5 Little-Known Chateaux to Visit Near Paris

‘Tis the season for chateaux hunting! Of course, you won’t find us fighting our way through the selfie sticks at Versailles, and I thought we should round up a few of our go-to castles for fall day tripping around Paris… 1. The Three Musketeers Hideaway A forty minute drive west of the Notre Dame cathedral…

Let’s Window Shop for French Fairytale Homes Again

I’m in that mood again. Is there ever a bad time to go window shopping for French fairytale homes? The allure of quitting urban life, recruiting your best friends to go all in on the adventure and living out the rest of your days fixing up your French fortress with an endless supply of wine…

Mother & Daughter Buy an Abandoned Chateau, Invite You to Stay as they Restore It

Back in 2013, we broke a story about a couple that bought an abandoned chateau and started a blog to share their journey. Widespread interest, longing and general FOMO (fear-of-missing-out) ensued on the internet. Several years later, we’ve found a similar fairytale: an architect from Austria, Elisabeth Herring, and her daughter Valerie, adopt a neglected 16th…

13 Things I Found on the Internet Today (Vol. DCVIII)

1. This Abandoned French Chateau, on sale for €150,000 How it was: The castle dates back to the 15th century, located in the Loire-et-Cher region of France, 2.5 hours southwest of Paris. The castle was last the property of art dealer and collector Sylvain Durand (1928-2018) who made his fortune with the paintings of Fernand Léger. The castle’s…

Abandoned Chateau du Jour

A house fit for Gatsby, nestled in the South of France, inspired by the palazzos of Italy, the Chateau Bijou is a one of kind find that I’ve been bursting to share with you. These incredible photographs are brought to us by the Belgian explorers behind Forbidden Places who jumped the gates and took of…

Let’s visit every inch of this Chateau in Provence

Warning: This post may cause severe temporary displacement. The Chateau Moissac, a seventeenth-century noble family’s home nestled in the hilltops of haute Provence is nothing short of dreamy. I thought it was necessary to show you every available photograph this French baroque residence to make sure you really get the idea of just how great it…

Here’s Someone Selling a Belle Epoque Chateau on the French Version of Craigslist

I‘ve been keeping a watchful eye on the monumental Château d’Aubiry since it first hit the market in 2011; a stunning 1500m2 Art Nouveau palace complete with Gustave Eiffel-designed greenhouses situated within a 12 acre park. I was taken aback this morning however, upon discovering that the property is now being peddled for nearly half the price on Le…

A Brief Compendium of Historical Maximalism

This is a case for “more is more”, masterfully argued by the brushstrokes of history’s finest interiors artists. Before we had glossy decor magazines to pour over, we had a pictorial genre known as interior portraiture which became all the rage during the Belle Epoque, but first appeared in Europe in the 17th century to…

Sleeping with the Marquis de Sade

Whilst exploring Provence last summer, I found myself in the small town of Mazan. Nestled at the foot of Mont Ventoux in the Vaucluse, Mazan is a quaint, medieval town, enclosed by a circular wall dating back to the 14th century. Set into the ancient wall are old portes, leading to narrow alleyways, hidden fountains…

A Sleeping Chateau, Untouched since the Revolution, is For Sale

We held our breath as its story unfolded. That of a curious, half-moon shaped castle unlike any other we’d seen before, tucked away in the quiet warmth of Bordeaux’s countryside. Something in our gut told us that this castle, of the many we’ve fallen for, was to be different from the rest – and we…