Restoration STORY

Moniek and Bram Drexhage took an ambitious approach when they restored a crumbling old mill house

- JULIET BENNING

HOME TRUTHS

THE PROPERTY Renovated mill house

LOCATION France

ROOMS Sitting room, dining room, two kitchens, utility room, two cloakrooms, eight bedrooms (five en suite), bathroom

PURCHASED 2016

OTHER PROPERTY ‘Our main home is located on the outskirts of Amsterdam,’ says Moniek.

Touring the expansive rural landscape of southwest France in their beaten-up Citroën Méhari, Moniek and Bram Drexhage always had their eyes open for opportunities. Both admirers of the French lifestyle, the pair, who live in Amsterdam, first bought a holiday home in the Quercy region in 2002. Situated between Bordeaux and Toulouse, just south of the Dordogne, the area is known for its sunflower fields, streams and meadows. ‘We have loved this region for many years. The landscape is unspoilt with green hills, cypresses, fruit trees and bastide villages. It is sometimes called the Tuscany of France,’ says Bram. ‘The inhabitants are known as the happiest people in France and they are so friendly.’