I adore the simple style of Quercy architecture, for example, the souillarde. Let's find out what it is and why I hope to have one in my forever home.

PASSION • CREATIVITY • INSPIRATION   Souillarde | noun: French a scullery or pantry, a typical Quercy kitchen where food was prepared   I'll take a souillarde - think a pantry with a sink tucked in a stone alcove - over a fitted kitchen any day. I know that sounds blasphemous but perhaps I can woo you to my side with a few images and a bit of French history. We need to travel to southwest France to the region of Quercy and take a peek inside 18th-century stone farmhouses. Unfortunately, shortsighted remodels have made the number of souillardes still intact rare. I'm determined to find one, waiting to be loved and returned to service providing water again to wash one's hands and clean up the dishes. There is something special about the story these ancient architectural elements tell that cannot be matched by an expensive Bosch dishwasher. For me, one of the first questions I ask a real estate broker is, "Does it still have its souillarde?" This kitchen is my perfect find. I love that the souillarde to the left in the niche, the traditional fireplace or cantou in the center, and the ancient potager or wood stove to simmer soups on the far right are all still there even after three centuries. (Yes. A potager is also a vegetable garden but the French word gets double duty here.) A good clean and polish and I'd make that space work. Unfortunately, this property has since sold. This is the souillarde in the kitchen of Château Cayla. It is a traditional regional manor house and is currently a museum open to tours. It sits on 40 hectares and is an organic, working farm. It captures the simple life in rural southwest France. Can't you just hear the stories this place is telling? Une souillarde can range in size from a long arched hallway to a simple niche in the wall. While you might not add running water to the space, it can serve as a tiny library, a place to store dry goods in ancient crockery and jars or provide a space of honor for a treasured Madonna or Buddha. In the southwest region of France known as the Occitanie, farming and sheep rearing has long been the prevalent lifestyle. Here, dotted along the countryside you will find a collection of small stone cottages and barns. The farmstead was called the métairie, a house with small naves or alcoves off a larger main room. The roofs often have a high pitch to allow for an attic granary for drying and storing nuts and are covered in clay tiles with a gable facade. The dovecote is attached to one side of the house. (Doves were preferred more than chickens in this region.) The entrance porch or estandad, takes advantage of the morning sun. Inside its main room, you find the souillarde, a place for a large table and chairs, and a sleeping nook made of wood tucked next to the large traditional cantou or walk-in fireplace.  Those who have been following mine and Tim's house hunt will remember this beautiful property from last year. It was love at first sight with this 18th-century hamlet just outside the picturesque village of Cajarc in the department of Lot. I barely had to do a thing with the main house. Sure, lots of folks might come in and want to "modernize." But I adored all of its historical details and quirkiness. The owner was an artist and you can tell that she loved the house and respected the stories within. Alas, I tried twice to buy it but always seemed to be just a day or two short of getting in front of another buyer. It wasn't meant to be. But I am searching hard for her twin. It's good to know what you want. You can also find an ancient Quercy stone sink not tucked into an alcove. Rather, it will have its place of prominence along the wall of the main room. Above the sink on the stone ledge, you would have found a clay pitcher or bowl filled with water. You would pour the water on the lipped ledge and it would find its way slowly through a small hole to the stone basin. You could wash your hands or dishes in the stream of water. Then, a small hole in the basin led to a slopped stone trough that took the water out the exterior wall. Voilà! An 18th-century "running" water sink. With a working visa in hand, I am now ready to find home and navigate the French banking system for a small mortgage. It will mean a lot more paperwork and waiting with fingers crossed but I'm prepared. I have been searching for a long time and I'm ready for the perfect little Quercy farmhouse to show herself. Une souillarde is not a must-have on my househunting list but I sure would enjoy this rare historical element every single day. Once I find home, you'll be one of the first to know.   Consider adding a bit of history to your home. Door knobs, a stone sink, even old shutter dogs provide a little architectural story. À bientôt mon amie, Karen      If you know of anyone who would enjoy my Weekly Voilà, please feel free to share this email. Just click here. Merci beaucoup!