We decided to call it the Penthouse. The challenge was working out how best to reconfigure it. The layout was made up of many small rooms, and it was difficult at first to imagine what it could become. We brought in an architect to help us rethink the space. One half of the level was a single large room previously used as a yoga area, and that gave us the freedom to create something entirely new.

In the end, we divided the top floor into two distinct spaces: the Penthouse Suite and the Penthouse Apartment.

The Penthouse Suite

For the suite, we needed to create a new entrance and doorway, while also adding walls to form a bathroom without losing those wonderful 180-degree views. The solution was a bathroom that remains open at each end, allowing you to move around the room freely, with only the toilet enclosed. It gave privacy where it was needed, while keeping the sense of openness intact.

We hung a large mirror in the bedroom so that, even when seated on the sofa, you can still catch the reflection of the trees and river beyond. A freestanding bathtub, a generous walk-in shower, double basins, and LED-lit mirrors completed the space. Then came the finishing touch: gold. The taps, shower fittings, bath tap, basin details, mirror edging, and even the bin received the same treatment. After all, if you are creating a penthouse, a little gold feels entirely appropriate.

The Penthouse Apartment

The apartment took us in the opposite direction. Where the suite required carefully adding walls, the apartment involved removing them and rebuilding the layout almost entirely from scratch. A new floor was laid, new walls were constructed, and the whole level was rewired. It also received new plumbing and a new hot water system, making it a complete rebuild within the existing shell.

Here, we added a kitchen, and of course the gold details continued, including a striking gold extractor fan above the cooking area. The apartment also needed space for dining and lounging, but we were also thinking about how beautifully it could work for bridal preparations. Small details mattered, including a high brass hook for a wedding dress.

Again, the challenge was preserving the 180-degree views while creating privacy in the bathroom and a practical wall for the bed. The answer was a wall just wider than the bed itself, with a long shelf running behind it in place of bedside tables. This gave us a wall for the basins and gold mirrors in the bathroom, while also screening the shower area. A central wall now gently divides the apartment: to the right, the open kitchen, dining, and living space; to the left, the bedroom and bathroom. The result is a layout that flows naturally, filled with light and perfectly suited to those special getting-ready moments, with windows that slide open to let in the breeze as the room fills with conversation and excitement.

Of course, it is just as lovely at any other time too. With its fully equipped kitchen, the Penthouse Apartment offers a self-contained stay at the very top of the château.

People often ask why we do not live up there ourselves. Our answer is always the same: we wanted our guests to experience what it feels like to be on top of the castle.