We thought it would be fun this week to do BEFORE and AFTER posts !!! So we’re starting with the Butler’s Pantry which was the first room we needed to get up and running so at least we had a working kitchen ...lol
This was originally designed as the serving room as it has the wonderful Dumb waiter still operational and which we’re absolutely keeping! ( although we can’t imagine using it ... by the time you’ve put in four hot plates from the serving plating kitchen below they will be cold!)
The idea is to build a huge kitchen below the grand salon and the Dining room and use this Butler’s pantry to plate up the hot food ( so it’s still hot by the time it gets to the dinning room next door on this level !)
We sadly had to take up the tiles here as they were really cracked plus we needed to put all the services in here which didn’t exist .
We commissioned the tiles from Fired Earth in london which had this design created for the London Underground in the 1900’s and in the perfect green glaze ( you have to get them to make that up as a special - it’s so worth it as this colour green is utterly spot on for the period of the chateau .)
We have a sort of unwritten rule during this restoration- if something original has to be taken out we have to replace it with something from the same period or that would have been commissioned in the same era .
Trying to keep the character of each of the 57 rooms here is so important... and I hope you’ll agree this has worked well here .
#châteaux #chateaux #chateaurestoration #château #château #châteaux #chateaux #chateauxdefrance #beforeandafter #beforeandafterhomeedition #before #escapetothechateau #escapetothecountry #escapetothechateaudiy #transformation #restorationproject #restorationchateau #chateaurestoration #restorationnation
Jan 25
We thought it would be fun this week to do BEFORE and AFTER posts !!! So we’re starting with the Butler’s Pantry which was the first room we needed to get up and running so at least we had a working kitchen ...lol
This was originally designed as the serving room as it has the wonderful Dumb waiter still operational and which we’re absolutely keeping! ( although we can’t imagine using it ... by the time you’ve put in four hot plates from the serving plating kitchen below they will be cold!)
The idea is to build a huge kitchen below the grand salon and the Dining room and use this Butler’s pantry to plate up the hot food ( so it’s still hot by the time it gets to the dinning room next door on this level !)
We sadly had to take up the tiles here as they were really cracked plus we needed to put all the services in here which didn’t exist .
We commissioned the tiles from Fired Earth in london which had this design created for the London Underground in the 1900’s and in the perfect green glaze ( you have to get them to make that up as a special - it’s so worth it as this colour green is utterly spot on for the period of the chateau .)
We have a sort of unwritten rule during this restoration- if something original has to be taken out we have to replace it with something from the same period or that would have been commissioned in the same era .
Trying to keep the character of each of the 57 rooms here is so important... and I hope you’ll agree this has worked well here .
#châteaux #chateaux #chateaurestoration #château #château #châteaux #chateaux #chateauxdefrance #beforeandafter #beforeandafterhomeedition #before #escapetothechateau #escapetothecountry #escapetothechateaudiy #transformation #restorationproject #restorationchateau #chateaurestoration #restorationnation
Every time we restore part of the chateau we’re always aware it’s played witness to world events and so many people’s lives ... but it’s really great to come across photographs of those captured moments , casually taken on the very spot we are working on restoring...we’re not sure who he is but it’s in a grouping of images taken in the 1930’s ...and is another great treasure to have at the chateau .
We pulled all the soil back from the front elevation to stop damp penetrating the lower ground floors, we will then build a retaining wall topped with a balustrade so strangely you won’t be able to stand here like this again ... but it does mean the rooms there won’t have water in them !
We try and keep as much as absolutely possible ,of all the original elements... like the roof finials which made from zinc were in a really bad way ... we took them down and restored them piece by piece.. remaking elements that were missing then re gilding them .It’s really heart warming on these cold frosty mornings to be able to see them glinting in the winter sunshine again high above the chateau ... as John Keats so beautifully wrote in the early 19th Century:
‘A thing of beauty is a joy for ever :
It’s loveliness increases; it will never pass into nothingness:
but still will keep a bower quite for us , and a sleep full of sweet dreams , and health , and a quiet breathing ‘...
#oldphoto #oldphotograph #châteaux #château #chateau #chateauxdefrance #diyprojects #diydecor #restoration #restorationchateau #escapetothecountry #escapetothechateaux #escapetothechateaudiy #diyhomedecor #countryhome #beforeandafter #beforeandafterhomeedition #transformation #oldhouses #storyofmyhome #storytelling #storytime #france #france🇫🇷
Jan 24
Every time we restore part of the chateau we’re always aware it’s played witness to world events and so many people’s lives ... but it’s really great to come across photographs of those captured moments , casually taken on the very spot we are working on restoring...we’re not sure who he is but it’s in a grouping of images taken in the 1930’s ...and is another great treasure to have at the chateau .
We pulled all the soil back from the front elevation to stop damp penetrating the lower ground floors, we will then build a retaining wall topped with a balustrade so strangely you won’t be able to stand here like this again ... but it does mean the rooms there won’t have water in them !
We try and keep as much as absolutely possible ,of all the original elements... like the roof finials which made from zinc were in a really bad way ... we took them down and restored them piece by piece.. remaking elements that were missing then re gilding them .It’s really heart warming on these cold frosty mornings to be able to see them glinting in the winter sunshine again high above the chateau ... as John Keats so beautifully wrote in the early 19th Century:
‘A thing of beauty is a joy for ever :
It’s loveliness increases; it will never pass into nothingness:
but still will keep a bower quite for us , and a sleep full of sweet dreams , and health , and a quiet breathing ‘...
#oldphoto #oldphotograph #châteaux #château #chateau #chateauxdefrance #diyprojects #diydecor #restoration #restorationchateau #escapetothecountry #escapetothechateaux #escapetothechateaudiy #diyhomedecor #countryhome #beforeandafter #beforeandafterhomeedition #transformation #oldhouses #storyofmyhome #storytelling #storytime #france #france🇫🇷
We don’t do it often but we were looking back at film footage we took right back at the beginning two years ago when we fell in love with this chateau and wanted to share its magic with you all ... the chateau was wonderfully romantic and had completely fallen into disrepair... ( there’s something so precious about discovering something like this that’s a secret and completely untouched for so many years ) but even then we could just about see through the decay to the bones of it’s extraordinary beauty which was still there , hanging on by thread...
I hope you enjoy looking at the short footage to see what Tim and I saw on our first view of the chateau ... we had to park the cars at the top of the road and walk down through the grass because there were no longer any drives up to the chateau, like the true picture of sleeping beauty the park had surrounded her in her sleep with most of the shutters pitted with bullet holes and rusted shut , closed against the cold winds and rain of all those years .
Once we’re done on the lower part it just leaves us with the massive task of the double staircase to reinstate - to be able to walk down the stairs from the grand Salon above straight into the park on a summers evening with a Cocktail in our hands and the windup gramophone playing something from our 78’s collection ...now that’s something to dream about !
#chateau #chateaux #château #chateaudefrance #restoration #restorationchateau #chateaurestoration #châteauxdefrance #diyhomedecor #diyprojects #housesofinstagram #periodhome #historichomes #countryhome #renovatingourhome #homesandgardens #beforeandafter #beforeandafterhomeedition #beforeafter #transformation #oldhouses #timesproperty #story #storyofmyhome
Jan 23
We don’t do it often but we were looking back at film footage we took right back at the beginning two years ago when we fell in love with this chateau and wanted to share its magic with you all ... the chateau was wonderfully romantic and had completely fallen into disrepair... ( there’s something so precious about discovering something like this that’s a secret and completely untouched for so many years ) but even then we could just about see through the decay to the bones of it’s extraordinary beauty which was still there , hanging on by thread...
I hope you enjoy looking at the short footage to see what Tim and I saw on our first view of the chateau ... we had to park the cars at the top of the road and walk down through the grass because there were no longer any drives up to the chateau, like the true picture of sleeping beauty the park had surrounded her in her sleep with most of the shutters pitted with bullet holes and rusted shut , closed against the cold winds and rain of all those years .
Once we’re done on the lower part it just leaves us with the massive task of the double staircase to reinstate - to be able to walk down the stairs from the grand Salon above straight into the park on a summers evening with a Cocktail in our hands and the windup gramophone playing something from our 78’s collection ...now that’s something to dream about !
#chateau #chateaux #château #chateaudefrance #restoration #restorationchateau #chateaurestoration #châteauxdefrance #diyhomedecor #diyprojects #housesofinstagram #periodhome #historichomes #countryhome #renovatingourhome #homesandgardens #beforeandafter #beforeandafterhomeedition #beforeafter #transformation #oldhouses #timesproperty #story #storyofmyhome
We wanted to share with you another wonderful Gem of the chateau archives ... this great book from Au Bon Marché 1872 which has the Grandfather M. Savary on the Board .We think it’s his Grandfather as it’s quite complicated to piece this entire family tree together with all it’s different generations but we know for certain that the picture here is of M. Savary ( sitting in front of the screen ) and it’s this wonderful gentleman that rebuilt our Chateau in all its splendour in 1911 .
Many of the interior design elements for our chateau we presume must have come from the Bon Marché store because of the family’s connection but for me it’s fascinating to actually read the handbook ... the expectations of speaking English in order to sell to the world , and incredibly the use of Music and choral training as part of the main stay of the requirements to make this department store a world in its self .
As we progress through this restoration it really is so interesting to see into the world that this Chateau was built for , it’s expectations - what seems common place today was considered absolutely luxury ( like bathrooms and toilets en-suite to each of the bedrooms ) and a Luxury of Choral singing today , common place then .
#château #chateau #chateauinterior #chateauxdefrance #restorationchateau #escapetothechateaudiy #bonmarche #bonmarche100人展 #oldphoto #library #restoration #restorationnation #escapetothecountry #france #versailles
Jan 22
We wanted to share with you another wonderful Gem of the chateau archives ... this great book from Au Bon Marché 1872 which has the Grandfather M. Savary on the Board .We think it’s his Grandfather as it’s quite complicated to piece this entire family tree together with all it’s different generations but we know for certain that the picture here is of M. Savary ( sitting in front of the screen ) and it’s this wonderful gentleman that rebuilt our Chateau in all its splendour in 1911 .
Many of the interior design elements for our chateau we presume must have come from the Bon Marché store because of the family’s connection but for me it’s fascinating to actually read the handbook ... the expectations of speaking English in order to sell to the world , and incredibly the use of Music and choral training as part of the main stay of the requirements to make this department store a world in its self .
As we progress through this restoration it really is so interesting to see into the world that this Chateau was built for , it’s expectations - what seems common place today was considered absolutely luxury ( like bathrooms and toilets en-suite to each of the bedrooms ) and a Luxury of Choral singing today , common place then .
#château #chateau #chateauinterior #chateauxdefrance #restorationchateau #escapetothechateaudiy #bonmarche #bonmarche100人展 #oldphoto #library #restoration #restorationnation #escapetothecountry #france #versailles
‘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
