A surprising townhouse in Nantes
Creating space is Mericom Archi's secret, whether you are looking for an architect in Nantes, in the Pays de Loire or in Noirmoutier.
What could be more of a surprise than this little architect's townhouse with its neatly aligned façade that opens onto unexpected space? Like the façade, the front door is original and that's about it. As soon as you enter this house in Nantes, you are entering another dimension, one bathed in a golden light.
The interior of the house was cleared of its original walls, so creating the living space. It has given volume, light, and added an openness to the garden, with a wooden ceiling lazured yellow … “to bring the sun into the living room” says the architect from Nantes
Throughout the ground floor a waxed concrete was laid, made from a mixture of resin and brick powder, its irregular appearance is suffused with orange shades that shine in a vibrant mottle. The underfloor heating offers a soft, diffuse and enveloping warmth, freeing the walls of radiators.
The terrace overlooking the garden is made of a natural recycled wood, that has been heat and pressure treated to give an excellent life.
A boat sail serves as a sunshade, the sea is never far from this house.
Between the kitchen and the living room, old shutters (recovered from an 18th century house in Noirmoutier) have been given a second life converted into cupboard doors yet left in their original condition, echoing the spirit of an old country house.
Both the fridge and kitchen worktop are covered in zinc, it is a 1950s country café style, the kitchen tiles are worked in the same olden style.
The kitchen, open to the living room with its extraordinary English cooker (brought back from Glasgow), is as functional as it is elegant, the zinc artfully catches the light whilst time builds its own patina. The master of the house likes to cook. The fixtures are made of painted wood, made to measure and easy to maintain. The door knobs are little porcelain jewels, each a different design, and found at Qurum,
the Indian merchant in Manchester, a refined touch in this thoughtful melange of decor.
Throughout the house you will discover the works of artists, and be prepared to be seduced by objects and their history, very old Bedouin carpets, elegant copper pots for carrying water or cooking beans.
Above the piano a ship's lantern illuminates a black plaster sculpture.
The lovely feature of the original house was its garden which adjoins a
neighbouring street. A perfect space in which to create an extension. The architects from Nantes, Mericom Archi, evolved a corridor that has become the library and music room. Running alongside the garden it connects into the privacy of the house, its south-facing position is wonderfully favourable to the light.
The staircase leading to the first floor, the children's area, is made of rough concrete covered with the red wood of an old cherry tree, saved from the garden “so as not to lose the heritage” … explains the architect from the Vendee.
The fundamental element in the renovation and extension of this townhouse was wood, capturing the memories of a time spent living in Canada. Three large Douglas fir beams, each almost ten metres, support the frame. The walls are built out of pine and formaldehyde-free Triply (thin sheets of wood bonded together in warm blond with reddish tones).
In the bathroom, a bathtub resembles a hollow in the rock, where water cascades,
allowing relaxation whilst contemplating the sand garden.
On the first floor, the children's bathroom is like a hammam, with its mosaic-like Burgundy stone floors and walls, with a small bench and a sheet metal shower screen. The exposed pipes are decorated with a nautical gauge, reminiscent of the sea.
The blue stain of the exterior woodwork gives the house the feel of a seashore hut lost in the sand, and the pebbles; oh yes, a holiday home.
Wood is the key, the secret to the touch of the exotic embedded in this architect's house.
How can we talk about this townhouse without stopping for a moment to consider the magic of its bathrooms. Inspired by the Moors where water was a miracle, we can take the time to look after ourselves. The children's bathroom has been imagined as a hammam; the parents' bathroom, adjoining their bedroom, has an incredible bathtub infused with ergonomic shapes, built from a mixture of lime and hemp, a natural and eco-responsible construction methodology. It is worked by
hand, in a craft, a know-how, that is often used by the Merisim's from Mericom Archi.
It is true that one feels far from the city in this town house, where marine and exotic scents mix together. Bamboo was also used in the construction of this house, inside and outside in the garden of pebbles, dune plants, palm trees … “bringing the sea to Nantes” … the architect sighed, with a knowing wink …
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