Tarascon, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Address available on request

A 19th-century town house to be renovated with a floor area of 280m², a patio garden and a terrace, nestled between the cities of Arles and Avignon in southern France. The dwelling is tucked away in the Saint-Nicolas district of Tarascon. It is a typical example of a traditional Provençal town house. Several generations of local merchants lived in this dwelling for a whole century.

The house was probably built not long after the French Revolution at a time when a merchant class was starting to thrive, gaining wealth from famous fairs and markets in the local region.

The facade has been entirely restored with old-style rendering on the ground floor. An even pattern of limestone blocks with pointing is left exposed on the first and second floors. Like most houses in this historical district of Tarascon, the dwelling was built with Fontvieille limestone on the remains of pre-existing Roman and medieval constructions.

Inside, the edifice has kept several original decorative features from the Middle Ages, including an even bond of stonework in the load-bearing walls, strong arched lintels above doors and intriguing vaulted passages.

Outside, on the street, the house proudly displays its large, thick shutters. These shutters, made of wood and painted, are typical of the Arlesian style and they characterise Provence's age-old craftsmanship. The shutter above the main entrance has kept its little hatch, or spy hole, which would be looked through, without the observer being noticed, to see who was knocking at the door when all the shutters were closed.

The house is nestled on a calm pedestrian street in the town centre. This road is an integral part of a symmetrical layout that offers a harmonious urban view: your gaze is drawn to a baroque theatre in a former chapel of the Order of Preachers and a small square beside it. Both were recently restored masterfully. Fine town houses stand along the main street that runs past the theatre and the square. The flagship site of a well-known firm of Provençal fabrics also lies on a nearby street. Tarascon is this firm's historical birthplace.

The dwelling's roof of old red barrel tiles has been restored. Much of the interior needs to be renovated.