An Invitation to Chateau du Grand-Lucé: Decorating a Great French Country House by Rizzoli International Publications

TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S Introduction 8 A Storied Past 16 T he Restoration 18

day 2

morning in the country 122 T he Well-Appointed Guest Room 124 A Wa lk in the Woods 142

day 1

first impressions 20

Village Life 150

T he Court of Honor 22

A Countr y Brea k fast 156

T he Entr y Ha ll 28

Morning Glories 166

T he Gra nd Sa lon 32

in the open air 180

T he Forma l Ga rdens 52

Lunch Under the Trees 182

settling in 66

Great Explorations 186

T he Gra nd Sta ircase 68

an ev ening to r emember 204

A Room of One’s Own 74

T he Sa lon Chinois 206

At Leisure 98

Dinner by Ca ndlelight 214

ev ening in the gar dens 108

day 3

T he Green Rooms 110

a new morning 224

Dinner in the Ora nger y 118

T he Master Suite 226 Up, Up, a nd Away 234

TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S Introduction 8 A Storied Past 16 T he Restoration 18

day 2

morning in the country 122 T he Well-Appointed Guest Room 124 A Wa lk in the Woods 142

day 1

first impressions 20

Village Life 150

T he Court of Honor 22

A Countr y Brea k fast 156

T he Entr y Ha ll 28

Morning Glories 166

T he Gra nd Sa lon 32

in the open air 180

T he Forma l Ga rdens 52

Lunch Under the Trees 182

settling in 66

Great Explorations 186

T he Gra nd Sta ircase 68

an ev ening to r emember 204

A Room of One’s Own 74

T he Sa lon Chinois 206

At Leisure 98

Dinner by Ca ndlelight 214

ev ening in the gar dens 108

day 3

T he Green Rooms 110

a new morning 224

Dinner in the Ora nger y 118

T he Master Suite 226 Up, Up, a nd Away 234

A BOV E A ND OPPOSITE: Adding furniture and decorative elements to the bottom of the stairway made what might otherwise have been a transitional zone into a comfortably habitable space. FOLLOW ING PAGES: As the stair ascends from the second to the third floor, the material changes from limestone to wood. Though the design is identical, the shift signals a transition to a less important part of the château. The tapestry, which brings warmth and color to the soaring stairwell, is a seventeenth-century Aubusson known as a verdure. The neutraltoned wool runner, bordered in jute, introduces a note of modernity.

Lucé’s bathroom fireplace is identical to the one in the bedroom. Prior to the addition of the wall, it had been a billiards parlor with matching mantelpieces. Here, as elsewhere, I tried to create a bathroom that looked as it might have when bathrooms were first added to historic châteaux approximately a century ago. I positioned the tub so as to overlook the garden and provided a book stand, in case my guests prefer to read while soaking.

As in every house, no matter how elaborate, everyone gravitates to the kitchen—and for obvious reasons. In the casual dining room—originally the bedroom of the château’s mistress—I selected artworks featuring animals and wildlife, including two scenes of hunting dogs training their eyes on pheasants. Much of the furniture is English and captures the spirit of a casual country house. I painted the interiors of the Regency cabinets powder blue, a color that appears as well in the carpet and porcelain. The curtains, a neutral tone similar to that of the walls, frame small eighteenthcentury daybeds that, with their nailheads and raw linen, serve as rustic lures for guests who want to curl up and read. OPPOSITE A ND A BOV E: FOLLOW ING PAGES:

It’s not the most original idea, I know, but I typically separate couples so that strangers who might otherwise not speak with one another have a chance to become friends. Sometimes, to liven up a formal dinner, instead of using traditional place cards, I’ll leave books or magazines—each meant to represent a specific guest—at different place settings and let people figure out which was meant for them.