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Inspirations

When Sophia Goigoux-Becker’s clients approached her to transform their newly acquired Normandy property La Pie (The Magpie) into a large family home, one of the main concerns was where to create their ideal kitchen and living room. Light was a definite priority, along with the desire for space and conviviality, as the couple enjoys cooking and entertaining friends. Dividing their time between Paris and Normandy, the family of four had been living in the same village for over ten years, and one of the parents had been holidaying there since childhood. Studio Becker‘s ground-floor renovation needed to respect the owners’ attachment to the region and their love of the landscape and local materials, all while brightening up some of the northern grayness with a warm palette from the south.

Originally La Pie had been a home for senior citizens, then partially converted into a holiday cottage destined to accommodate two occupancies in separate wings. By joining these together, Becker was able to convert the property for single-family use. The first step was to demolish two concrete outbuildings in order to create a generous reception area, complete with new facade, opening onto a larger garden. This enabled a rejig of the ground floor layout with the creation of a spacious kitchen, scullery, lounge, laundry room, bathroom, and office.

Let’s have a closer look at the newly completed kitchen and reception/lounge area:

Photos courtesy of Studio Becker.

formerly a small reading room separated from the main house by a partition, thi 14 — Above: Formerly a small reading room separated from the main house by a partition, this space was opened up to accommodate a larger, brighter walk-through kitchen adjacent to the reception/lounge. It enjoys a view of the front garden and a field and offers easy access to the outside dining area through a glass door.

To warm up the atmosphere, the existing sandstone floor was painted with Slaked Lime by Little Greene, and the custom-made cupboards were painted with Argile’s Sienne Calcinee, recalling the Sienne river nearby.

the new kitchen had to be created from scratch. the general idea was to keep it 15 — Above: The new kitchen had to be created from scratch. The general idea was to keep it light and airy with the look and feel of a small dining room. The round-ended cabinets were custom made to leave some breathing space between the kitchen and the window. A few handpicked works by local creatives are given pride of place on a long shelf above the worktop. In particular, photographs by Marie-Pierre Morel sit alongside contemporary ceramics by Cecile Vazeille.

Becker opted for a long line of worktops along the widest wall to leave more room to circulate, and also to hide as many appliances as possible. Coffee machines, toasters, kettles, and the like are tucked away in kitchen cabinets under a bespoke niche; the fridge is hidden under the staircase, the access to which is concealed by a secret door; and the oven has been placed in the least visible part of the room.