Design and Inspiration

This house was designed to mix elements of traditional Provencal design with a modernist building envelope. It has resulted in an unusual house for this area due to the shape of the envelope and treatment of the design for the facades. It is much admired by the locals and considered by the builder to be one of the best designed houses he has ever built. Elements of practicality, efficiency and quality were foremost when we designed it.

The project has not been easy, namely due to the design of details such as the suspended reinforced floor slab, concrete cantilevered stairs serving a suspended mezzanine and the vaulted roof. These stretched the boundaries of using reinforced concrete. (We are grateful for the help of Jeremy Isherwood R.I.B.A. who created the design for the staircase and produced a CAD plan for us).

We have felt it important to add detail style and quality. It is always these elements that make a building special. Elements such as the south facing punctured wing wall add interest and practicality; (it shields the house from the northern Mistral wind and spills rays of morning light across the terrace). The circular south facing window (filled with glass marbles) allows broken down rays of sunlight to enter and light the house before the shutters are opened up for the day. The Marble Window gives the house it's name, "Les Agathes" (The Provencal name for marbles). Mr Ramon Lee, a mathematician, conceived the window but unfortunately died before he saw the finished article. The house is named in his memory.

We are proud of our house, we hope that you enjoy your stay here and appreciate the work that has been put into making this a relaxing and enjoyable home.