Bordeaux is full of curiosities. Majestic monuments, iconic squares… and sometimes tiny treasures you barely notice if you don't look up. Among them is the smallest house in Bordeaux, a tiny house as discreet as it is unusual that has intrigued passers-by for years.
A house… the size of a living room (and a small one!)
Head to the Nansouty neighbourhood, at the corner of rue Malbec and rue Cadaujac. That is where you'll find this triangular building holding a fairly surprising record: it measures only around 12 sq m in total, spread over three levels.
In detail:
- about 5 sq m of living space on the ground floor,
- a basement of about 2.5 sq m,
- a small upper floor accessed by a ladder.
Needless to say, every centimetre counts here. Its triangular shape makes the space even tighter than it looks from the street. A real architectural feat to picture living there… and yet, someone did.
A cobbler really lived here (true story!)
This tiny house dates from around 1870, and has barely been altered since. For decades, a cobbler lived and worked there, until the 1950s. Fairly fascinating proof that this minuscule space really was liveable, even if you can easily picture the daily challenges of such a cramped volume.
In 2008, the house was bought by Bordeaux architect Nicolas Jeantaud.
For him, this quirky building is above all an architectural challenge: how to turn a few triangular square metres into a functional space?
Several ideas were considered:
- an optimised micro-home,
- or a small architecture practice.
For now, the house is still under works and keeps fuelling the curiosity of local passers-by.
A Bordeaux curiosity gone viral
Today, this tiny house has become something of a Bordeaux urban legend. Residents often show it to visiting friends, and social media has turned it into an offbeat spot regularly photographed. Because deep down, it sums up the spirit of Bordeaux:
a city full of history, character… and sometimes surprises tucked away in street corners.
