My Houzz: When an Architect Builds Her Dream Home
This architect wasn’t afraid to make bold design choices, such as an upper-story central courtyard and a 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 [a 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 a fabulous patio, the heart of the house. “It was a simple two-story apartment when we bought it,” Sophie says. “Everything was oriented toward 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 story above it to accommodate the children’s rooms.”
Garden furniture: Fermob
Garden furniture: Fermob
The patio is completely open, free of any floating beams. Conceptualized as an additional room, it serves as the central living area in the warmer months.
LC4 chaise lounge: designed by Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret and Charlotte Perriand
LC4 chaise lounge: designed by Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret and Charlotte Perriand
The living room, which is a little set back from the opening to the patio, is a winter room with a pellet stove that heats the entire apartment.
A colorful accent rug with yellow detailing, designed by Bertjan Pot for Moooi Carpets, adds a warm touch to the 3-by-3-foot light gray tiles.
Coffee table and couch: Zanotta; pellet stove: Stûv P-10
A colorful accent rug with yellow detailing, designed by Bertjan Pot for Moooi Carpets, adds a warm touch to the 3-by-3-foot light gray tiles.
Coffee table and couch: Zanotta; pellet stove: Stûv P-10
This eye-catching mosaic rug contrasts with its more neutral surroundings and recalls the rays of the hot southern sun. “I like to change decor according to the seasons,” Sophie says. “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.”
Bowl: Alessi
Bowl: Alessi
The kitchen also opens onto the patio. “I don’t like the idea of hanging cabinets in the kitchen,” Sophie says. “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 gray one seen in the previous photo], which continues onto the patio to make a niche for the [grill] in summer.”
Kitchen: Bulthaup; cooktop and ovens: Gaggenau
“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 gray one seen in the previous photo], which continues onto the patio to make a niche for the [grill] in summer.”
Kitchen: Bulthaup; cooktop and ovens: Gaggenau
The blending of inside and out is accomplished through large, vertical openings that make you feel like you’re in the trees. The large window sills create a studio workshop feel. The windows overlook historic Nîmes — the house faces the Carré d’Art multimedia library and museum of contemporary art, designed by Norman Foster.
Chairs: Magis; table: Saarinen, Knoll; pendant: Random light, Moooi
Chairs: Magis; table: Saarinen, Knoll; pendant: Random light, Moooi
The master bedroom is on the lower level. Régis made the natural oak panels himself and created a headboard 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 generous and discreet storage space.
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 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,” Sophie says. 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,” she says. “Light enters the hallway through six Velux skylights that ventilate the story in hot weather and close automatically when it starts to rain,” thanks to a sensor. The yellow ceiling continues down the entire hallway, warming the rooms with a slightly tinted light.
“A sandblasted window in one of the bedrooms enables it to open to both sides,” she says. “Light enters the hallway through six Velux skylights that ventilate the story in hot weather and close automatically when it starts to rain,” thanks to a sensor. The yellow ceiling continues down the entire hallway, warming the rooms with a slightly tinted light.
The adjoining white bathroom bursts with natural light. A round mirror gives the bathroom a boat cabin feel.
Bathroom furniture and mirrors: Kartell by Laufen
Bathroom furniture and mirrors: Kartell by Laufen
The apartment’s crowning glory is the upstairs terrace that extends to a swimming pool.
“The terrace [and its glass wall] allows the sunlight on the patio [below] to remain unobscured,” Sophie says. “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.”
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House at a Glance
Who lives here: Architect Sophie Roulle; her husband, Régis, a carpenter; and their children, Jeanne, 15, Margot, 19, and Jules, 14
Location: Nîmes, France
Size: About 2,300 square feet (220 square meters); five bedrooms, three 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,” Sophie says. “Régis installed the windows and the woodwork and put in a floor under the tiles for leveling purposes, and he also installed the structural frames. We really participated in the realization of this project that was so close to our hearts.”