The House,
Room by Room

The house unfolds its 35-metre façade along a lane of golden Périgord stone, shutters white against the wall. There is little traffic — the lane runs parallel to Cadouin’s main avenue, beside the abbey and the village square.

Three garages, of varying size, are available to guests — from the open one in the picture to the rounded garage doors at the far end of the road. The front door of the house is at street level too: glazed glass and iron, opening into a beamed hall of Périgord stone, a kilim rug over the patterned tile floor. The original wooden staircase climbs to the main floor of the house and gives straight onto the Hearth Lounge.

The staircase delivers you into a pale green room with a grand stone fireplace and double doors to the garden, open to the kitchen and the dining table beyond. It is where the books collect, and where bright mornings and quiet evenings begin.

Fully equipped and open to the Hearth Lounge: sage green, a butler sink, oak worktops that double as a bar, and a six-burner range with a large oven — enough to make dinner for ten without ceremony. A French window with a balconette looks across to the Foyer Laïque Rural, the village hall of Cadouin. Beside the kitchen’s bar island, a long wooden table under a crystal chandelier, against a wall of worked Périgord stone. French windows with a balconette open towards the village.

From the Hearth Lounge, the passage to three bedrooms and a bathroom — ochre walls, a carved antique bevelled mirror, and three Chinese porcelain figures that have been in the family longer than the house.

For lounging, working or watching television, this spacious room with its comfortable couches and brick fireplace pleases everyone. It is light and well appointed, with beautiful oak flooring.

The heart of the old house: a double-height room under the beams, with the open staircase rising against bare stone and sofas deep enough to disappear into. It sits between the Kitchen and Dining Room on one side and the Garden Room on the other, with a bedroom on the floor below and another above, under the roof. This is where the long afternoon naps happen and where the board games come out — and there is a second desk here for whoever has to work.

This large room between the terrace and the back garden has high ceilings and a long dining table with white rush chairs. Sliding doors and windows front and back open it up on both sides. A lounge couch invites you to take a book into the shade at the hottest hours of the day.

Reached through the Garden Room, the terrace is generous and looks out over Cadouin and the abbey. A retractable awning covers it when the sun is too strong. This is where the aperitif happens.

A pergola on the upper terrace of the garden, with deep wicker sofas and chairs. Always in shade, this is where you take your book — or a drink. And where the evening tends to end.

Gravel and lavender, climbing roses on the wall, an iron bench, a wine barrel for a table, and sun loungers for the long part of the day.

Rooftops, the wooded hill behind, and the bell tower of the Cistercian abbey — one minute away on foot.

The master bedroom of the house: spacious and well appointed, looking out over the village park and the war memorials.

At the back of the house, a room of serene quiet, with character and its original cabinetry.

The attic room, above the Stone Drawing Room: a king-size bed, a comfortable couch, the original Périgord roof windows and a skylight.

Also at the back of the house: a cosy, comfortable room with a library and a walnut chest.

The ground floor of the old house, below the Stone Drawing Room: bare limestone walls under heavy chestnut beams, a double bed, deep armchairs by the hearth, a mezzanine overhead and a small kitchen in the corner.

This bathroom serves the three bedrooms along the Yellow Corridor. A bathtub, additional electric heating, and a door that opens onto the back lane.

Serving the old house, on the ground floor. Simple and practical: shower, basin and lavatory.

Off the garden terrace, beautifully lit by its skylight, with a shower and a basin under an antique mirror.