Two years of intensive work
Since May 2023, the estate has undergone a deep transformation: renovation of the buildings, creation of the guest areas, improvement of the accommodation and gradual installation of outdoor facilities.
Our story
The story of the estate: a patient, family-led and very concrete renovation
Les Secrets de la Nature did not appear out of nowhere overnight. It is an estate that was taken over, transformed and gradually brought back to life, with a great deal of work, daily presence on site and the desire to create a simple, warm and sustainable place.
Since 2023
A renovation project rooted in the heart of the Périgord Vert
We bought the estate in 2023 and received the keys on 15 May 2023. From that moment, a period of nearly two years of intensive work began, carried out day after day to make the place liveable, welcoming and coherent with the way we want to live and host guests.
For a large part of this period, we lived on site in the mobile home that is now offered for rental. This allowed us to stay as close as possible to the work, move forward every day and develop the estate step by step, while already building its spirit of welcome.
The work was not limited to the buildings. When we arrived, a large part of the estate was mainly a regularly mown meadow. Since then, we have planted around 200 trees, including around sixty fruit trees, to gradually bring back depth, shade, biodiversity and a genuine food-producing dimension to the place.
Vegetable garden & orchard
Growing abundance, not just mowing a meadow
Since our arrival, the estate has also changed through what grows here. We have planted around 200 trees, including about sixty fruit trees, to recreate shade, biodiversity and a real food-producing landscape. The idea is to gradually develop a living, generous and useful place, not just something decorative.
The orchard includes apple trees, cherry trees, pear trees, plum trees, peach trees, fig trees, almond trees, hazelnut trees, walnut trees and nashi pears. We are also developing the vegetable garden in a permaculture spirit, with strawberries, raspberries, courgettes, cucumbers, peppers, aubergines, sweet potatoes, melons, watermelons and a wide diversity of tomatoes: cherry tomatoes, pineapple tomatoes, beef heart, Black Krim, heirloom tomatoes, and tomatoes of different colours and sizes.
Depending on the season, these harvests can supply the table d’hôtes, group meals or the small vegetable baskets offered to guests.
Materials and approach
Renovating while keeping the soul of the place
The idea was never to completely smooth out the estate, but to preserve what gives it its identity: the stone walls, the volumes, the way people move through the spaces and the rural character of the site. We have tried to value what already existed, while greatly improving comfort and the way the spaces are used.
Whenever possible, we favoured renovation with ecological materials: stone, wood, straw insulation, natural renders and simple, robust and coherent construction choices. This approach reflects the spirit of the estate: a living, rooted, warm place close to nature.
The renovation in pictures
A few stages in the transformation of the estate
Timber framing, openings, insulation, interior volumes, life on the building site and the first images of the result: these photos give a concrete glimpse of how far the place has come.
Living on site during the works
Living in the mobile home during the renovation made the project very concrete. This daily presence made it possible to move quickly, test how the spaces would actually be used and think about the place from a real-life point of view, not just from a plan.
200 trees planted
The landscape of the estate is also evolving: around 200 trees have been planted since our arrival, including about sixty fruit trees. The aim is to create more shade, more life, more diversity and an even more pleasant environment for the coming years.
A project still evolving
The estate continues to evolve: the hangar still needs to be modernised, another building is intended to become a second meeting room, and the former owner’s house, dating from 1890, is still being renovated and is intended to become a three-bedroom gîte in the future.
And now?
A living estate that is still growing
Today, the estate already welcomes stays, families, groups and events, but the story does not stop there. There are still several projects to carry out, always with the same approach: improve without distorting, make the place more practical, more beautiful and more pleasant to live in.
The former owner’s house, which dates from 1890, has already begun to be renovated. A large part of the interior still needs to be completed, with the aim of turning it into a future three-bedroom gîte, if possible by the end of the year.
This page will continue to evolve with the next stages, just like the estate itself.