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Click for slideshow.
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The House Exterior
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This elegantly proportioned maison de maître was built by and for a notaire (hence "maître") of Draguignan around 1832 in the era of King Louis-Philippe. On the south side of the house, a separate modest building used in the old days to house animals on the ground floor and people above, and which may or may not pre-date the main house, has been attached to it to create ample kitchen and laundry spaces, as well as a bedroom suite above.
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The house is symmetrical in design, following the Georgian fashion of its era. This style of house is most typically found in the towns of Provence, including in Draguignan, which gives the term maison de maître the added meaning of town house. |  |
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The windows on all three floors are shuttered, as are the doors except for the front entrance. The shutters visible on the second floor façade are oval in shape, rather than rectangular, and known as oeuil de boeuf (cow's eye). |
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Outside the kitchen under a vine shaded trellis overhead, a stone-surfaced terrace with a granite-topped table and wrought iron chairs accommodate outdoor dining in the warm seasons. The swimming pool area can be viewed beyond the platanes. Adjacent to the dining terrace on a level above a boxwood hedge, a large barbecue area beckons anyone who wants to produce a meal of grilled meat or fish and vegetables. |  |
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