Jun 24

Jun 24 Dirty, pretty things

Shop the House, Tour the House, Projects, Barfleur and the Cotentin

Since completing the repointing of Nettie’s exterior, she’s been attracting a great deal of attention. It’s amazing that this wonderful house, that no-one realised was there because of her drab looks, has emerged from her cocoon like a butterfly.

I’ve had a lot of interest too from people wanting to know about lime mortar; where to find it, how to mix it, how to apply it.

It’s great that artisanal methods are making a comeback – it’s no mystery that the traditional ways of building are better when renovating old houses, though I also love modern things like underfloor heating, double glazing and good insulation.

In the past few weeks, now that her exterior is largely complete, Stéphane has been able to start work on first fix plumbing, and the next stage is the breaking up of the external courtyard so that cables and pipework can be laid, and the old lead plumbing removed.

Stéphane discusses the finer points of plumbing with the gentleman from Veolia

The ground floor has now been completely excavated down to bare earth and dirt is everywhere. I can understand why people baulk at whole-house renovations – you need a fair bit of imagination to see how the spaces could look, as well as coping with the mess, the damp, the cobwebs and the smell. I find it exciting, but it’s not a universal response!

We're below ground level now on the rez-de-chaussée

New windows have been ordered, although these won’t be ready until la rentrée – when the children return to school in September. Pretty much the whole of France shuts down during July and August so that workers can take their annual break. It’s a good tradition – better in my view than the enforced jollity of Christmas, when the weather doesn’t make for the best of family holidays.

This weekend, there’s been a carnival atmosphere on the quay, with clear blue skies and a car boot sale. Families are milling around, there are roast chickens, sausages and lamb on a spit to sustain the browsing shoppers. Patrons at the local cafés spill out of the terraces onto the street, and watch the comings and goings sipping beers and colourful cocktails.

At the stalls that line the quay and snake up towards the town, you can find vibrant glassware, trophies and medals, antique sculptures and paintings, fine vintage linens and mid-century furniture alongside fishing tackle, garden implements and the usual bric-a-brac. It’s a heady mix of pure junk, useful or beautiful treasures and carefully curated kitsch.

At a stall selling turn of the century glassware, I bought a pretty little mirror for Nettie, dans son jus, as they say here – the literal translation of which is “in its own sauce”, or “as you find it”.

Nettie’s also been described that way, and it’s cool by me.

I love her “jus”, the old, roughly hewn walls, crumbling mortar, flaking timbers, mid-century lino and the quaintly printed fabrics I found in the furniture left behind by previous owners.

She’s small and perfectly formed, and there’s nothing about her that can’t be fixed. Not changed, but just mended, polished, sanded, and, where strictly necessary, clothed in more modern materials that will transform her in into the beautiful 21st century house she was longing to be.

Terrazzo to die for from Diespeker & Co in London RD048

In the meantime, and for a bit of light relief from the dirt and gloom, and to complement the planned yellow, orange, copper and green colour scheme, I've picked out some resin terrazzo for her kitchen island, and a rose has arrived from David Austin Roses in England to climb around her door – Crown Princess Margarethe – a princess, for a princess.