Location
Located in the Val-d’Oise department and approximately twenty kilometres to the north of Paris, the town of Ecouen extends over a promontory overlooking the Pays de France, while the city has preserved a breath-taking heritage, featuring, in particular, its 16th-century chateau built for Anne de Montmorency and now the National Museum of the Renaissance. Later in the 19th century, several painters also moved here in order to establish the School of Ecouen, whereas its historical centre, with its narrow streets, is lined with houses from the 17th to the 19th centuries.
In addition, the forest extends around the town and contributes to its natural setting, while today the town includes several academic and cultural establishments. Others are also quickly accessible from the city, whereas the Ecouen-Ezanville train station provides rail service to Paris in twenty minutes and the Charles-de-Gaulle airport is accessible in twenty minutes via automobile.
Description
Located on a lot of more than 2,500 m², the dwelling, a national Historical Monument, features approximately 310 m² of floor area over three levels, whereas its ten rooms, including six bedrooms, are laid out around a cobblestone courtyard extended by a walled garden. Facing the street, its plaster-coated façade, rigorously methodical, is cadenced by symmetrical windows safeguarded by swing shutters, while its front door is accessible via stone steps with a wrought-iron bannister.
As for the roof, punctuated by hipped dormers as well as several chimneys, it combines a slate Mansard-style lower section with a wide upper section covered in flat tiles, whereas its garden-facing exterior adopts a symmetrical composition with glass doors opening on to the courtyard and four ionic marble columns structuring the view.
Last, but not least, a second, independent two-storey building, of approximately 100 m², is located nearby and includes, specifically, a two-car garage.
The Dwelling
The ground floor
The front door opens on to a dual-aspect hallway with Burgundy stone tiles, providing access to the dwelling’s living areas as well as the courtyard, followed by the walled garden. On one side, the dining room still contains its original fireplace, one of the dwelling’s major features with its painted marble mantel, black marble jambs, denticulated lintel, heraldic cast-iron plaque depicting the Sun King as well as a bas-relief adorning the wall of its hearth, while built-in former larders punctuate this room’s thick walls.
In addition, a contemporary kitchen, created in an extension, opens on to the garden and provides access to the garage, while two adjacent living rooms are located directly opposite, one of which still features its stone fireplace. Further on, a wooden staircase, providing access to the upper floors, is situated next to a lavatory and the boiler room.
The first floor
Extending on from the staircase, whose solid newel is supported by a sturdy oak beam, an initial large bedroom with wide-plank parquet floors, burnished with time, features an understated stone fireplace with clean lines, two windows and an adjacent bathroom.
As for the landing, it also provides access to a sunny dual-aspect study with an original, narrow-plank, slightly undulating, parquet floor, which communicates, on one side, with a more modest-sized bedroom, with a white-painted parquet floor and two wide windows. On the other side, a bathroom with a lavatory gives on to another large bedroom with built-in cupboards and two windows, which provide constant natural light.
The second floor
A landing opens on to an immense room, which is currently used as an artist’s studio, while a large, metal-framed atelier window, inclined in certain areas, spans the entire wall, from floor to ceiling, and provides abundant natural light. Next door is a space that has not yet been converted, while, directly opposite, a hallway under the eaves with visible ceiling beams, provides access to the rest of rooms on this floor. A bedroom, with a sloping ceiling and bathed in light by two windows, one of which is shaped like a bull’s eye, comes with a bathtub, whereas, further on, a space converted into a kitchen precedes a large dual-aspect room, partially under the eaves and flooded in light thanks to windows, both rectangular and circular in shape.
The Garden
From the dwelling, doors open on to a rear cobblestone and gravel courtyard with a symmetrical double-flight stone staircase, whose steps, bordered by low walls planted with ivy, provide access to a semi-circular landing decorated with vases on pedestals. On either side, vaulted cellars hollowed out of the hillside communicate with the lower floor, while, at the top, an immense lawn, with a stone statue of a mother and child, provides glimpses of the Ecouen chateau.
As for the walled garden, featuring a gently rolling topography along its edges, it provides direct access, in the back, to the forest beyond the property.
Our opinion
This dwelling, marked by time and the lives of its inhabitants over the centuries, is neither frozen in time nor curated like a museum: instead, the house has been successfully maintained, updated and passed down, without ever erasing the vestiges of its history. This continuity not only gives it a certain rationality, but a one-of-a-kind character, while its successive adjustments have been able to conserve the premises’ true spirit as well as add necessary amenities in order to meet modern standards of comfort.
Ideal for those who appreciate the authenticity of a historical home, free from any kind of standardisation, such as a family who understands the importance of history, an architecture enthusiast or an artist who will find, in the sunny studio, a space ripe for inspiration, this dwelling, with its balanced layout, ample proportions, sunlit spaces and multi-century history has and will continue to provide a vibrant and stable living environment for its occupants both past and future.
1 038 000 €
Fees at the Vendor’s expense
Reference 733580
| Land registry surface area | 5379 m² |
| Main building floor area | 310 m² |
| Number of bedrooms | 5 |
French Energy Performance Diagnosis
NB: The above information is not only the result of our visit to the property; it is also based on information provided by the current owner. It is by no means comprehensive or strictly accurate especially where surface areas and construction dates are concerned. We cannot, therefore, be held liable for any misrepresentation.