an enchanting natural environment and only one hour by car from Aix-en-Provence via the A51 motorway.
Thanks to its environment and impeccable preservation, the property enjoys a verdant setting where a river still supplies water to the mill. From a secondary B road, a lane winds its way through a forest of live oaks, before reaching the mill, built in a clearing at the top of a small hill and accessible via a carriage entrance at the end of a gravel drive. Shielded by a curtain of vegetation, a peaceful river borders one side of the property's fertile grounds, while, a little further on, a wooden pedestrian gate, located at the top of a flight of stone steps and framed by two cypresses, opens on to the swimming pool area, concealed from view by a pointed stone building on one side and a hedge on the other. In addition, behind the carriage entrance, three buildings, one of which is placed at a right angle, are grouped around a central cobblestone courtyard, which is closed off on one side by a low stone wall overlooking the grounds. Topped with barrel tile roofs, the one crowning the main dwelling is highlighted by a double genoise cornice.
The Main DwellingAnother low wall separates the three-storey main dwelling from two pointed stone buildings located to one side. As for the impressive former mill, it features a plaster-coated exterior with windows safeguarded by wooden shutters, while alongside a low wall, a staircase provides access to the patio off of a kitchen, facing south. Shaded by an arbour and slightly elevated in terms of the ground floors of the other two buildings, it provides access to the kitchen via two sets of glass double doors, whereas the house's front door is protected by a porch roof, illuminated with outdoor lighting and located at the top of an exterior staircase abutting the building's eastern exterior overlooking the grounds.
The ground floor
Accessible via two sets of glass double doors from the side patio, a modern kitchen, sizeable and sunny, thanks to its dual exposure with an additional window that faces the grounds, is cadenced by a central island, a range cooker and many cupboards built into the house's thick walls. In addition, an extractor hood was concealed within the flue of a former fireplace and its original ceiling beams have been left visible as have the stones framing the opening towards the hallway that leads to the other rooms on this level, the floors of which are covered in travertine marble.
A little further on, a flight of steps, safeguarded by a wrought-iron handrail, provides access to an immense living room topped with a pitched ceiling, whose massive central wooden post recalls the building's local character. As for the room, with thick stone walls, it is bathed in light by a set of glass double doors that give on to the patio facing the swimming pool as well as two other windows looking out over the grounds and ...
