Houzz Tours
My French Houzz: When An Architect Builds Her Dream Home
This architect wasn't afraid to make bold design choices, like an upper-storey central courtyard and rooftop pool
In the heart of Nîmes, France, Sophie and Régis Roulle live in their dream home: After all, they did 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 the city 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 unit above the agency,” says Sophie, who is thrilled with the decision.
Away from the sounds of the city lies the heart of the house, its fabulous patio. “It was a simple two-storey apartment when we bought it. Everything was oriented towards the northeast and it had a terrace overlooking the street. We decided to build where the terrace used to be, in order to find the light coming from the south. That’s why the actual patio is located where a bedroom used to be … We also created an additional storey above it to accommodate the children’s rooms,” she says.
The rooms that can be seen through the window behind the yellow table are the stairs landing and the master bedroom
The rooms that can be seen through the window behind the yellow table are the stairs landing and the master bedroom
This patio is completely open without any floating beams. Conceptualised as an additional room, it serves as the central living area in the warmer months.
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, designed by Bertjan Pot for Moooi Carpets, adds a warm touch to the 90 x 90 centimetre light grey tiles.
A colourful accent rug with yellow detailing, designed by Bertjan Pot for Moooi Carpets, adds a warm touch to the 90 x 90 centimetre light grey tiles.
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 decor according to the seasons. 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 will be walking around barefoot, we will enjoy a cooler carpet,” says Sophie.
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 them, 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 the kitchen,” says Sophie. “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. 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 griddle in summer.”
The blending of inside and out is accomplished through large vertical openings that make you feel like you are in the trees outside. The large window sills create a studio workshop feel. The beautiful set of windows overlook historic Nîmes: the house faces the Carré d’Art multimedia library and museum of contemporary art, designed by Norman Foster.
The master bedroom is on the ground floor. Régis made the natural oak panels himself, and assembled the bedhead out of them. They softly separate the bedroom from the bathroom.
The bathroom has a walk-in shower tiled in beige earthenware. A closet 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.
Upstairs, a glass parapet lines a hallway that leads to the children’s bedrooms. “We reallocated the space based on the constraint that all of the rooms had to be on the street side of the house,” says Sophie. 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],” says Sophie. 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’ bedroom, the exposed beams that start 30 centimetres above the floor outline the space under the ceiling, echoing the zinc roofing outside.
Jeanne’s room enjoys beautiful southern exposure. A trendy teal wall serves as a bedhead with a long built-in shelf.
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.
The upstairs patio. The door standing open on the left leads to another unit.
The crowning jewel of this downtown apartment is the upstairs Mediterranean terrace that extends to a swimming pool. “The terrace [and its glass wall] allows the sunlight on the patio [below] to remain unobscured. 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. Here, the vertical windows match those on the first floor kitchen,” says Sophie.
Tell us
What do you love about this home? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save your favourite images, bookmark the story, and join in the conversation.
Tell us
What do you love about this home? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save your favourite images, bookmark the story, and join in the conversation.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Architect Sophie Roulle, carpenter Régis, with kids Jeanne, 15, Margot, 19, and Jules, 14
Location: The Carré d’Art, Nîmes, France
Size: About 220 square metres; 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms
Architects: Roulle Oliveira Architectes
The couple did nearly everything in the renovation themselves. “Régis and I carried out all the demolition and made the partitions and everything else except for the roof. Régis installed the windows and the woodwork and put in a floor under the tiles for levelling purposes, and he also installed the structural frames. We really participated in the realisation of this project that was so close to our hearts,” says Sophie.