On the market: 1960s Serge Binotto-designed circular property in Mirepoix, Ariege, south west France
You might not know the name of the architect, but a much bigger name looms large over this 1960s Serge Binotto-designed circular property in Mirepoix, Ariege, south west France.
The house is a fascinating one and a property we think has been on the market in the recent past in slightly different form. In fact, this French website seems to show the house in far more original form back in 2015. So a fairly recent renovation we would guess.
Well, renovation might be pushing it a little far. More on that in a moment. For now, let’s look at the house and its background.
It dates to 1969 and was the work of Serge Binotto, designing the house for his parents. Binotto might not be a household name, but his collaborator was. Serge Binotto was the assistant to iconic designer Jean Prouve, with the house said to follow the principles of the Prouve workshop.
The end result is something rather special and rather small. Interesting also that despite being ‘circular’, the house also has a defined front and back. The front looking like the missing piece from a part-eaten cake.
As we said, it looks like work has been done to the interior if you compare photos of the house in 2015 and now, which is a shame in some ways, but perhaps understandable if you want to create a habitable space for the modern era.
The house itself seems unchanged – the frontage, the exterior, the internal doors for example. But obviously the kitchen has changed (we do actually like the circular modern kitchen that’s now here), with many of the fixtures and fittings also of the present rather than the past. The windows look like modern double glazing too, with electric shutters also added by the present owner.
As for space, that’s obviously limited, but perhaps more substantial than you might at first think. All on one level, it is made up of that new kitchen area, which is open to the living room. Also present are three bedrooms, a bathroom and toilet. A south-facing terrace too, along with a separate garage, all of which is on a large garden plot covering around 2000 sq. metres.
Possibly a family home, you can imagine this place being more suited to a holiday home, especially when you see the asking price. It is on the market for €156,750.
Images and details courtesy of Un Chez Vous. For more details and to make an enquiry, please visit the website.
Huge thanks to Matt Somerville on Twitter for the tip off!
