Follow our restoration journey as we peel back the layers of time & craftsmanship
Built in 1820 this Normandy gem had the good fortune to be redesigned by the designer of The Ritz, Monsieur Georges Farcy for the Bon Marché family in 1910. The chateau has been untouched since the retreating German army removed the heating system in the 1940’s. Eisenhower moved into the chateau when he was appointed supreme commander of Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of north-western Europe.
Restoration Chateau is a classical Parisian design, with 57 rooms, 22 ensuite bedrooms (revolutionary for its time), 8 staterooms and 27 acres. Over the coming months please join us on a journey of discovery as we piece together history and restore this classic building back to its former glory.
‘Putting UP the Ritz ! Lol ... in fact we really needed to be an octopus even with the brilliant help of Pascale and Daniel,our beloved and brilliantly loyal neighbours.
We’re still just finishing off the plaster boarding of this ceiling part above the servants staircase but it’s nearly now all done - already in fact for a light skim of plaster and then the original cornice mouldings can go back on and up .
You’ll never know we took the entire ceiling down by the time we’ve finished , oh except all the cracks will have gone and the ceiling won’t be in danger of collapse anymore .He he he .
We’ve also been putting in the new electrical wiring to the corridor , side bedrooms and here for the staircase chandelier... which Tim and I are still arguing ( I mean debating!) about ...
Nearly Friday everyone...or as Maggie Smith so beautifully said in Downtown Abbey ... ‘but what is a weekend ?’ #restorationnation #restorationproject #restorations #chateau #château #restorationchateau #escapetothechateaux #escapetothecountry #escapetothechateaudiy #france #france🇫🇷 #franceunframed #ceiling
Jan 21
‘Putting UP the Ritz ! Lol ... in fact we really needed to be an octopus even with the brilliant help of Pascale and Daniel,our beloved and brilliantly loyal neighbours.
We’re still just finishing off the plaster boarding of this ceiling part above the servants staircase but it’s nearly now all done - already in fact for a light skim of plaster and then the original cornice mouldings can go back on and up .
You’ll never know we took the entire ceiling down by the time we’ve finished , oh except all the cracks will have gone and the ceiling won’t be in danger of collapse anymore .He he he .
We’ve also been putting in the new electrical wiring to the corridor , side bedrooms and here for the staircase chandelier... which Tim and I are still arguing ( I mean debating!) about ...
Nearly Friday everyone...or as Maggie Smith so beautifully said in Downtown Abbey ... ‘but what is a weekend ?’ #restorationnation #restorationproject #restorations #chateau #château #restorationchateau #escapetothechateaux #escapetothecountry #escapetothechateaudiy #france #france🇫🇷 #franceunframed #ceiling
It’s so difficult as with any family pictures , weaving them into the narrative of the present ...but we are so immensely blessed to have so many pictures of the family who used to live here and to honestly say they have become such great friends too .
The front steps of the chateau not only show you the vast amount of restoration that was needed on the chateau when we purchased it ... but it also takes us back through time with some of the people coming and going from here... celebrating their normal lives ...doing the last century version of Instagram.
It makes me laugh to think that while we were doing so much work on the exterior in the summer during lockdown we used to BBQ out here ...and because you couldn’t get a haircut for love nor money , we even cut Hachi’s ( our spaniel) hair there ... as you can see very unsuccessfully!
The local celebrations of the chateau captured just as mere family photographs makes us very privileged to be restoring this building back into a home again ...to know we are in someway saving this for future generations to enjoy makes us feel great ...and learning about their family and for them to learn about our families is a truly wonderful thing .
#familyphotography #familytime #chateau #château #chateauinterior #châteaux #chateauxdefrance #chateauxdeversailles #chateauxfrancais #restorationchateau #escapetothechateau #escapetothecountry #escapetothechateaudiy #diyprojects #diydecor #chateaudiy #normandie #normandy #normandyfrance #balleroy #balleroycastle #chateaudeballeroy #france #france
Jan 20
It’s so difficult as with any family pictures , weaving them into the narrative of the present ...but we are so immensely blessed to have so many pictures of the family who used to live here and to honestly say they have become such great friends too .
The front steps of the chateau not only show you the vast amount of restoration that was needed on the chateau when we purchased it ... but it also takes us back through time with some of the people coming and going from here... celebrating their normal lives ...doing the last century version of Instagram.
It makes me laugh to think that while we were doing so much work on the exterior in the summer during lockdown we used to BBQ out here ...and because you couldn’t get a haircut for love nor money , we even cut Hachi’s ( our spaniel) hair there ... as you can see very unsuccessfully!
The local celebrations of the chateau captured just as mere family photographs makes us very privileged to be restoring this building back into a home again ...to know we are in someway saving this for future generations to enjoy makes us feel great ...and learning about their family and for them to learn about our families is a truly wonderful thing .
#familyphotography #familytime #chateau #château #chateauinterior #châteaux #chateauxdefrance #chateauxdeversailles #chateauxfrancais #restorationchateau #escapetothechateau #escapetothecountry #escapetothechateaudiy #diyprojects #diydecor #chateaudiy #normandie #normandy #normandyfrance #balleroy #balleroycastle #chateaudeballeroy #france #france
One the other wing of the chateau is a mirror image of the bedroom we’ve just finished ... another utterly delicious bedroom full of panels, a breathtaking carved marble fireplace and a great gilded overmantel mirror ... all the details are again completely bespoke but balance the other bedrooms.
We learnt this Christmas that this room after the war became the private writing room for Madame Savary , the Grand Dame of the Chateau who had the adjoining other master bedroom that overlooks the park .
As you can see from the attached plan each bedroom had an en-suite bathroom which for this 1911 restoration of the château ,would have been the sheer hight of utter luxury - the chrome taps and the mother of Pearl fittings another insight into the stunning glamour of this building ( and another element that we are trying to restore , minus the lead pipes lol !).
We’ve put in an image of the family taking refreshments outside the chateau on the terrace and a beautiful painting of Madame Savary herself .
Lastly after yesterday’s post some were asking what the stables looked like , so here’s a really early postcard of it before the motor car makes the chateau’s livery and carriages sadly obsolete.
#chateau #château #chateauinterior #chateauinteriors #chateauxfrancais #châteaux #chateauxdefrance #chateaudiy #restoration #restorationchateau #diy #diyhomedecor #diydecor #diydecor #versailles #interiors #interiordesign #interiør #interiorstyling #interiordecor #france #france🇫🇷
Jan 19
One the other wing of the chateau is a mirror image of the bedroom we’ve just finished ... another utterly delicious bedroom full of panels, a breathtaking carved marble fireplace and a great gilded overmantel mirror ... all the details are again completely bespoke but balance the other bedrooms.
We learnt this Christmas that this room after the war became the private writing room for Madame Savary , the Grand Dame of the Chateau who had the adjoining other master bedroom that overlooks the park .
As you can see from the attached plan each bedroom had an en-suite bathroom which for this 1911 restoration of the château ,would have been the sheer hight of utter luxury - the chrome taps and the mother of Pearl fittings another insight into the stunning glamour of this building ( and another element that we are trying to restore , minus the lead pipes lol !).
We’ve put in an image of the family taking refreshments outside the chateau on the terrace and a beautiful painting of Madame Savary herself .
Lastly after yesterday’s post some were asking what the stables looked like , so here’s a really early postcard of it before the motor car makes the chateau’s livery and carriages sadly obsolete.
#chateau #château #chateauinterior #chateauinteriors #chateauxfrancais #châteaux #chateauxdefrance #chateaudiy #restoration #restorationchateau #diy #diyhomedecor #diydecor #diydecor #versailles #interiors #interiordesign #interiør #interiorstyling #interiordecor #france #france🇫🇷
Hi there to everyone who’s joined our adventure recently , it’s so great to have you on this journey with us... it’s not a fast journey ( nothing in France is fast, and that’s the beauty of life here ) but we’ll be able to share with you a small insight into the wonders of restoring such a magnificent chateau...albeit little by little ... day by day .
This opening shot of the riding stables on the estate is so remarkably French in tone ...mainly I guess because it could have been taken a hundred or two hundred years ago .. or this morning in my pyjamas - ( I just couldn’t resist leaping out of bed this morning to capture the rising sun even if it was literally freezing lol!) things don’t change very quickly round here .The stables are where our wonderful friends who are from the circus live , Mike and Pascale @sangerdogs so it’s brilliant knowing they’re there . The park is still in its winter sleep but it’s so beautiful looking out of the front of the château and seeing the four seasons statues gleaming against the dark black tree lines of the park ... we’ve only just started laying out the formal gardens at the front but it’s a start and as spring starts to wake we’ll be able to do more outside in the grounds which will be really exciting... we’ve got 16 lion head fountains made ready for the Italian garden itching to come out ... yippeee .
#chateau #château #châteaux #chateaux #chateauxdefrance #restorationchateau #escapetothechateau #escapetothechateaudiy #restorationproject #restoration #restorationnation #normandie #normandie #balleroy #balleroycastle #france #france🇫🇷 #frost #frostymorning #frostymornings #frostyday #statuesofinstagram
Jan 18
Hi there to everyone who’s joined our adventure recently , it’s so great to have you on this journey with us... it’s not a fast journey ( nothing in France is fast, and that’s the beauty of life here ) but we’ll be able to share with you a small insight into the wonders of restoring such a magnificent chateau...albeit little by little ... day by day .
This opening shot of the riding stables on the estate is so remarkably French in tone ...mainly I guess because it could have been taken a hundred or two hundred years ago .. or this morning in my pyjamas - ( I just couldn’t resist leaping out of bed this morning to capture the rising sun even if it was literally freezing lol!) things don’t change very quickly round here .The stables are where our wonderful friends who are from the circus live , Mike and Pascale @sangerdogs so it’s brilliant knowing they’re there . The park is still in its winter sleep but it’s so beautiful looking out of the front of the château and seeing the four seasons statues gleaming against the dark black tree lines of the park ... we’ve only just started laying out the formal gardens at the front but it’s a start and as spring starts to wake we’ll be able to do more outside in the grounds which will be really exciting... we’ve got 16 lion head fountains made ready for the Italian garden itching to come out ... yippeee .
#chateau #château #châteaux #chateaux #chateauxdefrance #restorationchateau #escapetothechateau #escapetothechateaudiy #restorationproject #restoration #restorationnation #normandie #normandie #balleroy #balleroycastle #france #france🇫🇷 #frost #frostymorning #frostymornings #frostyday #statuesofinstagram
We are so amazed and grateful as we hit an extraordinary amount of friends following us on this adventure that we thought we would do a recap to all our newbie friends !!!
We’re Steve and Tim and having fallen in love with each other we then found this chateau and fell in love with her ... yup, there are definitely three of us in this relationship !
We spent two years looking on line , found this extraordinary building , went to see her and said yes immediately... it is the only chateau we went to see which I know sounds crazy , but when you know , you know !
That was two and a half years ago ...which feels a long time but is literally a heart beat in the history of this chateau .
We only have 10 squares to tell you of all the discoveries, none of which we knew when we purchased her - she was the command HQ for the Nazis’s...later on in the Second World War Eisenhower moved in and ran operation Overlord here which shaped the war dramatically after the d day landings, which are only 25 mins away .
The chateau had been left to fall into ruin for decades ...the trees had grown up in front of her , the drives had disappeared and grass grew meters high around her ...the roof was leaking and the ornamental details and capitals had fallen off and crumpled into ruin . Even the nearby town of Balleroy had forgotten she was ever here ... the park with its lake , island , summerhouse and waterfalls was only visited by deer and birds .
This is our home , and we want to fill her with friends and family as a magical house and let the building shine again - as she once did after the last big restoration in 1911 when the Parisian Architect George’s Farcy was commissioned to create this Hussmannien jewell .
Inside are the most beautiful ceilings of intricate plaster works - columns - decorative panels of summer boaters and baskets of flowers... and the staircase...wow ... the staircase ......Thank you everyone who’s joined us on this adventure- we’re truly grateful .#chateau #chateau #chateaufrance #châteaux #chateauxdefrance #restorationproject #restorationproject #restorationnation #restorationchateau #chateaudiy #escapetothecountry
Jan 17
We are so amazed and grateful as we hit an extraordinary amount of friends following us on this adventure that we thought we would do a recap to all our newbie friends !!!
We’re Steve and Tim and having fallen in love with each other we then found this chateau and fell in love with her ... yup, there are definitely three of us in this relationship !
We spent two years looking on line , found this extraordinary building , went to see her and said yes immediately... it is the only chateau we went to see which I know sounds crazy , but when you know , you know !
That was two and a half years ago ...which feels a long time but is literally a heart beat in the history of this chateau .
We only have 10 squares to tell you of all the discoveries, none of which we knew when we purchased her - she was the command HQ for the Nazis’s...later on in the Second World War Eisenhower moved in and ran operation Overlord here which shaped the war dramatically after the d day landings, which are only 25 mins away .
The chateau had been left to fall into ruin for decades ...the trees had grown up in front of her , the drives had disappeared and grass grew meters high around her ...the roof was leaking and the ornamental details and capitals had fallen off and crumpled into ruin . Even the nearby town of Balleroy had forgotten she was ever here ... the park with its lake , island , summerhouse and waterfalls was only visited by deer and birds .
This is our home , and we want to fill her with friends and family as a magical house and let the building shine again - as she once did after the last big restoration in 1911 when the Parisian Architect George’s Farcy was commissioned to create this Hussmannien jewell .
Inside are the most beautiful ceilings of intricate plaster works - columns - decorative panels of summer boaters and baskets of flowers... and the staircase...wow ... the staircase ......Thank you everyone who’s joined us on this adventure- we’re truly grateful .#chateau #chateau #chateaufrance #châteaux #chateauxdefrance #restorationproject #restorationproject #restorationnation #restorationchateau #chateaudiy #escapetothecountry
So this week has been very dusty here at the chateau! We started taking elements of the ceiling down right at the top of the huge servants staircase which is the spine of this entire chateau running from the lower ground all the way up to the servants bedrooms at the top . ( four floors ) As we examined the beams we realised that because of years of neglect and leaking water above in the valley roof space , this has rotted the beams - so we took the entire ceiling down , replaced the beams , took out the rotten ones and supported all the load bearing beams .
Just so you don’t think I’m insane my father in Australia is a brilliant builder ( My mother was a great architect) so we’ve done a huge amount of face time with each other to make sure every step was safe and to problem solve all this area .
We’re finally there - getting ready to add in the last beams and then plaster board back the ceiling .
The great thing is we managed to save all the original cornice which will go back and hopefully you won’t even know this had happened.( that was Tim’s major worry - don’t hurt the cornice !) Its really great to get these major elements sorted so we can continue to enjoy the interior designing elements of the chateau... the bits that you’ll actually see !
#restorationproject #restorationchateau #chateaurestoration #chateau #château #chateauinterior #chateauxdefrance #diyhomedecor #diyprojects #diydecor #chateaux #chateaudeversailles #escapetothechateaux #escapetothechateaudiy #escapetothecountry #restorationnation #normandy #normandië #normandyfrance #france #france🇫🇷
Jan 16
So this week has been very dusty here at the chateau! We started taking elements of the ceiling down right at the top of the huge servants staircase which is the spine of this entire chateau running from the lower ground all the way up to the servants bedrooms at the top . ( four floors ) As we examined the beams we realised that because of years of neglect and leaking water above in the valley roof space , this has rotted the beams - so we took the entire ceiling down , replaced the beams , took out the rotten ones and supported all the load bearing beams .
Just so you don’t think I’m insane my father in Australia is a brilliant builder ( My mother was a great architect) so we’ve done a huge amount of face time with each other to make sure every step was safe and to problem solve all this area .
We’re finally there - getting ready to add in the last beams and then plaster board back the ceiling .
The great thing is we managed to save all the original cornice which will go back and hopefully you won’t even know this had happened.( that was Tim’s major worry - don’t hurt the cornice !) Its really great to get these major elements sorted so we can continue to enjoy the interior designing elements of the chateau... the bits that you’ll actually see !
#restorationproject #restorationchateau #chateaurestoration #chateau #château #chateauinterior #chateauxdefrance #diyhomedecor #diyprojects #diydecor #chateaux #chateaudeversailles #escapetothechateaux #escapetothechateaudiy #escapetothecountry #restorationnation #normandy #normandië #normandyfrance #france #france🇫🇷
In these dark days of the pandemic everyone wants a ‘snug’ where you can hunker down and hope the world sorts itself out and rug up on a really really comfortable sofa ... well this is ours , lol, I know it doesn’t seem very ‘snug’but it’s the smallest room on the ground floor so we will just have to make this as snug as possible.
It’s also remarkable that this was Eisenhower’s Office while he was here running operation Overlord , but most of the campaign decisions were apparently made outside in the park with his generals down by the lake ...there is film footage on YouTube if anyone wants to look it up with Eisenhower doing a medal ceremony arriving here at the chateau in his jeep - just type in to YouTube : 1st Infantry Division - Balleroy - Normandie - 02/07/1944 - DDay-Overlord.
The other stunning element of this room is all the faux painted door reveals and the mirror above the fireplace which is also wood - but faux painted to blend it in with the door frames - as is the cornice!
It needs restoring but we think it’s worth it... the walls will be hung with a red damask silk... yummy, oh and yes ... this light fitting is SO going... we purchased that huge one we looked like we were robbing from the auction house this summer ...( previous post! Lol )
#chateau #chateaurestoration #chateaurestorationfrance #château #chateaux #châteaux #chateauinteriors #chateauinterior #chateauxdefrance #restorationchateau #diyhomedecor #diyprojects #diydecor #dıy #escapetothechateau #escapetothecountry #escapetothechateaudiy #restorationnation #restorationshop #balleroy #balleroycastle #dday
Jan 15
In these dark days of the pandemic everyone wants a ‘snug’ where you can hunker down and hope the world sorts itself out and rug up on a really really comfortable sofa ... well this is ours , lol, I know it doesn’t seem very ‘snug’but it’s the smallest room on the ground floor so we will just have to make this as snug as possible.
It’s also remarkable that this was Eisenhower’s Office while he was here running operation Overlord , but most of the campaign decisions were apparently made outside in the park with his generals down by the lake ...there is film footage on YouTube if anyone wants to look it up with Eisenhower doing a medal ceremony arriving here at the chateau in his jeep - just type in to YouTube : 1st Infantry Division - Balleroy - Normandie - 02/07/1944 - DDay-Overlord.
The other stunning element of this room is all the faux painted door reveals and the mirror above the fireplace which is also wood - but faux painted to blend it in with the door frames - as is the cornice!
It needs restoring but we think it’s worth it... the walls will be hung with a red damask silk... yummy, oh and yes ... this light fitting is SO going... we purchased that huge one we looked like we were robbing from the auction house this summer ...( previous post! Lol )
#chateau #chateaurestoration #chateaurestorationfrance #château #chateaux #châteaux #chateauinteriors #chateauinterior #chateauxdefrance #restorationchateau #diyhomedecor #diyprojects #diydecor #dıy #escapetothechateau #escapetothecountry #escapetothechateaudiy #restorationnation #restorationshop #balleroy #balleroycastle #dday
On the top floor one of the bedrooms facing the park seemed to be the favourite for Charles de Gaulle who became a friend on the family that used to live here... Eisenhower had his office downstairs on the ground floor staterooms but not sure if they ever stayed at the same time ...
I wonder when De Gaulle was looking at the wall paper in his bedroom which one he was looking at... or did he quote Oscar Wild just before he died by saying ‘ My wallpaper and I are fighting a duel to the death . One of us has to go’... Wild then died.
We have so many archives of extraordinary documents for the chateau and if my french was better I would be able to tell you what the wallpapers were and when they were hung ... I could then work out with the family when and how often de Gaulle stayed answering the question of which wall papers he fell a sleep looking at!
I personally believe that decoration and particularly wall papers have a great part to play on how you feel... they are after the last thing you see before you close your eyes ... and the very first thing you see when you open them ... it’s got to effect you!
#chateau #château #chateauxdefrance #restorationchateau #chateaurestoration #escapetothechateaudiy #escapetothecountry #escapetothechateau #balleroy #balleroycastle #wallpaper #wallpapers #vintagewallpaper #interiordesign #interiors #interiors #restoration #restorationproject #france #france🇫🇷
Jan 14
On the top floor one of the bedrooms facing the park seemed to be the favourite for Charles de Gaulle who became a friend on the family that used to live here... Eisenhower had his office downstairs on the ground floor staterooms but not sure if they ever stayed at the same time ...
I wonder when De Gaulle was looking at the wall paper in his bedroom which one he was looking at... or did he quote Oscar Wild just before he died by saying ‘ My wallpaper and I are fighting a duel to the death . One of us has to go’... Wild then died.
We have so many archives of extraordinary documents for the chateau and if my french was better I would be able to tell you what the wallpapers were and when they were hung ... I could then work out with the family when and how often de Gaulle stayed answering the question of which wall papers he fell a sleep looking at!
I personally believe that decoration and particularly wall papers have a great part to play on how you feel... they are after the last thing you see before you close your eyes ... and the very first thing you see when you open them ... it’s got to effect you!
#chateau #château #chateauxdefrance #restorationchateau #chateaurestoration #escapetothechateaudiy #escapetothecountry #escapetothechateau #balleroy #balleroycastle #wallpaper #wallpapers #vintagewallpaper #interiordesign #interiors #interiors #restoration #restorationproject #france #france🇫🇷
We were going to work on the servants staircase Ceiling...but.... ended up buying plasterboard ( which took a while ) and paying our Tax which was weirdly quite fast ! So we decided to get a few of the larger oil paintings off the floor and on the walls in the Grand Salon .
Just to show you the scale of this rather wonderful Regency Painting we’ve given you the Spaniel Scale ... the extraordinary thing about this chateau is trying to find pieces and paintings that don’t just disappear the moment you hang them due to the crazy heights of these ceilings! What you think is a large painting just about holds it’s own here - it will eventually have a painting hung above ... and possibly a delicious panoramic painting under this ...a view of Karnak Temple or something equally romantic and architectural!
( don’t panic we haven’t found one yet... that’s the joy of collecting - always hold in your head those little spaces you could find an object for !! Lol) We also put in a before shot of the Salon in its original green as so many of you fabulous people asked why we changed it ... the green paint surface was so damaged to start with and by the time we chased the wall lights in it needed completely repainting. We did lots of research at the museum Nissam Camondo in Paris for this colour scheme now in slipper satin, creams, and gilding which I think has worked really well .... mid week hugs everyone !
#château #chateau #chateauinterior #chateaudefrance #restoration #restorationchateau #chateaurestoration #versailles #escapetothechateau #escapetothechateaudiy #escapetothecountry #diyhomedecor #diyprojects #diydecor #chateaudiy #france #france🇫🇷
Jan 13
We were going to work on the servants staircase Ceiling...but.... ended up buying plasterboard ( which took a while ) and paying our Tax which was weirdly quite fast ! So we decided to get a few of the larger oil paintings off the floor and on the walls in the Grand Salon .
Just to show you the scale of this rather wonderful Regency Painting we’ve given you the Spaniel Scale ... the extraordinary thing about this chateau is trying to find pieces and paintings that don’t just disappear the moment you hang them due to the crazy heights of these ceilings! What you think is a large painting just about holds it’s own here - it will eventually have a painting hung above ... and possibly a delicious panoramic painting under this ...a view of Karnak Temple or something equally romantic and architectural!
( don’t panic we haven’t found one yet... that’s the joy of collecting - always hold in your head those little spaces you could find an object for !! Lol) We also put in a before shot of the Salon in its original green as so many of you fabulous people asked why we changed it ... the green paint surface was so damaged to start with and by the time we chased the wall lights in it needed completely repainting. We did lots of research at the museum Nissam Camondo in Paris for this colour scheme now in slipper satin, creams, and gilding which I think has worked really well .... mid week hugs everyone !
#château #chateau #chateauinterior #chateaudefrance #restoration #restorationchateau #chateaurestoration #versailles #escapetothechateau #escapetothechateaudiy #escapetothecountry #diyhomedecor #diyprojects #diydecor #chateaudiy #france #france🇫🇷
