Maison TO Anchors a Mountain-to-Sea Retreat with Local Stone in Corsica
Maison TO sits in Sari-Solenzara, France, within the small hamlet of Togna between the sea and the mountains. Designed by Isabelle Berthet Bondet, the house draws on the rugged typology of traditional sheepfolds while leaning into a contemporary stance. Broad timber decks, local stone walls, and a suspended pool pull the landscape into daily life and push living outdoors for much of the year.
Stone catches the sun as the day lifts over the scrubland, the sea flickering beyond. From approach, walls of local stone and bands of timber hold the slope and pitch the eye toward the Aiguilles de Bavella.
This is a 180 m² (1,938 sq ft) house by Isabelle Berthet Bondet in the hamlet of Togna, set between mountain and coast. The project draws on rural sheepfolds and grounds the home with local stone while expanding daily life outward through more than 200 m² (2,153 sq ft) of wooden terraces. Context drives every move—buildings pulled low, materials drawn from the site, and outdoor rooms tuned to sun, shade, and view.
Stone Walls, Scrubland
Clad in local stone, the volumes read as part of the terrain, their texture catching shadow through the day. The masonry does more than recall tradition: it visually anchors the home against wind and glare while echoing nearby shepherd structures. Narrow openings and black aluminum frames punch the walls with crisp edges, admitting controlled light and cross-breezes. Nothing shouts; it sits and holds.
Terraces Meet Landscape
Wide timber decks wrap the house and extend the living areas, turning thresholds into long, usable edges. The wooden terraces—over 200 m² (2,153 sq ft)—act as outdoor rooms that slide from sun to shade under pergolas and arbors, making the most of the diurnal swing. Planters filled with immortelle thread the native scrubland back toward the walls, merging garden and maquis in a single, low-water layer. Daily life steps outside.
A Pool Frames Peaks
A suspended infinity pool draws a taut line against the horizon and fixes the view toward the Aiguilles de Bavella. Water skims the edge and doubles the sky, setting a calm datum for gatherings at dusk and quiet mornings alike. By projecting out, the pool keeps the eye moving across sea-to-mountain distances without visual clutter. It’s a hinge between architecture and panorama.
Interior Light and Shade
Inside, rooms pivot around a recessed living area and a four-sided fireplace that centers circulation and conversation. Dark slate flooring grounds the interior, while black aluminum joinery, walnut, and Douglas fir sharpen contrast and absorb glare so daylight can sculpt surfaces. A palette of khaki, hazelnut brown, laurel, and wine red deepens the intimate mood and softens the shift from exterior brightness to interior calm. The effect is quiet and deliberate.
Tradition Made Light
Sheepfold inspiration guides massing and material, yet the arrangement stays open to breezes and long views. Pergolas temper the sun, arbors pattern shade, and openings line up to hold sightlines to water and peaks. The house keeps roots in place—stone, timber, earth—while its terraces and pool lend a certain lift to daily routine. Grounded, then open.
By late afternoon, the stone folds into warm shadow and the pool lifts the last light. Terraces carry evening air across timber and leaf, and the mountains hold their silhouette. The house answers the site with restraint and clarity.
Photography courtesy of Isabelle Berthet Bondet
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