Brand house

Of course at SORS. we are busy planning too. We are busy planning the renovation of our recently acquired Brand House located in the Provence Haute Alpes region of the south of France. It's no small task to make over the identity of such a unique and personal architectural family home, but the opportunity to realise the style of our studio and gallery in this perfect environment is something we are looking forward to sharing. We hope to see you in the house once the world settles down and we settle in.

The house is situated on a private hill, and it being January, cold was expected. The roads were clear and the mountains capped with snow. All good until we got about 20 meters up our little private hill and BAM! Long story short, it was a winter wonderland, complete with tires stuck in the snow. An impressively short wait for, fortunately, a young and healthy tow truck driver (because of course his flatbed could not make it up the drive either, so we had some late night exercise hiking firewood up the top half of the hill! Home sweet, mercilessly cold, and why is the electricity we set up a month ago not on yet?

Not quite the entrance we had anticipated, but definitely on for the memory books. We've named the entrance to the property, "The Treacherous Slope", and it's beautiful.

So much of our design vision revolves around family. The living art of intimacy. The ways in which we can successfully combine a desired aesthetic, and make it also function well for the daily needs and desires of adults and children alike. In a short time, we've come to recognize how this space signifies such a global vision of living. During the first visit to the house as an empty space, the oldest of Rebeeca’s boys joined her and he seemed at home from the moment he entered, eliminating any doubt that such strong architecture and hard materials can also feel warm.

The forest-like gardens outside are as much a part of the house as the interior architecture. Upon opening the front door, you first see through to its opposite side, as it aligns with a large window, making way for a view of the back gardens, Koi ponds and mountain lined valley below. The first interior wall you see is of poured cement, cast from molds of wood logs, you see the imprinted textures and imperfections of the knots and veins of nature. We see the indoor, outdoor lifestyle where everyone has a space to entertain and to play. It's an Art de Vivre.Hello, World!

Imagine walking into a stone house under the light snowfall of an alpine cold January day. Resting as it does between the dining and double living areas, the fireplace is central to the design of this living space, deserving of one's full attention and present for comfort and enjoyment. It's transformation will be breathless, while its function will remain a natural wood burning space to cozy up to on a small hill at the base of the mountains.

The house itself is full of minimalist architectural details, most prominent being its many curved walls. Every corner you turn (or lack thereof), you discover another testament to the poetry and vision of the architect's homage to Le Corbusier. The beautiful built-in bookcase is no different; drawing inspiration from the many curved angles of the house, we can’t wait to fill it with artbooks and unique works.

Being 42 years young, the gardens around the house have matured well over time, making the house sit within a private forest, rather than dominating it. It’s eminent as you pull up to the house; a massive pine tree throws out its dense branches sheltering you from snow or sun as you approach the distinctive front door. The pine is a towering figure that creates a shelter for the entrance, its door a sculpture marked by its hand welded design motif, a collage of cut metal rectangles that we consider a brutalist marvel on hinges!

Our little oasis at the top of the "Treacherous Slope". We would have taken photos when the garden was covered in snow, but we were too occupied with correcting the lack of heat on the inside, to take time venturing through the wintery grounds outside. These images are from a few days later. It's only slightly warmer, but enough for the sun to reveal the fallen leaves of winter, the stone paths and beeches surrounding this Corbusier style family home.

This renovation will be a labor of love. An exhibition of design for a house originally built in 1979 where three boys were raised, and where three boys will fill it with laughter once more.