La ferme d’Edouard (Edouard’s farm), an old farmhouse named after its previous owner, grandfather of the current manager Christophe Degoches, is a charming place surrounded by nature where tradition and modernity has given rise to an accommodation facility with a Mediterranean flavour. Located in the small French village of Labatie-d'Andaure in the heart of the Ardèche Verte region, the old farmhouse has been involved in a renovation and expansion project, which began in 2019 by architect Xavier Salerio with the close collaboration of the current owner. The connection with the pre-existing context was one of the fundamental starting points of the project; as architect Salerio states: "The idea was to turn a farm that had been in use until recently into a luxurious farmhouse that would combine comfort, modernity and luxury. A coherent project that would tell a story of tradition and family while respecting the ancient stone and the spirit of the place".

The farmhouse has been rebuilt in keeping with the existing building, emphasising some typical traditional elements, such as stone, pitched roof and exposed beams, while also including modern influences. This combination of tradition and modernity is clearly evident in the front façade, where large arched glass windows of classical origin combine with a contemporary architectural element: a new large glass window that "floods the interior with daylight and forms the backbone of the interior and exterior architecture, adding a new dimension to the typical industrial style with a modern touch". The complex consists of two volumes, covering an area of four hundred square metres and containing eight bedrooms with private bathrooms, an outdoor swimming pool surrounded by a large garden and boules court. An outdoor area near the swimming pool has a pool house with kitchen and it is positioned backward to fully enjoy the panoramic view of the Doux Valley from the farmhouse. The main building, which offers a view over the surrounding countryside, extends over three levels: on the first floor there is the kitchen with dining room and the living room with its large glass window, characterised by a wooden staircase and a balcony leading to the bedrooms on the upper floor. At the centre of the dining room, a large wooden table designed by the architect gives a unique touch to the modern and designer furniture that animates the interior.

As Salerio says, “The stone has pride of place in the whole project”. The protagonist is Geopietra^®, the manufactured stone. It has been used for the exterior cladding of the elegant vertically developed extension, which is located at the rear of the main building. This is a custom stone model with a mixture of cool shades and faithfully reproduces the shapes and tones of the traditional stone used outside and inside the main structure and on the retaining walls that surround the green areas. GeoCorner manufactured cornerstones of the Antico model have been added to the corners of the cladding, inspired by the large squared and irregular corners of old farmsteads, used to provide stability to the structure. The use of cornerstones in the structural details gives Geopietra^® cladding a convincing three-dimensionality value, making it perfectly credible and even more faithful to ancient local buildings. The entrance as well as the large and small windows belonging to the annexe are embellished with Geopietra^® cornerstones of the Squadrato model in Bianco Reale shade: a model inspired by ancient corners made of soft stone typical of some Mediterranean areas.

Design: arch. Xavier Salerio 
The architect’s words are taken from the website www.xaviersalerio.fr