Inside Sydneysider’s French chateau renovations
It took just 90 minutes for Gabrielle Howard and Steven Morris to fall in love with a tiny medieval village 10 years ago and decide to buy a piece of history.
It took about 90 minutes for Sydneysiders Gabrielle Howard and Steven Morris to be smitten by a charming historic chateau in the tiny, medieval French village of Chalabre in the Occitanie region of the south of France.
“At the end of our first tour of the chateau we both looked at each other and decided we should go ahead with the purchase and start renovating,” Howard says.
“We have always had a passion for France and planned to buy something and had a list of criteria – it had to be in a vibrant, non-touristy “active” rural village and have a great community – we wanted something with a heart and soul and that’s exactly what we found.
“We were also attracted to the area because it’s always so lush and green – has great nature trails plus biking, horseriding and skiing and amazing scenery including the Cathar castle ruins – but it’s the village of 1200 people with its festivals and events that we love the most.”
The building of Chateau Terre Blanche – by French count Joseph-Gabriel Breitbach, who had businesses in Argentina and friends in Chalabre – started in 1911 and took nine years to complete.
Over the years, it had been well preserved, which was also a deciding factor when the couple signed the contract in July 2014.
“We have done a lot to it – including the bedrooms, bathrooms, plumbing and rewiring but the structure was there, and the previous owner was an antique dealer, so we purchased some of the furniture and have just collected more over the years,” Howard says.
“We worked with a mix of French and English-speaking tradespeople but even if you do have pretty good French, it’s not easy when it comes to plumbing details.”
One of the challenges they faced was everything in the chateau is on such a huge scale, with enormously high ceilings and anything you buy looks tiny, she says.
“We have gradually done it up with the help of Sydney interior designer Beverley Gibson of Gibson Design – we would even transport soft furnishings over in our luggage,” Howard says.
At first, they thought they should strip flowered wallpaper from the grand staircase and upstairs walls, but it was just too big a job. So Gibson cleverly matched it to a lemon colour to enhance the pattern, which has worked well.
The couple, both endocrinologists, travel to France twice a year, renting the chateau for family holidays, weddings and live-in language, art and yoga courses which have proven popular. A French chef, au pair and tour guides can also be organised. The chateau rents for €4500 ($7430) a week, with stays a minimum of three nights.
The chateau has five well-appointed, spacious, upstairs bedrooms and two, two-bedroom suites for up to 16 people, with lavish ensuite bathrooms. There are plans to renovate more. Two-toned silk curtains are draped above the windows in the main bedrooms and several intricate carved ceilings took up to two years to paint, pre-acquisition.
Downstairs, there’s a library, beautiful formal Blue Salon, Grand Salon with a baroque hand-carved wooden fireplace, a gymnasium, and a dining room with a south-facing outdoor terrace that’s perfect for alfresco meals and summer breezes. The chateau is surrounded by high stone walls with expansive grounds, manicured lawn, parterre gardens, an international petanque court and pool and outdoor area. Howard says although renovating a property in France seemed overwhelming at times, they have done things gradually and sought advice along the way.
“We have been warmly welcomed into the village and the mayor and the villagers are very pleased the property has been restored and given a new life. Chalabre really is a place where holiday-makers can be immersed into village life and we love it,” she says.
