FADED GLORY

Sylvie and Pierre Delcroix took their passion for antiques from town to country when they moved to a rustic barn in Normandy

- JULIET BENNING

Sylvie and Pierre Delcroix fell in love with this 17th-century Normandy barn at their first viewing and decided to buy it on the spot. The estate agent who took them for the viewing was taken aback. ‘He had many more appointments lined up for us, but we were very clear about what we wanted,’ says Sylvie.

The couple were immediately struck by the vast, lofty spaces inside the converted barn, as well as its tree-filled, secluded garden. ‘There was a soothing quality to the house and landscape that I craved,’ says Sylvie. ‘I also love this corner of Calvados, close to the small town of Meulles, as I spent much of my childhood not far from here with my grandmother and cousins in an old building she renovated.’