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Ideas for Home

House La Grange Rouge / Sverre Larsen / France

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Modern red glass house with open layout, surrounded by green plantings and trees, showcasing contemporary architecture and innovative design for outdoor relaxation

Rural Culture Revisited

La Grange Rouge is a modern interpretation of the traditional French rural barn (grange) in the Dordogne region. Designed by architect Sverre Larsen, the house retains characteristic features of stone walls and wooden construction, while introducing an elegant minimalist interior, extensive glazing, and a strong connection to the landscape. The reddish tones of the red clay brick used in construction earned the house its name — "rouge" (red) — and became the foundation of a modern architectural identity inspired by the terroir.

The building is primarily constructed from local stone, wood, and glass, allowing the old and new to blend into a harmonious whole while respecting context and standing out with its contemporary presence.

House La Grange Rouge, photographer Sverre Larsen — corner facade in the Dordogne region, FrancePhoto © Sverre LarsenHouse La Grange Rouge, photographer Sverre Larsen — front facade in the Dordogne region, FrancePhoto © Sverre LarsenHouse La Grange Rouge, photographer Sverre Larsen — covered terrace in the Dordogne region, FrancePhoto © Sverre LarsenHouse La Grange Rouge, photographer Sverre Larsen — distant view in the Dordogne region, FrancePhoto © Sverre Larsen

Spatial Organization and Design

The building's layout is built around a central volume, accompanied by wings housing living, sleeping, and service areas. The volume is oriented toward views of the landscape while maintaining a calm inner focus in certain parts.

The two-level hall with a mezzanine serves as the central element of space. From here, a thoughtfully designed movement system leads to private zones, kitchen, and terraces. Internal and external transitions are softly framed by projections and covered balconies that shape the facades.

The majority of the original barn structure is preserved: stone walls, load-bearing wooden beams, and a roof. Within this framework, new clean volumes, glass connections, and minimalist finishes allow the old structure to speak for itself.

House La Grange Rouge, photographer Sverre Larsen — rear view in the Dordogne region, FrancePhoto © Sverre LarsenHouse La Grange Rouge, photographer Sverre Larsen — front facade (daytime) in the Dordogne region, FrancePhoto © Sverre LarsenHouse La Grange Rouge, photographer Sverre Larsen — night view in the Dordogne region, FrancePhoto © Sverre LarsenHouse La Grange Rouge, photographer Sverre Larsen — living room in the Dordogne region, FrancePhoto © Sverre LarsenHouse La Grange Rouge, photographer Sverre Larsen — dining room in the Dordogne region, FrancePhoto © Sverre LarsenHouse La Grange Rouge, photographer Sverre Larsen — kitchen in the Dordogne region, FrancePhoto © Sverre Larsen

Materials and Expression

The material palette of House La Grange Rouge is rooted in the region:

  • Local stone used for facades, walls and fencing elements
  • Wooden beams and rafters restored and extended
  • Slate roofing reused and repaired with new materials of matching character
  • Large glazed sections connect terraces with interior spaces
  • Interior finishes: polished concrete screed, white plaster layer, oak floors contrast with rough stone, highlighting texture and light

Where the stone is coarse and solid, glass and wood bring lightness. This contrast underscores the building's dual identity as both relic and modern home.

House La Grange Rouge, photographer Sverre Larsen — facade corner detail in the Dordogne region, FrancePhoto © Sverre LarsenHouse La Grange Rouge, photographer Sverre Larsen — window detail at sunset in the Dordogne region, FrancePhoto © Sverre LarsenHouse La Grange Rouge, photographer Sverre Larsen — aerial view in the Dordogne region, FrancePhoto © Sverre LarsenHouse La Grange Rouge, photographer Sverre Larsen — wide facade view in the Dordogne region, FrancePhoto © Sverre Larsen

Lighting, Views and Atmosphere

Light filters through large vertical windows and narrow slits in stone walls. The two-level space encompasses the sky above the ridge, while lower wings catch morning and evening sun. In twilight, warm red brick tones softly illuminate the building, bringing it to life in its rural setting.

Terraces are deliberately hidden to observe and frame views—spring meadows, wooded hills, horizons. Through these carefully composed vistas, the house becomes part of the landscape rather than a separate element.

House La Grange Rouge, photographer Sverre Larsen — distant landscape view in the Dordogne region, FrancePhoto © Sverre LarsenHouse La Grange Rouge, photographer Sverre Larsen — site context in the Dordogne region, FrancePhoto © Sverre LarsenHouse La Grange Rouge, photographer Sverre Larsen — dining room on terrace in the Dordogne region, FrancePhoto © Sverre LarsenHouse La Grange Rouge, photographer Sverre Larsen — dining room on facade in the Dordogne region, FrancePhoto © Sverre LarsenHouse La Grange Rouge, photographer Sverre Larsen — core of dining room in the Dordogne region, FrancePhoto © Sverre LarsenHouse La Grange Rouge, photographer Sverre Larsen — dining room at golden hour in the Dordogne region, FrancePhoto © Sverre LarsenHouse La Grange Rouge, photographer Sverre Larsen — gable detail in the Dordogne region, FrancePhoto © Sverre LarsenHouse La Grange Rouge, photographer Sverre Larsen — window reflection in the Dordogne region, FrancePhoto © Sverre LarsenHouse La Grange Rouge, photographer Sverre Larsen — site context from the air in the Dordogne region, FrancePhoto © Sverre LarsenHouse La Grange Rouge, photographer Sverre Larsen — distant facade in the Dordogne region, FrancePhoto © Sverre LarsenHouse La Grange Rouge, photographer Sverre Larsen — panoramic view in the Dordogne region, FrancePhoto © Sverre LarsenHouse La Grange Rouge, photographer Sverre Larsen — site context in the Dordogne region, FrancePhoto © Sverre LarsenHouse La Grange Rouge, photographer Sverre Larsen — veranda structure in the Dordogne region, FrancePhoto © Sverre LarsenHouse La Grange Rouge, photographer Sverre Larsen — gable structure in the Dordogne region, FrancePhoto © Sverre LarsenHouse La Grange Rouge, photographer Sverre Larsen — dining room axis in the Dordogne region, FrancePhoto © Sverre LarsenHouse La Grange Rouge, photographer Sverre Larsen — dining room at sunset in the Dordogne region, FrancePhoto © Sverre Larsen

Coordinated Revival of Rural Culture

The project "House La Grange Rouge / Sverre Larsen / France" makes architecture a bridge between past and present. The building does not destroy the old barn but revives it—adapting it for modern living while strengthening its memory and material presence.

The result is a house that is simultaneously expressive and modest, rooted in stone yet open to the landscape, eternal in gesture but precise in intention.

House La Grange Rouge, photographer Sverre Larsen — landscape at sunset in the Dordogne region, FrancePhoto © Sverre LarsenHouse La Grange Rouge, photographer Sverre Larsen — entrance bench detail in the Dordogne region, FrancePhoto © Sverre LarsenHouse La Grange Rouge, photographer Sverre Larsen — veranda bench detail in the Dordogne region, FrancePhoto © Sverre LarsenHouse La Grange Rouge, photographer Sverre Larsen — play of light and shadow inside in the Dordogne region, FrancePhoto © Sverre LarsenHouse La Grange Rouge, photographer Sverre Larsen — geometry of light inside in the Dordogne region, FrancePhoto © Sverre LarsenHouse La Grange Rouge, photographer Sverre Larsen — entrance perspective in the Dordogne region, FrancePhoto © Sverre Larsen

Plans

House La Grange Rouge, photographer Sverre Larsen — exploded axonometric drawing in the Dordogne region, FrancePlans © KKROM ServicesHouse La Grange Rouge, photographer Sverre Larsen — floor plan in the Dordogne region, FrancePlans © KKROM ServicesHouse La Grange Rouge, photographer Sverre Larsen — section and facade in the Dordogne region, FrancePlans © KKROM ServicesHouse La Grange Rouge, photographer Sverre Larsen — site plan top view in the Dordogne region, FrancePlans © KKROM Services