Contemporary properties in Lyon

The market for contemporary properties offers some real treasures, modern villas but also bourgeois apartments relooked to suit today’s taste. A flourishing market which attracts a good number of buyers, mostly French, looking for year-round homes. Interview with Thomas Vantorre, director of the Barnes International Realty agencies in Lyon.

Boosted since 2016 by a considerable number of sales, the high-end property market in Lyon is seeing a spectacular boom. Contributing to this upturn, contemporary homes are meeting with real success among buyers : “Our clients are looking for houses or apartments benefiting from a full range of modern amenities (air conditioning, home automation, alarm systems…) and, whenever possible, signatures by well-known architects such as Pierre Minassian, David Burle, Thomas Vieilliard & Fascini. In this market sector, apartments ready to move in are also in growing demand,” says Thomas Vantorre. Mostly comprised of smart modern villas, this elitist market posts prices that have risen steadily over the past two years : “Desirable contemporary homes with pools now cost from 1.5 to 3 million euros. They are mainly to be found on the west side of Lyon, in Les Monts D’Or, Tassin, on the commune of Charbonnières and in Le Val de Saône. Buyers are mostly French, with the typical profile consisting of a company director aged between 40 and 50, but also executives with high purchasing power, self-employed professionals and Parisians”. Foreign clients tend to opt for bourgeois apartments offering luxurious appointments, renovated to suit today’s taste : “We recently sold a very beautiful bourgeois apartment of 219 m2 to American clients, priced at 1,160,000 €, which is to be fully restructured by David Burle,” says Thomas Vantorre. “If they are located in highly-prized neighbourhoods such as the 2nd or 6th arrondissements, these apartments now fetch from 6,000 to 8,000 € per sq. metre.”

Barnes Lyon 2e, 29 quai Saint-Antoine (04 78 15 90 90) et Barnes Lyon 6e, 14 quai du Général Sarrail (04 78 15 90 90). www.barnes-international.com

Basking in magnificent light, this superb contemporary house in Ecully benefits from cutting-edge home automation. Its living space of 320 m2 is comprised of a large living-room with a semi-open kitchen, a study and 4 upstairs bedrooms including a master suite and a playroom. Set in grounds of 2,146 m2, the property also benefits from a heated pool with pool-house. Double garage plus parking area for six cars. 1.690.000 €.

Nestling in a superb setting in Saint-Cyr-au-Mont-d’Or, this property of character stands in a listed and wooded park of 7,100 m2 with a heated pool and pool-house. Renovated throughout in 2010, it offers top-notch appointments and hi-tech amenities, with 7 bedrooms including a master suite on three floors. A caretaker’s apartment, a double garage and parking space for 10 cars complete the property. 4.300.000 €.

After training as an engineer and devoting 20 years to nano-technologies, Thomas Vantorre turned his attention to real estate in 2014. The following year, he opened the first Barnes agency on the Presqu’île de Lyon. In 2017, he launched a new office in the city’s 6th arrondissement, and now also manages an agency in Evian.