From a tall entrance gate on the village’s main street, a former cobblestone path of limestone blocks laid on their narrow sides leads to the dwelling then takes you to the privacy of the tree-dotted garden via a vaulted passage. Further south, from the road that leads to the village centre, a more traditional entrance with a wrought-iron gate takes you to a parking area behind a group of horse chestnuts. At the bottom of the garden, another entrance, with a few mossy steps, takes you to the church square nearby. The house stands at the edge of the village. It is built with the same stone and slate as you find in the village’s other dwellings. With them, it contributes to the remarkable harmony that strikes you when you enter this charming village. This characterful dwelling was home to notables belonging to the Fortia family, whose name the house bears. The haven has kept its peaceful privacy and calm cosiness, resisting any encroachment from its village. It blends seamlessly into the stone backdrop of the village, while gazing beyond the valley of the River Tourmente, which it looks down at. The whole property has been restored masterfully. The most beautiful materials from the past have been preserved, including the floors, ceilings, window frames and architectural articulation from different periods. Yet the place has boldly incorporated modern touches too. The renovation truly showcases the home. The result is sublime. This dwelling has been given the ‘Fondation du Patrimoine’ label for its distinctive qualities in built heritage. The house forms an L shape. It has a main section from the 17th and 18th centuries. And it is completed with a self-contained annexe, with which it shares a patio. This annexe has been converted into a guesthouse, fully restored in the same style as the main dwelling. The property also includes a former dairy, which is currently used as a storehouse but which could easily be turned into another dwelling or even a shop to make the most of its position. Indeed, this old dairy leads straight own onto the village’s main street. Lastly, the property has a landscaped garden with an unrivalled view of the spectacular bucolic vista beyond it.

The main house

The main house has a garden-level floor, a ground floor, a first floor and a second floor. One of its floors has balconies. Its south-facing elevation has three large openings on each level. These openings have small-paned windows fitted with wooden shutters. Luxuriant wisteria grows around them, embellishing the elevation. The east elevation has two trilobed windows, which bear witness to a preexisting Gothic building here. A hipped slate roof, remade exactly how it was before, crowns the house in harmony with the village’s other houses. The dwelling stands upon a gentle slope, following its shape with a garden-level floor and a terrace-level floor that links the main house to the guesthouse. It seems firmly set like a jewel in a collection of village houses with slate roofs that are staggered up to the chateau on the hill’s summit. The house’s interior contrasts with its outdoor appearance and with its elevations that illustrate the viscounty’s rich history. Indeed, a contemporary style inside blends into this home, showcasing a remarkable renovation.

The garden-level floor
In the past, the garden-level floor was rarely inhabited in this region. It was traditionally used for work and storage and, if needed, it would serve as a horse stable. This tradition has been kept alive in this house as the floor is taken up by a storeroom or workshop, a garage, a boiler room, a lavatory, and a technical installations room (for a hot-water tank and a water softener). From this level, a lift takes you up to the other floors, which you can also reach via a stone spiral staircase made of local limestone. This staircase is finely crafted and well proportioned. Each block of stone is carved with different concave and convex lines. It recalls the famous ‘Saint-Gilles screw’ spiral staircase that was built in an abbey in France’s Gard department in the middle of the 17th century. Indeed, this structure suggests that the house actually dates back to a time before the year 1756, which is engraved into the keystone of the arch above the street-side entrance gate.

The ground floor
You reach the ground floor either via the spiral staircase or the lift. Like everywhere else in this dwelling, this ground floor combines tradition with modern touches – always tastefully. You first step into a vast modern kitchen with a central island unit. It has a long guest table in front of a fireplace with a polished oak mantel that is plainly sculpted. This level also has a scullery with a fireplace used for roasting, a large lounge, a lounge with a terrace, a lavatory, and a remarkable vaulted cellar slightly lower down from the flight of backstairs. The window frames have been changed and tailor-made to reflect the preexisting ones with indoor shutters and iron catches, combining aesthetic appeal with energy efficiency. And high-quality insulation ensures that the pellet boiler performs optimally. The floors have been remade using old barn timber with rustic charm to reflect the wooden floors of traditional country houses. They are veritable works of art laid upon the floor. The ceiling beams have been consolidated and sandblasted. And the large floor tiles bear the marks of their long history.

The first floor
An oak staircase, used as backstairs, complements the spiral staircase, which rises up at the other end of the house. There are four bedrooms on this first floor, as well as a spare bedroom on a mezzanine floor in an office. Each bedroom has its own contemporary shower room or bathroom. There are double washbasins, large oval bathtubs, and stylish taps. Most of the bedrooms are dual-aspect rooms with views facing all directions. One of them is even adorned with two trilobed windows. There is a walk-in wardrobe and there are many storage spaces. As part of the work that was carried out on the insulation, the floors have been put together with modern oak boards, with respect for the charming authenticity that prevails throughout the home. Lastly, the walls display a delightful palette of colours, selected by a famous British colourist who specialises in hand-mixed natural pigments and is known for offering an unrivalled response to light through colour.

The second floor
Wood and delightful minimalism dominate on this second floor. The roof beams are showcased magnificently, from the rafters and tie beams to the king posts and braces. Each bedroom on this floor displays precious parts of this splendid, restored roof frame, which was remade to reflect the original one. This top floor is clearly designed for children and young people, with its little bedroom with sloping attic ceilings, its room that could easily serve as a games room, and its dormitory with a bathroom that all the rooms on this floor share. This colourful bathroom ensures pleasant starts to your day.