Displaying posts labeled "Castle/Manor"

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.

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.

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.

This house for sale was part of the monastic complex of Santes Creus (12th century, in Catalonia). It served as a hospital and warehouse at different times, until in 1835, as a result of the Spanish confiscation, the family that currently owns the property bought it. Due to its configuration, the property could be divided into three homes, making the necessary adaptations. It has 8 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms over 690m² and is beautifully restored so the new owners have nothing to do but move in their furntiture and enjoy! For sale for €2,495,000 via Lucas Fox.