A tiny stone cottage brought back to life in Normandy | Franklin Azzi

This small vacation house overlooks the seaside town of Yport in Normandy. It was created from the remnants of an old stone and brick hunting cabin. The walls of the old structure were restored but everything else is new. Franklin Azzi Architecture designed the restoration, adding space to the small cottage with a wood-clad addition at the rear. The light wood tones of the addition match the colors of the stone and mortar, nicely blending the new with the old.

With only 18 m² (194 ft²) on the ground floor of the old cottage, the 13 m² (140 ft²) addition provides the needed space for a full kitchen. That left the original cottage to be used for a combined living and dining room.

Wing-like extensions at either side of the cottage provide covered patio areas below and open decks above. The covered patios expand the living area and serve as a transition space between inside and outside, with glass doors allowing for easy flow between the two. The under-deck areas were also designed to be turned into temporary guest rooms by enclosing them with removable canvas walls.

Access to the upstairs bedroom is via the outside stairs going up to one of the upper decks. There is no inside stair, but there is a ladder and trapdoor in case of bad weather. The bedroom is a cozy space tucked under the roof of the original cottage, with several skylights and a dormer keeping it bright. The bathroom in the roofspace of the addition has two large skylights of its own.

To save space in the cottage itself, an outside utility closet was built along the retaining wall behind the cottage. A bathroom for the ground floor was also put in a separate little building to the side of the cottage.

Enjoy the photos and have a terrific weekend!

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Images courtesy of Franklin Azzi Architecture.

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