Replacement and restoration of the woodwork of the Rousseau Hotel in Versailles

November 2024

After our work on the residence of architect Mansart de Sagonne, our exploration of 18th‑century Versailles continues with an equally emblematic project. We are honoured to be working on the Hôtel Rousseau, the former home of Jules‑Antoine Rousseau — one of the greatest sculptors and ornamentalists of King Louis XV, and a close collaborator of Mansart de Sagonne. This site places us at the heart of a dialogue between two masters of their time.

Located between Boulevard de la Reine and Rue Baillet‑Reviron, this hôtel particulier is one of the last witnesses of the Versailles typology “between courtyard and garden.” Although it has been transformed over the centuries, it retains a unique layout that once offered inhabitants a graceful transition from the street’s bustle to the intimacy of a private garden — a discreet luxury set back from the château’s activity.

Now owned by the Banque de France, which entrusted us with the project management, the building is undergoing a careful restoration of its exterior joinery. The challenge is considerable: to reconcile the preservation of a precious architectural heritage with contemporary requirements for comfort and energy performance, all while working on an occupied site.

Our intervention is based on a threefold approach:

• Exceptional materials and craftsmanship: all new joinery will be made from French oak, a noble and durable timber. Finishes will use linseed‑oil paint applied in the traditional manner, in a subtly tinted grey that reinstates the discreet elegance of the 18th century. This choice restores an authentic aesthetic while ensuring outstanding longevity.

• Preservation of authentic details: wherever possible, original period hardware will be carefully removed, restored by specialised artisans, and reinstalled. These elements, witnesses to the locksmiths’ expertise of the 18th century, are essential to preserve the soul and character of the house.

• Performance with discretion: a major technical challenge has been to integrate modern thermal performance without altering the windows’ appearance. Through precise joinery and high‑performance glazing, we will significantly improve interior comfort while preserving slim profiles and authentic sightlines, both on the courtyard and garden sides.

  
  

This project embodies our vision: to inhabit heritage is to make it live and to pass it on. In restoring the Hôtel Rousseau we do more than conserve stone and wood; we reveal the story of a more intimate, secret Versailles and sensitively adapt it to the needs of our time.

→ See historical note