Video. Discovering, in Périgord, an astonishing black wooden house

AAt the end of a path that winds among the oaks, it slowly reveals itself. La Petite Maison Noire, on the heights of Valojoulx, in the heart of Périgord Noir, has just received a national prize, that of wooden construction, in the “Living in a house” category. It is Baptiste Manet, a native of the country, who is the architect. He has already built a guest house on the family property, a few hundred meters away. “The clients come from Bordeaux,” he reveals. They came to the guest house and fell in love with the area. Hence their desire to build a house here. »

A completely black house

With 80 square meters of floor space, the building is not huge, but it fits perfectly into the woods that surround it. The style is reminiscent of a Nordic chalet, with its large bay windows and its terrace which opens onto the forest. But what is most surprising is the color. The exterior of the house is completely black! “It was treated with pine tar,” explains the architect. It's a natural treatment and that's what gives the black color. » For this construction, he was also inspired by local buildings, in this case the tobacco dryers that can still be found almost everywhere in the Perigord countryside.

The building obtained this national award thanks to its low carbon footprint. It is placed on around ten posts planted in the ground. “The question of the relationship with the ground arose,” explains Baptiste Manet. The terrain being sloping, a solution had to be found. The big advantage is that we have very little impact on the ground. »

Upstairs, the space has been divided into two bedrooms and a bathroom. With portholes as windows, the place is reminiscent of boat cabins.

Nature at the heart of the project

“The owner is an interior designer,” smiles Baptiste Manet. I think she had fun with the interior design. » Heating is provided by a wood stove in the living room. Each small space has been thought out and optimized, which makes the place very cocooning and intimate.

But the big advantage of this construction is its relationship to the outside. Inside-outside, that’s what characterizes it. The oak trees overlook the terrace and the bay windows give the impression of not being inside.

This is what appealed to the jury of the competition, which has existed since 2012. For the second year, it took place in partnership with the company Fibois. “In the region, there were around a hundred projects,” underlines Christophe Prince, the Fibois representative.

Baptiste Manet is the son of Nathalie Manet-Carbonnière, the mayor of Valojoulx. For him, bringing a project to fruition in the town where it was born is important. “Of course it’s a source of pride,” he admits. But Valojoulx really has strengths. There is a fairly unique living environment, with tranquility and a lovely built heritage to discover. »

In total, this house cost its owners just over 200,000 euros.