Hallway 1, 2 and 3 at Château Destinée

When we first moved into the château, we slept in Hallway 2 for four months while our apartment was being renovated. That gave us a connection to these rooms unlike any others. Set on the ground floor on the east side of the house, they are cool in summer and cosy in winter. They have very high ceilings, and each has its own distinctive character. I love these three rooms because, in so many ways, they still feel wonderfully original.

All three have beautiful old floor tiles that tell the story of this wing of the house. As far back as we have been able to trace, these rooms were always bedrooms. So, although ensuites were added at some point, much of their original character remains unchanged.

The especially high ceilings in Hallway 2 give it a real sense of grandeur, and the old built-in cupboards there are, we believe, close to 100 years old in their current position. That estimate comes from visits by former residents still living in the area, who have shared childhood memories of the château with us. These visitors, now aged between 70 and 92, have given us such special first-hand insight into the building’s past.

Hallway 2 at Château Destinée, a large room with high ceilings, its century-old cupboards and the fireplace

Hall 1

This bedroom was originally the grandparents’ room and, instead of being entered from the hallway as it is today, it was once accessed through a sitting room at the end of the wing. Despite that change, and the later addition of the ensuite, the room still holds strong memories for former residents who remember visiting their grandparents here.

The floor is made up of wonderful old tiles, which we never considered replacing. We simply scrubbed and polished them, keeping all of their original character. The walls had murals painted on them that did not feel in keeping with the French château atmosphere we wanted to preserve, so we repainted the walls and created a niche, using wallpaper and a mirror to highlight it.

The ensuite needed serious scrubbing, and the old shower curtain was replaced with a glass screen. A new shower, new basin taps, and a modern round mirror transformed what had been a rather sad bathroom into a bright, clean, and welcoming ensuite. We also found a beautiful old wardrobe that fitted perfectly beside the fireplace, and by lining the inside with wallpaper, it became a lovely upcycled addition. Add a new bed, and the room was ready to welcome guests.

Click or tap a photo to see it larger.

Hall 2

This room is especially dear to us. Its high ceilings and exposed stone wall give it a character all of its own. The previous owner told us there had once been beautiful wallpaper here, sadly lost when the stone was exposed. On either side of the fireplace are those remarkable built-in cupboards which, based on stories from former residents, have likely stood there for at least a century. We lined the backs of them with wallpaper to bring back a little of the feeling the room may once have had when it was fully papered.

The ensuite was refreshed with a new shower, a glass screen in place of the old curtain, new basin taps, and a modern mirror to add a greater sense of light and space. With a new bed and a pair of old chairs for comfort, it became a large, character-filled room that means a great deal to us.

Hall 3

For the first year after we moved in, this room was really a junk room. The shutters stayed closed, and anything we were not yet sure what to do with seemed to end up here. Because of that, I did not have a clear picture at first of what the room might become.

The bathroom, however, was always full of promise. What had once been a fireplace had become the entrance to the walk-in shower, and it seemed to be crying out for a bench seat. Replacing the old red and purple taps with more modern fittings was essential. The freestanding basin, however, was a beautiful old piece, so its original taps deserved to stay and simply needed a good clean.

The bathroom walls had been painted in a faux-marble effect that made the space feel dark and closed in. By changing the wall colour and painting the ceiling white, the room seemed to double in size. With marble and terracotta floor tiles, it is now such a beautiful bathroom.

The bedroom itself has a very old built-in cupboard, and we were told that this room was once used as a breakfast room. Inside the cupboard, you can still make out what appears to be an old bread oven. There is history everywhere in this château, and rooms like this remind us constantly how flexible the building has always been for the people who have lived here.