My Houzz: A Clever Courtyard Patio Draws Light into This Flat
What would you include in your dream home? This couple wanted sunny spaces and a calm feel – oh, and a pool on the roof
Valérie Carreno & Frédéric Sautai
20 January 2018
Sophie and Régis Roulle live in their dream home. They did, after all, design and build it themselves, with help from architect Maxime Oliveira, Sophie’s business partner. “As the children grew up, we really hoped to return to Nîmes and live where we work. We bought the agency on the ground floor a few years ago, but at that time we were unable to acquire the whole building. Then the opportunity presented itself, so we decided to sell our house in the garrigue [an eco-region of scrub vegetation in the south of France] and move into the apartment above the agency,” says Sophie, who is thrilled with the decision.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here Architect Sophie Roulle, carpenter Régis Roulle, and their children, Margot, 19, Jeanne, 15, and Jules, 14
Location The Carré d’Art area, Nîmes, France
Size 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms (about 220 sq m)
Architects Roulle Oliveira Architectes
Photos by Jours & Nuits
The couple did nearly all the renovation themselves. “Régis and I did all the demolition and made the partitions and everything else except for the roof,” Sophie says. “Régis installed the structural frames, windows and woodwork, and put in a floor [to create a level surface] for the tiles. We really participated in the realisation of this project that was so close to our hearts.”
Who lives here Architect Sophie Roulle, carpenter Régis Roulle, and their children, Margot, 19, Jeanne, 15, and Jules, 14
Location The Carré d’Art area, Nîmes, France
Size 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms (about 220 sq m)
Architects Roulle Oliveira Architectes
Photos by Jours & Nuits
The couple did nearly all the renovation themselves. “Régis and I did all the demolition and made the partitions and everything else except for the roof,” Sophie says. “Régis installed the structural frames, windows and woodwork, and put in a floor [to create a level surface] for the tiles. We really participated in the realisation of this project that was so close to our hearts.”
Away from the sounds of the city lies the heart of the house – its fabulous patio. “The property was a simple two-storey apartment when we bought it,” Sophie says. “Everything was orientated towards the northeast and it had a terrace overlooking the street. We decided to build on the old terrace and locate the new patio where a bedroom used to be in order to find the light coming from the south. We also created an additional storey to accommodate the children’s rooms.”
Garden furniture, Fermob.
How to choose the perfect flooring for your patio
Garden furniture, Fermob.
How to choose the perfect flooring for your patio
This patio is completely open with no floating beams. Designed as an additional room, it serves as the central living area in the warmer months.
Le Corbusier LC4 chaise longue, available at The Conran Shop.
Le Corbusier LC4 chaise longue, available at The Conran Shop.
The living room, which is a little set back from the opening to the patio, is a winter room centred on a pellet stove that heats the entire apartment.
A colourful accent rug with yellow detailing adds a warm touch to the large-format pale grey floor tiles.
Rug, Bertjan Pot for Moooi Carpets. Coffee table; sofa, both Zanotta. P-10 pellet stove. Stûv.
A colourful accent rug with yellow detailing adds a warm touch to the large-format pale grey floor tiles.
Rug, Bertjan Pot for Moooi Carpets. Coffee table; sofa, both Zanotta. P-10 pellet stove. Stûv.
This eye-catching mosaic rug contrasts with its more neutral and reserved surroundings and recalls the rays of the hot southern sun. “I like to change décor according to the seasons,” Sophie explains. “This carpet is warmer in winter, [and] I will roll it back up as early as the spring. This summer, when everything will be open and we’ll be walking around barefoot, we’ll enjoy a cooler carpet.”
Bowl, Alessi.
Bowl, Alessi.
The staircase leading to the floor above was custom-made by a metalworker. Suspended from the upper floor and standing on feet that are its only additional supports, it blends subtly into the wall of the living room. It was made from two sheets of steel, which were folded and welded to make one single piece. A sound-absorbent material was placed between the sheets, making the room as a whole more comfortable.
The kitchen also opens onto the patio. “I don’t like the idea of hanging cabinets in a kitchen,” Sophie says, “so I planned a double island with storage space across its entire length. The dishes are all stored in the dining room cupboards, and the cooking equipment is on the kitchen side.
“The idea was to make sure the kitchen appliances would not be immediately noticeable when entering the room,” she adds. “Utensils and everything else that’s necessary for cooking are hidden in a pantry behind the wall [the grey wall in the previous photo], which continues onto the patio to make a niche for the barbecue in summer.”
Kitchen, bulthaup; hob and ovens, Gaggenau.
“The idea was to make sure the kitchen appliances would not be immediately noticeable when entering the room,” she adds. “Utensils and everything else that’s necessary for cooking are hidden in a pantry behind the wall [the grey wall in the previous photo], which continues onto the patio to make a niche for the barbecue in summer.”
Kitchen, bulthaup; hob and ovens, Gaggenau.
The blending of inside and out is accomplished through large vertical openings that make you feel as if you’re in the trees outside. The windows overlook historic Nîmes – the house faces the Carré d’Art multimedia library and museum of contemporary art, designed by Norman Foster.
Chairs, Magis. Saarinen table, Knoll. Random pendant light, Moooi.
Chairs, Magis. Saarinen table, Knoll. Random pendant light, Moooi.
The master bedroom is on the ground floor. Régis made the natural oak panels himself and assembled them to create a headboard. They softly separate the bedroom from the bathroom.
The bathroom has a walk-in shower. A wardrobe installed along the length of the wall at the back of the room [the white panels on the left of this photo] offers a generous and discreet storage space.
How many of these do you have in your bathroom?
How many of these do you have in your bathroom?
Upstairs, a walkway leads to the children’s bedrooms. “We allocated the space based on the constraint that all the rooms had to be on the street side of the house,” Sophie says. This was because they wanted to avoid obstructing the southern sun coming from the other side.
“A sandblasted window in one of the bedrooms enables it to open to both sides. Light enters the hallway through six Velux skylights that ventilate the storey in hot weather and close automatically when it starts to rain [thanks to a sensor],” Sophie says. The yellow ceiling continues down the whole hallway, warming the rooms with a slightly tinted light.
“A sandblasted window in one of the bedrooms enables it to open to both sides. Light enters the hallway through six Velux skylights that ventilate the storey in hot weather and close automatically when it starts to rain [thanks to a sensor],” Sophie says. The yellow ceiling continues down the whole hallway, warming the rooms with a slightly tinted light.
The rooms themselves are equally colourful. In daughter Jules’s bedroom, the exposed beams that start one foot above the floor outline the space under the ceiling, echoing the zinc roofing outside.
Blanket and pouffe, Fatboy. Rug, Pappelina. Easy chair, Phantom. PS cabinet, Ikea. Componibili drawer unit, Kartell.
Blanket and pouffe, Fatboy. Rug, Pappelina. Easy chair, Phantom. PS cabinet, Ikea. Componibili drawer unit, Kartell.
In Jeanne’s room, an on-trend teal wall with a long built-in shelf serves as a headboard.
Bedspread, Hay. Pebble cushions, Smarin. Bedside lamp, Ikea. Floor lamp, Habitat.
Bedspread, Hay. Pebble cushions, Smarin. Bedside lamp, Ikea. Floor lamp, Habitat.
The adjoining white bathroom bursts with natural light. A round mirror hides behind a pocket door and makes the bathroom look like a boat cabin with a porthole.
Bathroom furniture and mirrors, Kartell by Laufen.
Bathroom furniture and mirrors, Kartell by Laufen.
The crowning jewel of this downtown apartment is the upstairs terrace that extends to a swimming pool.
“The [glass wall of the] terrace allows the sunlight through to the patio [below] to remain unobscured,” Sophie says. “Because people don’t like to climb, it was risky to plan a terrace on an upper floor, so we decided to install a pool to draw everyone upstairs.”
The vertical windows match those in the first floor kitchen-diner.
What do you think of this reconfigured and extended apartment? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
The vertical windows match those in the first floor kitchen-diner.
What do you think of this reconfigured and extended apartment? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
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Agree this is incredibly well thought out, the achievement even more remarkable given they constructed this themselves. Best of both worlds - cosy in the winter and space to lounge outside in the summer, lots of light all year round. I especially like the rooftop terrace. All I want to know is, are they planning to rent this out on AirBnB any time? ;)
Buenas tardes
Una terraza muy bonita.
Felicidade