Displaying posts labeled "Castle/Manor"

La Huerta Grande

Posted on Sun, 13 Aug 2023 by KiM

Lucas Fox presents this historical estate, the Huerta Grande, Mudejar architectural heritage of the beautiful town of La Zubia. Once owned by the Marquis of Montes, as the stone shield of arms shows on the façade, the palace was used by Manuel de Falla, famous Spanish composer, who spent his summer holidays at the estate. It was rebuilt in 1840, although ancient notarial deeds show that it is much older, dating back to before the 17th century. The main property has 9 bedrooms, 7 bathrooms, 3 kitchens, and 6 apartments within the stables and guard house (totaling 15 bedrooms and 13 bathrooms). Outside there is apparently a pool, vegetable gardens, an orchard, several terraces, 3 Andalusian patios….
This property has so much potential within the outdoor spaces I don’t even care about the interior. Sounds like you could turn this into quite a money making property by creating your own space and then holiday rental spaces with the rest. For sale for €1,575,000.

The magical 19th century home of Rose Uniacke

Posted on Wed, 9 Aug 2023 by KiM

Rose Uniacke is the doyenne of understated, elegant design. Her 1860s mansion in London’s Pimlico neighborhood is everything she exudes in her designs. It is stately, exquisitely minimal, poetic, intentional, restrained and absolute perfection.
“I fell for this house years before we bought it. There was a magic. But it was too large, too damaged and most definitely too big a project. My husband, David and I walked away; it would be madness to take it on. But it never left me. I often thought about how I might tame it’s space, just enough to become liveable. Three years later, it was still there. Nobody else would touch it, and we took the plunge.” Photos: François Halard

The edifice’s layout is typical of others in this town where buildings interlock with one another and stand around inner courtyards and gardens. The property extends from a main street on its north side, where you find the shop space and apartment, both currently rented out, to a secondary parallel street on its south side, where you enter a garage. It is made up of three distinct buildings that stand between two parallel streets. These sections are separated by outdoor spaces: a patio, a garden and terraces. The first building faces the main street. It has three floors with an unconverted loft space. Its entrance hallway leads to the grand town house and to the ground-floor shop space. The hallway also leads up to the apartment. The second building has a single-storey 18th-century main section made of dressed stone that faces a court, which is partly covered. A four-floor medieval tower with a loft adjoins this section. This edifice has a wooden terrace on its south side and a walled garden. On the narrow street on the south side, there is a separate stone building that adjoins two other properties. It houses a vast ground-floor garage and an upstairs space with sloping attic ceilings that could be converted.
This property in the town of Lectoure could sound more intriguing. You get a little bit of everything you could possibly want, and more! All of the pleasures of owning a castle, without the burden of owning a castle. I am DYING over this. For sale via Patrice Besse for 1 295 000 €.

Buying a new house is an exciting venture. It involves a careful search for the perfect property, negotiations, securing a mortgage, and finalizing the deal. Once you’ve signed the papers, it’s time to prepare for the big move. This ultimate guide to moving will help you navigate this transition smoothly, and it includes planning, organizing, packing, moving day success, and making your new space feel like home. Whether you’re a first-time homebuyer or a seasoned mover, this guide will be an invaluable resource during this significant life change.

Riad Hiptage

Posted on Sun, 30 Jul 2023 by KiM

I thought it was about time that I spend a Sunday sharing Morocco’s version of a castle (I guess more of a palace) so welcome to Riad Hiptage. Located in the Medina of Tetouan, it was built in the 19th century and renovated in 2020, has 10 bedrooms, 6 full baths, large Moroccan salons, two bright patios, a terrace and a fountain. This home is to die for – from the arch details and columns to the tilework and stained glass windows, the massive ceiling height and courtyard…..I cannot fathom living in a home this beautiful. For sale for 1M € via Christie’s International Real Estate.

Château de Sibra

Posted on Sun, 23 Jul 2023 by KiM

If you are unsure if château life is for you, why not stay in one a few nights and see if it’s to your liking? Château de Sibra in Lagarde, Occitanie, France is an absolute delight. Purchased by an architect in 2017, it was restored and opened in the summer of 2021 for short term stays via Welcome Beyond.
While the ground floor was lived in (with a very 1950s French style), the second floor hadn’t been used in a long time and was largely untouched (except for a new roof). Because it was in its original state, we had the old wallpapers and flooring to work with. We were able to reprint many of the wallpapers using the original paper and pigments and we had a team in Morocco who redid some of the tiles. In the places where we couldn’t recreate the original features, we interpreted them as closely as possible using the same colours. In terms of the interior design, I wanted to put pieces of furniture in the rooms that stood in the space. But if you removed them, it wouldn’t destroy the existing room. I love contemporary furniture and have been collecting it all my life, so designing the interiors of the chateau was a good opportunity to declutter my home in Switzerland.


If that wasn’t fabulous enough, on the northern side is a medieval-looking building that was originally a horse stable while on the southern side is a building constructed from concrete and steel. The stables have now been transformed into apartments while the storage area under the roof (where herbs and sausages were once kept) is now the studio. Where the castle caretaker and gardener once lived with their families is now the Maison de Métayer, a symmetrically designed building with five rooms and one suite. There is a large communal kitchen and a salon, as well as a private garden. Also available as rentals via Welcome Beyond.