Belle Epoque

I love a project. I actually think I crave them. But every so often a house makes a convincing case for the other version of life in France — the one where you simply get to live in it. This late-19th-century Belle Époque house in Lapradelle-Puilaurens has already been renovated, but retains much of what makes it interesting: original patterned floor tiles, stained-glass windows and doors, lofty ceilings and a sweeping double staircase leading up to the principal floor. There is a sunroom with arched openings, generous reception rooms and terraces front and back, while upstairs six bedrooms are arranged across two floors. Outside, the 1,745m² grounds feel particularly well judged. There is enough garden to have cypress trees, terraces and a 12 × 5m heated pool, without acquiring the sort of estate that becomes a project in its own right. And then there is the setting. Puilaurens Castle rises above the village, with the Corbières stretching beyond. I’m still very much a project person. But I can see the pleasure in buying the house after the hard work has already been done.