France Houzz Tour: See This Houzz-Inspired Manor's Before & After
Taking cues from his favourite Houzz projects, this homeowner combined modern glam with respect for his family's roots
In Charentes-Maritime, France, in the Petite Champagne region near Cognac, sits Fontagard, the property owned by Adrien Granchère. All white in its country-stone livery, the manor towers over a hamlet of only 12 residents, and is known in the region for its distillery. Founded in 1870 by Adrien Granchère’s ancestor, Ernest Granchère, this cognac and spirits distillery has been passed down through the family for four generations.
Adrien Granchère, 34 years old and an only son, took the reins of the company six years ago. Since then, the young proprietor has been working to diversify the distillery’s business. He has also modernised the adjoining property, in which he lives with his partner Mathilde and son Louis. After four years of work, he shared the results with Houzz. “Houzz is a great source of inspiration for architecture and decor from all around the world. We used it a lot to visualise most of our rooms. I wanted to thank the site in my own way by sharing the work we’ve done,” he says.
Adrien Granchère, 34 years old and an only son, took the reins of the company six years ago. Since then, the young proprietor has been working to diversify the distillery’s business. He has also modernised the adjoining property, in which he lives with his partner Mathilde and son Louis. After four years of work, he shared the results with Houzz. “Houzz is a great source of inspiration for architecture and decor from all around the world. We used it a lot to visualise most of our rooms. I wanted to thank the site in my own way by sharing the work we’ve done,” he says.
Before. “The building probably dates back to the early 19th century; the two windows on both sides of the entrance, the five upper windows and the small dormer windows are typical of the region,” Granchère says. “I found a photo of a similar neoclassical facade on Houzz, renovated with black frames. That’s what helped me hold my ground against my friends who came together to tell me that black on the windows would be ugly. In the end they admitted that I had made the right choice.”
After. About 50 of the damaged stones in the facade had to be replaced with similar material. The windows were fitted with black aluminium frames and panes with solar control. “I didn’t want to put the shutters back on, and this choice has paid off because the house is cool in summer,” he says.
Before. Originally, a French door opened out into a spacious entrance hall, typical of bourgeois houses in the region, with high moulded ceilings and a remarkable wooden staircase. The doors on either side open into the kitchen and the living room. Outfitted with fireplaces and herringbone wood flooring, these rooms also benefit from southern exposure.
Granchère not only laid new flooring in the entrance, but carried out extensive renovations here: “The roots of a tree in front of the house had grown under the entrance hall, causing the floor and staircase to collapse. It was necessary to excavate and re-pour a screed, and I took the opportunity to lay the electricity and plumbing lines in the crawl spaces and to wire the home for central hi-fi [audio] and ethernet,” he says.
Granchère not only laid new flooring in the entrance, but carried out extensive renovations here: “The roots of a tree in front of the house had grown under the entrance hall, causing the floor and staircase to collapse. It was necessary to excavate and re-pour a screed, and I took the opportunity to lay the electricity and plumbing lines in the crawl spaces and to wire the home for central hi-fi [audio] and ethernet,” he says.
After. Granchère turned the old dining and reception room into a kitchen. “I kept everything I could from this house as well as the family furniture and decor,” he says. The dressing table mirror at the entrance is an antique from his grandmother. It echoes the contemporary painting in the background, which replaced the fireplace trumeau: “It is by my cousin, Julien Graizely, who is a painter.”
After. To come up with the kitchen design, Granchère of course created an Ideabook on Houzz. This helped him organise the layout, materials and colours. He recalls being particularly inspired by the colours and space in this London kitchen. “I then visited the kitchen designers, who gave me the idea for the final layout,” he says.
In arranging the kitchen, Granchère wove his family’s soul into the space, as well as their love of nature and all that is natural. He chose sustainable and healthy materials, such as kitchen fronts made from recycled bottles.
The solid oak dining table, which a miller had given to his grandmother, was from the old kitchen.
The solid oak dining table, which a miller had given to his grandmother, was from the old kitchen.
The solid oak counters contrast the matte black cupboards. The counters were made by a carpenter, and Granchère protected them with an edible oil. The floors were sanded and then covered with an environmentally friendly oil.
The pantry was another sustainable choice. A pocket door in the tall unit to the left of the oven hides a recess that Granchère has lined with 30-centimetre breeze blocks that provide natural insulation. “The idea was to have a cool and safe place to store vegetables that we grow in our square-foot gardens and the eggs from our hens, who roam freely around the property,” he says.
After. The colours in the living room were inspired by a project by Atelier Mep. Granchère fell in love with a petrol-blue part of a wall, and this colour now covers almost all the walls in this space; the walls in the bar area contrast in a mustard yellow.
Acoustics are regularly overlooked in renovations, but Granchère paid particular attention to this in this large room, which has a 3.4-metre-high ceiling. “We listen to a lot of music, and in these big houses, it tends to echo quickly. That’s why I covered all the walls in fabric with a padded lining,” he says.
Nestled in the old hall, the bar was a must for a distiller. The bottles are displayed in niches made up of an upcycled cupboard from the old hall.
The portrait gallery combines two centuries of family history with old print engravings from L’Illustration. Granchère’s grandmother had subscribed to this magazine, and he found copies in an old mail trunk in the attic. The trunk itself is now being used as a coffee table (see previous photo).
The portrait gallery combines two centuries of family history with old print engravings from L’Illustration. Granchère’s grandmother had subscribed to this magazine, and he found copies in an old mail trunk in the attic. The trunk itself is now being used as a coffee table (see previous photo).
After. Heavy sanding brought out the gorgeous natural colour of the maritime pine. Combined with the white stairwell, it once again makes a statement in the entrance hall.
Before. On the second floor the stairs open out into a long hallway that runs the length of the house, branching off into rooms. “This arrangement is also typical of manor houses in the region. The hallway is on the north to leave the south side – which is the best exposure – for the rooms,” Granchère says.
After. An anthracite black (RAL 7016) adds character to the hall. “This was another idea we spotted on Houzz. We were one of the first to choose it even though we’ve seen quite a lot of it this year,” Granchère says. Black and gold pendant lights in Tom Dixon style present a touch of contemporary sophistication, and are reminiscent of light fixtures that had belonged to Granchère’s grandmother.
Another of Graizely’s paintings adorns an empty wall in the hall.
After. This graphic open partition made of steel and beech replaced the walls of the old en suite. It screens off the new bathroom, which includes a basin and walk-in shower.
“The industrial-style inspiration was a shop window in New York. The clothing brand All Saints had stacked an impressive number of old sewing machines on shelves in the window.” Granchère says.
The wall was painted olive green. This Zen colour and the hanging plants create a very natural alcove.
After. Granchère changed the style radically by removing some of the drywall to reveal the stone underneath, and walling-in the fireplace. This more simple decor style gives the room a holiday feel.
Before. Let’s take a little time out to explain the preparation of the walls and the energy management of the house. Keeping cool was a concern in a region prone to summer temperature spikes, and Granchère addressed this by installing double glazing. However, he chose not to update other things that may seem essential, like heating and insulation, for a surprising reason.
“The distillery heats us. The steam out of the stills is 85 degrees and needs to be cooled. Fifteen years ago, in order to limit the cost of the fuel heating system that had only been installed in the 1980s, my father had the idea of killing two birds with one stone and using the house as a cooling system. When we’re too hot, we open the windows!”
“The distillery heats us. The steam out of the stills is 85 degrees and needs to be cooled. Fifteen years ago, in order to limit the cost of the fuel heating system that had only been installed in the 1980s, my father had the idea of killing two birds with one stone and using the house as a cooling system. When we’re too hot, we open the windows!”
After. As in the living room, Granchère paid attention to the acoustics here, lining the ceiling with acoustic plasterboard. Hundreds of small perforations break the echo effect of smooth, hard surfaces and muffle sound.
Positioning the bed in the centre of the room allowed Granchère to partition the very large room and create a sauna area at the back.
Positioning the bed in the centre of the room allowed Granchère to partition the very large room and create a sauna area at the back.
After. This bathroom is the very first room he redid. He covered up the dated brown tiles with tile paint and replaced the basin.
After. Julien Graizely, Granchère’s cousin whose paintings adorn walls throughout the house, painted this mural based on Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince.
And what does Granchère’s grandmother, who spent most of her life in this house, think of the results? “She had a difficult time during the renovation phase, and when her rooms were torn down she didn’t even want to come see the work. But today, she is amazed,” her grandson says. His approach – modernising the home while respecting his family’s roots – certainly helped.
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What do you love about this home? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save your favourite images, save the story, and join in the conversation.
More
Find a renovation professional in Singapore
Browse more Singapore photos for design inspiration
House at a Glance
Who lives here? Adrien Granchère, his partner Mathilde and son Louis, 4
Location: In a hamlet in Charentes-Maritime, France
Size: 460 square metres
“When we started the work and were looking for ideas, Mathilde downloaded the Houzz app on her laptop, and that’s how we started making ideabooks for each room,” Granchère says.
One of his first Ideabooks was for the home’s facade. It had lost its lustre and needed a good makeover: the shutters were missing every second slat and the local white stone had cracked around the windows because of corrosion around the hinges.