Samois-sur-Seine, Île-de-France 77920

A holiday retreat with Louisianan accents, along the banks of the Seine, near Fontainebleau. Built in 1934 and overlooking the Seine River Valley, the house, perched up in the heights of the village and only a few steps away from local shops as well as the forest, was reportedly purchased for the World's Fair in Paris. Clad entirely in white wood, its colonial style, reminiscent of the kinds of houses found in Louisiana, breaks with the traditional, local architecture, while its wooden framework creates a simple and welcoming structure. Accessible from a small lane set back from the street, which leads to the house's front door, the property includes two covered parking spaces and an enclosed garage for vehicles as well as a small outbuilding. As for the house itself, with a faade cadenced by a porch and a walkway spanning its entire length, it faces east-west and is flooded in light thanks to its many windows, while, on the other side, facing the garden, another expansive porch is extended by an immense patio overlooking the swimming pool and providing glimpses, through the tall trees, of the Seine below. Originally with just one level, the dwelling was expanded on this side underneath the patio with a garden level clad in ashlar stone, including three new rooms with wide, semi-circular picture windows as well as direct access to the swimming pool and garden. In addition, two staircases frame the extension on either side and provide access to the upper patio.