In the Pays de Fayence, in the village of Montauroux,
a house steeped in memory, open to Provençal landscapes
a house steeped in memory, open to Provençal landscapes
Montauroux,
VAR
provence-cote-dazur
83440
FR
Location
Montauroux, a hilltop village in the Var, has a history that combines Provençal heritage and agricultural traditions. Growing flowers for perfume has lastingly shaped the surrounding landscapes. This former family house occupies a distinctive position on a hillside within the village and quietly carries the memory of a cultivated landscape. From its commanding position, the house enjoys a remarkably broad panorama. Its eastern sweep runs from the Colle Noire to the Mediterranean shore and takes in the full length of the Estérel range before continuing towards the hills and horizons of the Draguignan hinterland. Cannes, Saint-Raphaël, and Grasse are around 30 minutes' drive away, and Nice airport is 1 hour by car.
Description
This substantial house, known as Jardin Bourgarel, was built between 1890 and 1892. The Bishop of Marseille blessed it in 1893, and the east elevation retains a marble plaque whose Latin inscription records the ceremony. A private passage leads from the street along the property's annexe to the main house and the garden. A path beyond the iron gate runs to the double-leaf entrance door, in carved timber, at the foot of the west facade. Trees shelter the house, which comes discreetly into view amid filtered light, stone, and foliage.
The family house occupies a central position on the village hill. It stands out for its tall, slender silhouette and light-coloured facade. Rising on three levels above the cellars, the house has windows with moulded surrounds and blue-grey louvred shutters. Its terracotta-tiled gabled roof has a dormer, also gabled, whose pediment and rendered cheeks are in keeping with the facade's ordered composition. The house has extensive land around it, laid out in successive restanques (the dry-stone terracing of Provence) that follow the natural slope of the hill. Stone walls, olive trees, Mediterranean vegetation, and once-cultivated areas create a stepped landscape beyond the property's immediate surroundings.
The family house occupies a central position on the village hill. It stands out for its tall, slender silhouette and light-coloured facade. Rising on three levels above the cellars, the house has windows with moulded surrounds and blue-grey louvred shutters. Its terracotta-tiled gabled roof has a dormer, also gabled, whose pediment and rendered cheeks are in keeping with the facade's ordered composition. The house has extensive land around it, laid out in successive restanques (the dry-stone terracing of Provence) that follow the natural slope of the hill. Stone walls, olive trees, Mediterranean vegetation, and once-cultivated areas create a stepped landscape beyond the property's immediate surroundings.
The house
The ground floorThe level is organised around an entrance hall that opens onto reception rooms and service areas. A separate sitting room adjoins the dining room, which opens off a "cellier". A corridor further on leads to a bedroom and a lavatory. The kitchen follows on from the corridor, which gives onto the garden and the house's east entrance. The level retains several period features: hexagonal terracotta floor tiles, tall windows, and ceilings edged with mouldings. A stairwell houses a turning staircase with terracotta-paved treads, a wrought-iron railing, and a timber handrail.
The first floor
This level, reached by the turning staircase, comprises four bedrooms, a study, a bathroom with lavatory, and a shower room, all opening off a central hallway. Terracotta-tiled floors continue from the level below into the bedrooms and service rooms. Period window and door frames, panelled doors, and interior shutters still affirm the house's traditional character. Several bedrooms look out over the surrounding panorama through French windows that open onto small balconies with wrought-iron guardrails.
The second floor
The attic level once housed a self-contained apartment. Its layout differs from the levels below and makes it possible to envisage an independent living area. The rooms have hexagonal terracotta floor tiles and painted window and door frames. One distinctive window catches the eye: it is set deep in the thickness of the wall and forms a splayed embrasure topped on the inside by a pointed arch. It corresponds to the gabled dormer that enlivens the roof and adds to the level's natural light.
The basement
The lower part of the house contains cellars that open directly onto the garden. They retain exposed stone walls and brick-vaulted ceilings on iron joists. These cellars were once used for storing wine and for pressing. They recall the property's agricultural roots in vine and olive growing. Former greenhouses alongside were used to propagate plants and grow on perfume-flower cuttings before planting out in the garden. Part of them has been converted into a laundry room and a drying room.
Le Cigalou
This outbuilding is separate from the main house and fitted out on two levels, with a floor area of around 40 m². The ground level has a kitchen open to the garden, followed by a living room with a wood-burning stove and a sliding door onto a terrace. It also has a shower room set partly beneath a staircase. A mezzanine bedroom upstairs is accessible by a miller's staircase with a metal guardrail. A terrace with a wrought-iron guardrail forms an outdoor extension of the interior.The garden
The grounds cover over 4,200 m² and form several distinct areas. The upper part, behind the house, retains the memory of the former vegetable garden. On the west side, next to the entrance, the surroundings are organised around the pool, beyond which lies a meadow. Below the house, the garden is laid out in successive restanques, supported by stone walls. The land has varied southern vegetation: olive trees, lime trees, plane trees, Provençal cypresses, and fruit trees (strawberry trees, jujube trees, orange trees, and lemon trees), as well as vines and various ornamental plantings.Our opinion
In Montauroux, where growing flowers for perfume long shaped the landscape and the know-how, this family house has kept the traces of a history bound to the land and to living things, and with them the memory of the scented hills of old. The garden, the cultivated areas, and the outbuildings recall a property once organised to the rhythm of the seasons and the flower harvests. This discreet memory now nurtures new prospects, whether as a large family home or as a professional project still to be imagined, in keeping with a site whose identity remains intimately tied to its surroundings.
Reference 179323
| Main building floor area | 265 m² |
| Land registry surface area | 4213 m² |
French Energy Performance Diagnosis
Information on the risks to which this property is exposed is available on the website: www.georisques.gouv.fr
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NB: The above information is not only the result of our visit to the property; it is also based on information provided by the current owner. It is by no means comprehensive or strictly accurate especially where surface areas and construction dates are concerned. We cannot, therefore, be held liable for any misrepresentation.
