A light interior for a heavy building

Location: Issor, Midi Pyrenees, France
Status: Complete

Part of a portfolio of bijou rental properties in the French Pyrenees, this project involved a comprehensive remodelling of an old stone farmhouse that dates from 1857. 

The existing low ceilings and small cellular rooms felt ungenerous despite the large volume of the stone farmhouse. 

3|10 Studio proposed connecting the ground floor to the upper levels by introducing voids at high level, to allow the life and activity at the heart of the house to be shared. 

5 double bedrooms are arranged over the three levels at the extremities of each floor plan and the structural support for the staircase landings is incorporated into a bookcase, that holds a changing array of books and curios to keep the journey interesting!

The entire project was internally insulated and a ducted, warm air heating system was connected to both the wood burning stove and to the wood-chip boiler, to amply satisfy the winter heating load for the house.