Montmirail, Ardennes 51210

À 1 h 15 à l'est de Paris, entre Marne et Aisne, une vaste maison de campagne rénovée avec seize chambres, ses dépendances et ses 3 400 m² de jardin. Entirely screened from view behind tall hedges, the property is fully enclosed. Set on a 'patte d'oie' - a goose-foot junction of paths - and surrounded by a gently sloping garden of around 3,400 m² planted with trees, the substantial house stands at its centre. Of its origins, probably dating to the 18th century, an imposing farmstead survives, cleverly united with later buildings. From the gate the arrangement reads as classical seen from the air, it reveals a striking star-shaped plan. The former farmer's dwelling was joined to what was originally the barn by a two-storey link clad in wide timber boards, with a glazed bay at upper-level height. Working with the contours of the ground, the south-facing arrival facade rises through three levels, including a converted upper level, with a small return wing preceded by a terrace. Its gabled roof of flat tiles is pierced by dormers and roof lights. Numerous doors open onto the various entrance halls, the kitchen, the guest bedrooms and the garage. Bedrooms are concentrated mainly at ground-floor level, alongside shared spaces and bathrooms, then distributed equally across the two upper levels, with two bathrooms on the first and a shower room on the second. Virginia creeper runs the length of both levels, framing the small-paned glazed windows and doors fitted with timber shutters. The rear elevation extends towards the garden in a long glazed wing set at a right angle, enclosing a generous terrace. This terrace gives access to a cellar, its door framed by closely clipped ivy and integrated into the landscaped surroundings. On the side, to the north, the building ranges open broadly through numerous double-glazed timber-framed windows and doors. Three large metal gates, set at different points along the garden boundary, give access to the property and to a garage - itself additional to a second garage, which together with the cellar and a woodstore completes the outbuildings.