Beyond THE PINES

Sophie and Stephane Thounens have transformed a ruined farmhouse deep in the forest into a serene haven filled with French country antiques

- DOMINIQUE CORLETT

The living room was originally a stable with a hay barn above. The first floor was removed to provide a double-height ceiling and the open east and south walls of the hay barn were glazed to allow in maximum light. Sophie had the antique chair and footstool covered in a Scottish tartan, which she has done with other chairs around the house. The columns by the door came from a church in eastern France. All the paintings were sourced by Sophie through her job as an antiques dealer. 

If you want to breathe new life into a dilapidated, old building, it helps to have a ready supply of everything you need at your fingertips. For Sophie Thounens, an antiques dealer from Bordeaux, the constant flow into her hands of farmhouse tables, reclaimed floorboards, old shutters, country furniture and endless paintings gave her and her husband Stephane the confidence to take on a project that most would have baulked at.

The result of their hard work can be found in the peaceful marshlands of the Forest of Gascogne, south of Bordeaux, surrounded by shady pine forests. Here they have created an enchanting, modern rustic home that celebrates natural materials and the building's origins as a farmhouse, without skimping on the comfort or serene aesthetics that the couple favour.

The once-abandoned farmhouse in the Forest of Gascogne is now a comfortable family home retaining and celebrating the original rustic features.

The property is one of a group of four houses and numerous outbuildings, that at one time formed a farm commune, and has been in Stephane's family for many years. It is set in a large meadow planted with oak trees and surrounded beyond by 200 hectares of pines. This marshy region, Sophie explains, was drained by Napoleon III in the 19th century and was used for sheep farming. Pines were planted as they were the only trees that would grow on the poor soil.