26
The River Terrace at Château Destinée
The river terrace has always been one of the most special parts of Château Destinée, and its story has unfolded in many phases. When Peter and I were looking at châteaux on the market, we often felt that the outdoor spaces were somehow detached from the life of the house. We assumed it was simply something we would have to accept, as historic homes were not designed for the same way of living we were used to. As Australians, we have always loved spaces where indoors and outdoors seem to melt into one another.
When we first saw Destinée, we finally found that feeling. The vast windows and doors of the Orangerie bring extraordinary light into the château, but they also frame the river terrace beyond. Even from inside, you feel connected to the outdoor space. From the moment you step through the front door, your eyes are drawn straight through to the Orangerie and out to the terrace. It creates a sense of welcome and openness that we had not found in many of the other properties we visited.
Already perfect
The terrace itself, like so much of the house and park, was neglected when we arrived. But unlike some areas, we had no desire to change it. To us, it was already perfect. It simply needed care, cleaning, and a great deal of maintenance.
We began by painting the windows and repairing the lighting. Then we installed festoon lights all along the riverfront edge. To this day, whenever they are switched on for guests, there is always that same soft reaction: a collective sense of delight.
After that came the less glamorous work. Paths needed repairing and jet washing, drainage had to be cleared, and the weeds seemed endless. For years, they kept returning. It probably took nearly three years before we noticed a real decline. Persistent hand-pulling made the biggest difference, though at times we also used a mixture of salt and vinegar, which left the terrace smelling faintly of fish and chips.
Sanding and painting the shutters was one of those endless jobs, we have 14 of them just in this area!
Gifts of the garden
One of the greatest gifts of the terrace was its planting. The vine climbing across the Orangerie wall is one of its most beautiful natural features, and the jasmine flowering by the door fills the house with scent at just the right time of year. It would have taken us years to create something like that ourselves. The old climbing roses were another gift. Some have needed replacing, but caring for them has also meant learning how to prune and look after very old plants, which has become part of the terrace’s ongoing story.
Our little bubble
Furniture for such a large space was another challenge entirely. In the beginning, we found green metal tables and folding chairs left behind by the previous owners. One of the happiest days of those early months came when that furniture was finally brought out again. At the time, we were wondering how on earth we would ever get everything ready to open as a B&B once the builders left. Then we advertised for volunteers, and suddenly we had nine helpers.
We looked out of the window one day and saw them all outside together, jet washing, sanding, painting, repairing, and arranging furniture. It was a scene that brought us enormous joy and eased the sense of isolation we had been feeling. This was all during COVID, and our little bubble, as we called it, was made up of different ages, cultures, and backgrounds. It was one of our favourite times at the château. Each evening, we cooked together, played cards, and set long tables on the terrace for shared meals. We had no television, and the Wi-Fi was still very much a work in progress, so life felt wonderfully simple and communal.
From mismatched to matching
That first summer, guests enjoyed the freshly painted metal furniture, and somehow it felt as though it belonged there. But as we began hosting larger groups and needed to rearrange the terrace for different events, the old mix of round, square, and rectangular tables was no longer practical. The next phase was to introduce modular lounge furniture, again bought second-hand, so that we could create more flexible seating areas. It was not perfectly matched, but it worked, and during our second summer, while still carefully managing funds, it allowed us to open a wine bar by the river. Even now, we still hear from guests who ask when we might do that again.
By the third year, we were finally able to bring in matching grey tables and chairs, all rectangular and square, making the terrace feel more cohesive and much easier to configure. It was a big step forward, though I still look back fondly on those earlier mismatched days and the fun we all had there.
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The Pond
At the centre of the terrace sits the pond, a feature that remains a labour of love. When we arrived, our old dog Chino had come with us from Australia. He was sixteen by then and had recently lost his sight. One day, he fell into the pond. Once we had lifted him out, washed him, and made sure he was fine, we took a closer look and realised something surprising: the pond was not shallow at all. Years of lily growth and old leaf debris had formed such a thick mat across the bottom that it had created the illusion of solidity.
That discovery led to the pond’s first great clean. We had no idea where the drain was, or even if there was one. The plants were so dense that we had to cut them into sections to lift them out. Peter drew the shortest straw and had the unenviable job of starting the hose to drain it. Over four days, he and Lucy worked inside that pond until, eventually, they found the drain, uncovered four fish, and revealed the blue tiles beneath. Seeing it properly clean for the first time was a wonderful moment. It still never stays that way for long, of course. In summer, it is vacuumed every week, and each year it is emptied and cleaned again. It is one of those beautiful jobs that is never truly finished.
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The Railing
Then there is the railing. When we first moved in, it had what Peter likes to call patina: that aged finish people admire for its authenticity. But over time, patina can become something else, and after several years it began to look less characterful and more simply neglected. So in spring 2026, Peter, Jennen, and our chefs Nicolas and Hervé took it on.
Armed with angle grinders, sanders, and paintbrushes, they tackled a job that took far longer than anyone would notice afterwards. That is often the way with work like this. It does not deliver the dramatic before-and-after of some other projects, yet it can take two or three times as long. The point is for it to blend in so naturally that nobody thinks about it at all.
I notice it, though, and I say wow, because I know exactly how much work went into it. And if I do not give them proper credit, I suspect the next time I ask for a job like that to be done, the answer may well be no. So if you visit us, please do tell the boys how wonderful the terrace railing looks.
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