Contemporary properties in Greater Bordeaux

In Bordeaux and its surrounding region, where the market is already very lively, the sector for contemporary properties is seeing particularly strong demand. What are these properties really like ? What do they cost ? Who acquires them? And where are they to be found ?…

Clément Kaufmann is the director of the Espaces Atypiques Bordeaux agency, member of a network with 12 addresses in France specializing in contemporary properties (lofts, workshops, duplexes, penthouses, modern renovations, houses designed by architects…). His agency covers all of the Gironde as far as the Bassin d’Arcachon. In his opinion, three types of contemporary properties are to be found in Bordeaux and its surrounding area : “Firstly, there are classic homes restructured in contemporary style by architects, ie. apartments that have been totally redesigned, with walls knocked down, redecorated, and “échoppes” benefiting from extensions or an extra floor, whose interiors have been completely revamped. They are dotted around everywhere, though especially in the Golden Triangle, the residential neighbourhoods of Fondaudège, Saint-Seurin or Jardin Public, and the Caudéran/Le Bouscat area”. One then comes across former wine cellars transformed into lofts : “Many of them in Les Chartrons for historic reasons. The interiors of these properties have been completely rehabilitated, using modern materials such as metal and glass”. Finally, houses designed by architects with flat roofs are mostly available outside Metropolitan Bordeaux, where larger plots of land are available. “The contemporary style has become very important for people living in Bordeaux, and is winning over a considerable number of Parisians. Today, it is highly sought-after and often a case of love at first sight on the part of demanding clients prepared to pay the price, as these properties belong to the top end of the market.” By way of example, the agency recently sold an “échoppe” of 130 m2, renovated by an architect, with a wooden terrace and swimming pool, in the Bastide neighbourhood, at the asking price of 420,000 €.

Cédric Fourteau is the founder of Ateliers, Lofts & Associés in Bordeaux, Arcachon and Biarritz (with a 4th agency in Paris), a network specializing in the sale of lofts, architect-designed houses, rehabilitated warehouses and other properties offering spectacular volumes and/or original architecture. “Benefiting from innovative, high-quality building materials and often of very sound construction overall, contemporary properties may well be among the most expensive on the market in Bordeaux. A completely restructured apartment in Les Chartrons will cost, for example, from 4,000 to 5,000 € per sq. metre.” Yet he also points to high demand : “These properties used to appeal mainly to a discerning clientele in search of unusual homes. They are now very popular among all kinds of buyers, and the trend is catching on. Supply is, in fact, on the rise, thanks to a growing number of architects focusing on audacity not only for the interiors, but also the exteriors of such properties : they are inventing new designs and revolutionizing our way of living. Around Bordeaux, but also in Les Chartrons and close to the Barrières, ambitious and decidedly contemporary projects are rising from the ground. In the centre as well as in residential neighbourhoods, old and modern blend together harmoniously. The lofty rooms of 18th-C. and 19th-C. apartments have been totally restructured, and former wine cellars and workshops have been transformed, occasionally even as far as their façades, to provide comfortable homes, tasteful and surprising. Not forgetting “échoppes”, in which architects can easily give free rein to their imagination”. One stone “échoppe”, for example, fully rehabilitated, with a contemporary extension (giving total living space of 200 m2), a small garden and swimming pool, recently sold in Les Chartrons for 3,800 € per sqm.

Rachid Bouabane-Schmitt is the founder and owner of Coldwell Banker Bordeaux Premium, an exclusive agency in the international Coldwell Banker network - specializing in prestige real estate, with 4,000 agencies worldwide - in the Gironde (except for the Bassin d’Arcachon), which is also developing the region of the Dordogne thanks to a branch in Bergerac. His portfolio contains very beautiful old properties renovated in contemporary style, especially in Les Chartrons : “These properties have benefited not only from substantial investments in building materials and appointments, but also from the enhancement of fine historic features. Parquet floors have been restored, together with fireplaces, beams, mouldings, doors and windows with wooden frames, walls stripped down to expose old stone. Which all results in comfortable homes offering stylishness, high-quality fixtures and fittings, frequently including home automation and offering high energy savings”. Confirming the vitality of this particular market, highly-prized by the agency’s clientele - Parisians, French ex-pats and foreign buyers -, Rachid Bouabane-Schmitt says that prices are close on 5,000 € per sqm. “For example, on the Quais des Chartrons, a magnificent through apartment of over 110 m2 with four main rooms, recently renovated throughout, is on offer at 577,500 €.” He is also currently handling the sale of another type of contemporary property, which will certainly leave no-one indifferent : a superb house of 450 m2 designed by an architect, in a 5-acre park in Bouliac. “To be credited to Michel Pétuaud-Létang, the great living architect from Bordeaux, and priced at 1,950,000 €.”

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