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.
The park is finally starting to burst into green buds ... seeing the tiny little leaves unfurling in the millions ... and the glimpses of the restored chateau against this landscape couldn’t be more perfect ...
We’ve been thinking a lot about sculpture for the park,the placing of pieces like the stunning statue of Apollo we brought in Holland on its deliciously thin pedestal will look wonderful at the end of the chestnut tree avenue ...
A giant statue of Hercules or Neptune in the Italian garden perhaps... and absolutely something fabulous for the tree grouping you walk through to get to the summer house on the lake...not too distracting, you don’t want to drop the few bottles of Rosé you’re carrying and the wine glasses - lol
#sculpture #sculptures #sculpturesofinstagram #sculpturepark #balleroy #château #chateauxdefrance #chateaurenovation #restoration #landscape #landscapedesign
Apr 13
The park is finally starting to burst into green buds ... seeing the tiny little leaves unfurling in the millions ... and the glimpses of the restored chateau against this landscape couldn’t be more perfect ...
We’ve been thinking a lot about sculpture for the park,the placing of pieces like the stunning statue of Apollo we brought in Holland on its deliciously thin pedestal will look wonderful at the end of the chestnut tree avenue ...
A giant statue of Hercules or Neptune in the Italian garden perhaps... and absolutely something fabulous for the tree grouping you walk through to get to the summer house on the lake...not too distracting, you don’t want to drop the few bottles of Rosé you’re carrying and the wine glasses - lol
#sculpture #sculptures #sculpturesofinstagram #sculpturepark #balleroy #château #chateauxdefrance #chateaurenovation #restoration #landscape #landscapedesign
So these treasures span 1825 to 1846 when these wonderful little satirical books were published on character traits of English Society....the way in which we still do today .... in the background of one of the engravings is the Wellington Arch that sits in Hyde Park Corner and once had the most ridiculous statue of the Duke of Wellington on top of it ... so massively out of proportion... but when they tried to remove it he threatened to bring the government down !!! So there it sat as a total joke until Queen Victoria had the entire Arch moved on its axis to allow it to have greater traffic around it for the newly built Victoria Station ( and took the cunning opportunity to move the Wellington statue to Aldershot ...)
I sketched it a few years ago now sporting the beautiful Quadriga sculpture showing the winged figure of Peace ...which is still pretty big as you can see by a great picture taken in 1929 but fabulous....sculpture and it’s placement is always crucial and we are just starting to consider the park landscaping and the placing of statues- however not on this scale... yet Lol...
#london #londonlandmarks #londonlife #london🇬🇧 #londoncity #sketching #oldbooks #library #librarylife #chateaux #châteaux #chateauxdefrance #normandie #normandy #france #france🇫🇷 #francetrip #collections #interiorstyling #interior #interiorstyle #interiorinspiration #interiordecoration #landscapedesign #sculptures #sculpture
Apr 12
So these treasures span 1825 to 1846 when these wonderful little satirical books were published on character traits of English Society....the way in which we still do today .... in the background of one of the engravings is the Wellington Arch that sits in Hyde Park Corner and once had the most ridiculous statue of the Duke of Wellington on top of it ... so massively out of proportion... but when they tried to remove it he threatened to bring the government down !!! So there it sat as a total joke until Queen Victoria had the entire Arch moved on its axis to allow it to have greater traffic around it for the newly built Victoria Station ( and took the cunning opportunity to move the Wellington statue to Aldershot ...)
I sketched it a few years ago now sporting the beautiful Quadriga sculpture showing the winged figure of Peace ...which is still pretty big as you can see by a great picture taken in 1929 but fabulous....sculpture and it’s placement is always crucial and we are just starting to consider the park landscaping and the placing of statues- however not on this scale... yet Lol...
#london #londonlandmarks #londonlife #london🇬🇧 #londoncity #sketching #oldbooks #library #librarylife #chateaux #châteaux #chateauxdefrance #normandie #normandy #france #france🇫🇷 #francetrip #collections #interiorstyling #interior #interiorstyle #interiorinspiration #interiordecoration #landscapedesign #sculptures #sculpture
Looking at the amazing park elevation of the chateau it’s incredible to see the journey we’ve been on over the last two and a half years .... just this one elevation that has seen so much history unfold in front of it , history that at the time we bought the chateau we had no idea of ....
We never imagined it would be such a magnificent journey , or that it would be so epic ... it’s a vast undertaking piecing this remarkable chateau back together, all the incredible things we have discovered about her , the thousand years of history that sit beneath every part of this amazing landscape .
We are so honoured that the family who used to own this have become part of our lives and that learning about the really life and it’s history from the inside has been such a remarkable privilege.
We still have many years to go before we are close to finishing but we’re loving sharing this exciting and extraordinary journey with you all ... thank you for being with us at every step !
#château #chateau #chateauxdefrance #chateaulife #châteaux #chateaux #restoration #restorationproject #architecturedesign #architectureresearch #interiør #interior #interiors #interiors #interiorinspiration #interiorstyle #adventure #normandie #france #france🇫🇷 #landscape #escapetothechateau #escapetothecountry #escapetothechateaudiy #countrylife #homesweethome #restorationnation
Apr 11
Looking at the amazing park elevation of the chateau it’s incredible to see the journey we’ve been on over the last two and a half years .... just this one elevation that has seen so much history unfold in front of it , history that at the time we bought the chateau we had no idea of ....
We never imagined it would be such a magnificent journey , or that it would be so epic ... it’s a vast undertaking piecing this remarkable chateau back together, all the incredible things we have discovered about her , the thousand years of history that sit beneath every part of this amazing landscape .
We are so honoured that the family who used to own this have become part of our lives and that learning about the really life and it’s history from the inside has been such a remarkable privilege.
We still have many years to go before we are close to finishing but we’re loving sharing this exciting and extraordinary journey with you all ... thank you for being with us at every step !
#château #chateau #chateauxdefrance #chateaulife #châteaux #chateaux #restoration #restorationproject #architecturedesign #architectureresearch #interiør #interior #interiors #interiors #interiorinspiration #interiorstyle #adventure #normandie #france #france🇫🇷 #landscape #escapetothechateau #escapetothecountry #escapetothechateaudiy #countrylife #homesweethome #restorationnation
So many of you wonderful friends enjoyed Robert Adam’s letter that we wanted to share with you another treasure of our library ...a wonderful ‘buyers chit ‘ signed off on for 3 window Curtains and fabrics in August of 1705 by none other than Grinling Gibbons .... without question one of England’s finest carvers.
So why was he signing off on window fabrics I hear you all cry! Ah ha !! He was for a short time a warden of the Drapers’ Company , a precursor to the design centres we have today but much smaller and much less choice !!!
We’ve framed it with a drawing of mine of St Pauls Cathedrals private library ( which was always attributed to Gibbons but in fact he only did the main work in the choir of the cathedral)
We’ve got a rather tiny but fabulous book of Tatler 1710 which has in it an advert warning you that you don’t need to pay to go into the Cathedral, and that this poor chap ‘Mr Humphrey Trelooby , wearing his OWN HAIR ( I hear you gasp ! It showed he came up from the country .) was defrauded of half a crown !!!
It’s so remarkable to know that craftsmanship in this crazy world we live in is still here and being done in the shadow of Gibbons over 300 years later...a work bench of Hugh Wedderburn in the shadows of the city still carving there ...
As our library continues to be made we will post some of the workshop images so we can share with you the magic of this historic art and our library being made from trees to treasure .
#grinlinggibbons #carving #tatlermagazine #interiors #interiordecor #interiorinspiration #interiorstyle #chateaurenovation #châteaux @mastercarvers @dkt_artworks #stpaulscathedral #londonlife #france #france🇫🇷 #international #architect #craftsman #craftersofinstagram #artisan #artistsofinstagram #citylife #city #fabric
Apr 10
So many of you wonderful friends enjoyed Robert Adam’s letter that we wanted to share with you another treasure of our library ...a wonderful ‘buyers chit ‘ signed off on for 3 window Curtains and fabrics in August of 1705 by none other than Grinling Gibbons .... without question one of England’s finest carvers.
So why was he signing off on window fabrics I hear you all cry! Ah ha !! He was for a short time a warden of the Drapers’ Company , a precursor to the design centres we have today but much smaller and much less choice !!!
We’ve framed it with a drawing of mine of St Pauls Cathedrals private library ( which was always attributed to Gibbons but in fact he only did the main work in the choir of the cathedral)
We’ve got a rather tiny but fabulous book of Tatler 1710 which has in it an advert warning you that you don’t need to pay to go into the Cathedral, and that this poor chap ‘Mr Humphrey Trelooby , wearing his OWN HAIR ( I hear you gasp ! It showed he came up from the country .) was defrauded of half a crown !!!
It’s so remarkable to know that craftsmanship in this crazy world we live in is still here and being done in the shadow of Gibbons over 300 years later...a work bench of Hugh Wedderburn in the shadows of the city still carving there ...
As our library continues to be made we will post some of the workshop images so we can share with you the magic of this historic art and our library being made from trees to treasure .
#grinlinggibbons #carving #tatlermagazine #interiors #interiordecor #interiorinspiration #interiorstyle #chateaurenovation #châteaux @mastercarvers @dkt_artworks #stpaulscathedral #londonlife #france #france🇫🇷 #international #architect #craftsman #craftersofinstagram #artisan #artistsofinstagram #citylife #city #fabric
Spring sunshine is trying to peak out but like everyone here we’ve had heavy frosts and even snow ... in April ! .... but the park is starting to need its first lawn cutting , and to check on some of our plants....
In fact the need to be out in the park to look after it’s life as it springs into action becomes a larger pull ( against all the work that needs to happen on the inside !!!)
The way the estate has so many areas of woodland , the lake and locks ..... the summer house which we are definitely going to work on restoring this summer ... it’s a really joy as well as being quite a handful !
#parkland #parklife #lake #france #france🇫🇷 #francetrip #spring #chateau #château #chateauxdefrance #normandy #normandyfrance #normandie #landscape #landscape #landscapelovers #landscapephoto #landscapecaptures #fancyfriday
Apr 9
Spring sunshine is trying to peak out but like everyone here we’ve had heavy frosts and even snow ... in April ! .... but the park is starting to need its first lawn cutting , and to check on some of our plants....
In fact the need to be out in the park to look after it’s life as it springs into action becomes a larger pull ( against all the work that needs to happen on the inside !!!)
The way the estate has so many areas of woodland , the lake and locks ..... the summer house which we are definitely going to work on restoring this summer ... it’s a really joy as well as being quite a handful !
#parkland #parklife #lake #france #france🇫🇷 #francetrip #spring #chateau #château #chateauxdefrance #normandy #normandyfrance #normandie #landscape #landscape #landscapelovers #landscapephoto #landscapecaptures #fancyfriday
A library is so much more than just a room ... it’s a collection of objects , paintings and books that weave all the things you’ve come across in life that you love into one magical space .
Here at the chateau we’ve started collecting books and desk objects for when this desk takes it’s pride of place in the chateau library.
Robert Adam has always held a fascination for us ...I know he’s an English Architect but his ideas encompassed so many elements of french and Italian design so beautifully.
We’re so lucky to have a collection of Architects letters including this one from Robert Adam himself ...the desk plaster bas relief of him is interesting as it’s made in 1792 the same year he wrote the letter we have written from the Adelphi buildings ( just along from Somerset house in london ) a development so big they went bankrupt and it nearly brought the government down at the time ...gulp.
His work though really was a breakthrough in incorporating furniture, furnishings , interior architecture and soft furnishings all in one vision ... as we start to lay out the design boards for the internal creation of the chateau it’s a great place to start ...
#library #chateau #châteaux #chateauxdefrance #interiorstyling #interior #interiors #interiordecor #interiör #interiorinspiration #interiorstyle #interiordecorating #interiordecoration #frenchstyle #englishstyle #countryhousedecor #escapetothechateaudiy #escapetothechateau #normandy #normandyfrance
Apr 6
A library is so much more than just a room ... it’s a collection of objects , paintings and books that weave all the things you’ve come across in life that you love into one magical space .
Here at the chateau we’ve started collecting books and desk objects for when this desk takes it’s pride of place in the chateau library.
Robert Adam has always held a fascination for us ...I know he’s an English Architect but his ideas encompassed so many elements of french and Italian design so beautifully.
We’re so lucky to have a collection of Architects letters including this one from Robert Adam himself ...the desk plaster bas relief of him is interesting as it’s made in 1792 the same year he wrote the letter we have written from the Adelphi buildings ( just along from Somerset house in london ) a development so big they went bankrupt and it nearly brought the government down at the time ...gulp.
His work though really was a breakthrough in incorporating furniture, furnishings , interior architecture and soft furnishings all in one vision ... as we start to lay out the design boards for the internal creation of the chateau it’s a great place to start ...
#library #chateau #châteaux #chateauxdefrance #interiorstyling #interior #interiors #interiordecor #interiör #interiorinspiration #interiorstyle #interiordecorating #interiordecoration #frenchstyle #englishstyle #countryhousedecor #escapetothechateaudiy #escapetothechateau #normandy #normandyfrance
We are literally jumping for joy at this EPIC Moment- we have both of the Gates up after what seems to have been an eternity- and the first time since 1945...
The most beautiful and magnificent thing is that these beautiful gates look like they have always been here ... that nothing has changed , no wars have taken place and no global pandemics have befallen the world .
It’s such an emotional moment to have completed this ( what we thought was a simple task ) and now feels and looks so utterly right and in keeping .
We still need to find some delicious finials for the gate piers but we did find a rather beautiful set of marble blocked antique posts and chains to lead you eye up to the gates.
The magic of this restoration is being patient and finding the right elements to piece this glorious chateau and her history back together.Thank you so much everyone for holding our hands through the last two years while we restored these magical moments !
#gates #gatesofinstagram #chateaux #chateau #château #chateauxdelaloire #interiorstyling #interiordecor #interiordecor #restoration #restorationshop #escapetothechateaudiy #escapetothecountry #countrylife #country #france #france🇫🇷 #normandie #normandy #dday #eissenhower #ddaylandings #homeinspo #home #homerenovation #homedesign #homedecoration #homedecorating #homesofinstagram
Apr 5
We are literally jumping for joy at this EPIC Moment- we have both of the Gates up after what seems to have been an eternity- and the first time since 1945...
The most beautiful and magnificent thing is that these beautiful gates look like they have always been here ... that nothing has changed , no wars have taken place and no global pandemics have befallen the world .
It’s such an emotional moment to have completed this ( what we thought was a simple task ) and now feels and looks so utterly right and in keeping .
We still need to find some delicious finials for the gate piers but we did find a rather beautiful set of marble blocked antique posts and chains to lead you eye up to the gates.
The magic of this restoration is being patient and finding the right elements to piece this glorious chateau and her history back together.Thank you so much everyone for holding our hands through the last two years while we restored these magical moments !
#gates #gatesofinstagram #chateaux #chateau #château #chateauxdelaloire #interiorstyling #interiordecor #interiordecor #restoration #restorationshop #escapetothechateaudiy #escapetothecountry #countrylife #country #france #france🇫🇷 #normandie #normandy #dday #eissenhower #ddaylandings #homeinspo #home #homerenovation #homedesign #homedecoration #homedecorating #homesofinstagram
Happy Easter Sunday ! Loving this colour plate from the New York Herald Paris edition for 1900’s ... the pure fashion and Easter drama of the Belle Époque.
The wonderful fashion and style that gave rise to our chateau’s design and restoration back in 1910.
We have great cause for celebration this week too ... we managed to get one gate up ! Yehhh first time since after the Second World War in 1946 .
It’s taking a while - but each day we’re getting there and still working on the interior.
Much love to everyone .
#1900s #chateau #chateaux #chateauxdefrance #restoration #interiordesignideas #interiør #landscape #landscapelovers #escapetothecountry
Apr 4
Happy Easter Sunday ! Loving this colour plate from the New York Herald Paris edition for 1900’s ... the pure fashion and Easter drama of the Belle Époque.
The wonderful fashion and style that gave rise to our chateau’s design and restoration back in 1910.
We have great cause for celebration this week too ... we managed to get one gate up ! Yehhh first time since after the Second World War in 1946 .
It’s taking a while - but each day we’re getting there and still working on the interior.
Much love to everyone .
#1900s #chateau #chateaux #chateauxdefrance #restoration #interiordesignideas #interiør #landscape #landscapelovers #escapetothecountry
Happy Good Friday everyone... we have been hard at work doing the specifications for all the soft furnishings and hardwares we need to get so sorry for the silence ... meanwhile Hachi has been taking it really easy laying around in the spring sunshine and being very spoilt...we even bought for her last week at auction the MOST wonderful French late 18th century , early 19th Century gilt dog bed at auction which belonged to a great friend of Tim’s who he created the most wonderful library for and who sadly died a year or so ago .... which she loves to bits .
We also found in auction in Berlin a matching pair of wall sconces that are exactly the same to the pair Tim found in Portabello road over three years ago !!! What are the chances of that ! Thank goodness for the internet , it really does allow you to access almost anything anywhere in the world to put items back with each other ...
So those will go into the ground floor powder room ... we are starting to layout the rooms at the chateau with fabric choices , hardware fittings and really exciting commissioned pieces !( the library for the chateau is in full make so can’t wait to share some of the progress workshop pictures with you later on !)
Big hugs everyone ... and hope you’re all well .
Steve , Tim and Hatchi.
#easter #goodfriday #gilt #dogsofinstagram #doglovers #doglife #dogoftheday #doglover #dog #dogstagram #dogphotography #dogslife #dogsitting #dogmodel #chateau #château #chateaux #châteaux #chateauxdefrance #escapetothechateaudiy #escapetothecountry #countrylife #restoration #restorationproject #interiorstyling #interior #interiorstyle #interiorinspiration #interiordecor #interiorarchitecture
Apr 2
Happy Good Friday everyone... we have been hard at work doing the specifications for all the soft furnishings and hardwares we need to get so sorry for the silence ... meanwhile Hachi has been taking it really easy laying around in the spring sunshine and being very spoilt...we even bought for her last week at auction the MOST wonderful French late 18th century , early 19th Century gilt dog bed at auction which belonged to a great friend of Tim’s who he created the most wonderful library for and who sadly died a year or so ago .... which she loves to bits .
We also found in auction in Berlin a matching pair of wall sconces that are exactly the same to the pair Tim found in Portabello road over three years ago !!! What are the chances of that ! Thank goodness for the internet , it really does allow you to access almost anything anywhere in the world to put items back with each other ...
So those will go into the ground floor powder room ... we are starting to layout the rooms at the chateau with fabric choices , hardware fittings and really exciting commissioned pieces !( the library for the chateau is in full make so can’t wait to share some of the progress workshop pictures with you later on !)
Big hugs everyone ... and hope you’re all well .
Steve , Tim and Hatchi.
#easter #goodfriday #gilt #dogsofinstagram #doglovers #doglife #dogoftheday #doglover #dog #dogstagram #dogphotography #dogslife #dogsitting #dogmodel #chateau #château #chateaux #châteaux #chateauxdefrance #escapetothechateaudiy #escapetothecountry #countrylife #restoration #restorationproject #interiorstyling #interior #interiorstyle #interiorinspiration #interiordecor #interiorarchitecture
