RAUM transforms an introverted holiday retreat in Brittany into a main residence embraced by a gardenDuring the Covid-19 pandemic, millions of families worldwide were quarantined indoors; the joy of gathering suddenly inaccessible. For RAUMs clients, who lived in the city, it became apparent in this period of enforced lockdowns and restrictions that frequent access to family and nature was both important and desirable. They commissioned the Nantes-based practice to transform their former holiday home in Quiberon, a small peninsular town in Morbihan, in the south of Brittany, into a main residence.Like its neighbours, which feature traditional stone walls, slate roofs and modestly sized apertures, the house is unassuming upon approach. While the street facade remains mostly untouched, a long wing with full-height glazed walls sits at the back of the house, perpendicular to the existing structure. The renovation retains the original character and inherent introversion of the old house, explains RAUM co-founder Julien Perraud, and its extension is instead totally open to the garden. This connection between living space and landscape is the crux of the design intent. Despite the architects aim to radically modify the house with the extension, its architecture still pays homage to the Breton vernacular, boasting a heavy pitched slate roof which mimics the existing volume. Having worked in Brittany for many years, RAUM prides itself on collaborating with local craftsmen. Working with specialist slate roofers, as they did for the swimming pool in Saint-Men-Le-Grand, the architects see the new roof as an outward celebration of local craft.Making use of the different environments offered by the existing structure and extension, the architects have created a playful spatial sequence within. The more intimate spaces (five bedrooms and three bathrooms), are nestled at the front of the house, using the thermal mass and built-in privacy of the stone walls. They are connected by a modest sitting room, just behind the former front door, and an elegant brushed-metal spiral staircase. A new opening at the back of this room draws attention to the rear of the house, bathed in natural light. A book-filled corridor leads to the kitchen at the heart of the reworked ground floor, it nurtures the owners love for cooking and to the expansive living and dining space, enclosed on three sides by full-height glazed walls that frame a maturing garden. Throughout the extensions interior, RAUM have used dark wood and neutral tones, inviting the eye to look out into the landscape. Perraud explains the stained pine of the ceiling, columns and fittings provides continuity with the slate monolith roof, emphasising its heaviness while contrasting with the large openings. Although the extension is open and airy, the floor-to-ceiling height is the same as in the existing building. The dark ceiling that hangs over the living space helps to retain a sense of intimacy.The garden itself, co-designed with landscape designers Coache-Lacaille, hugs the extension with meandering pockets of lush vegetation, fulfilling the clients desire to have a more intimate connection to nature in their everyday. The living room, the most used space of the home, is pulled as deeply into the garden as permitted by local planning constraints. The large sliding glass doors provide immediate access to the outdoors, ideal for summer barbecues and family gatherings: a cherished, post-Covid luxury.