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Chateau Rigaud

Renovated chateau in Rigaud, France

Chateau Rigaud was built between the 15th and 18C on rising ground in the heart of the great Bordeaux winelands. It is now owned and has been beautifully restored by a young English couple who bought the property while on a break from their busy London careers. With the help of design-savvy friends and teams of Australian and South African travelling builders they have stripped the enormous rooms back to their basic structure, retaining the old tiled and wooden floors, fireplaces and beams - they removed all the windows and repaired them and re-wired and plumbed the entire house. A mix of rich deep colours, from aubergine to darkest blue-green were chosen for many of the rooms while others are painted in duck-egg blue and buff. A friend handmade the 4 mtr tall curtains in silks and velvets found in London markets. Because the scale of the rooms demanded large pieces of furniture the owners looked East to Java for custom-sized reclaimed teak beds, tables and chairs. Bathrooms feature freestanding roll-top baths and large showers. New terraces have been made and planted, a wildflower meadow and an orchard. The owners moved full-time to France shortly after buying the house.