TOUR DE FORCE

A decade of hard work saw a dilapidated French farmhouse become a home full of raw charm

- RORY ROBERTSON

When Caroline and Olivier Girault de Burlet first set eyes upon their 19th-century farmhouse it was in a ruinous state. Commanding a hilltop location on the border of the Ardèche region, the main building had not been lived in for around 100 years and had served only to shelter the livestock of the local people. The picture you see now tells a very different story, with La Maison Papillons, which it is now called, transformed into a comfortable abode nestled in a Mediterranean woodland garden complete with a newly installed pool. ‘It is what we call a “mas” and was originally for farming purposes,’ says Caroline. ‘When we first bought the property it was uninhabitable, with no windows and a dirt floor.’

There’s a distinct connection between the house and its surroundings. Not only do the hills and woodlands form a vital part of the experience – the gardens are peppered with social suntraps that tempt you outside – but the majority of the interior decor and architecture has been curated by Olivier, an artist and craftsman, using locally sourced materials.