Everyone has pipe dreams," says Mark Selwood wistfully, "and ours was to become the owners of a rambling old chateau in the French countryside." Leaving behind fast-paced careers in television and fashion in London, Mark and his wife Nicky, together with their two young sons, embarked on a search of rural France for the perfect property. "There are lots of empty chateaux all over France, but the cost of renovating them is so enormous, it would make no financial sense to do it, even as a commercial enterprise," Mark admits, "so it was a case of finding one that was the right size, and was easily convertible." Enter Chateau de la Couronne. When the family first saw the imposing mansion it was being used as a college, "this meant that it was relatively well maintained and in sound structural condition, but the interior layout was incredibly institutionalised; it was full of partitioned walls, with 30 bedrooms, shower blocks, even rows of toilet cubicles!" Mark recalls, shuddering with the memory of having to unearth striking original features under layers of concrete.
"We have always been drawn to old buildings," he says, "there is such an element of surprise when you start renovating; when you smash ceilings out and find that a false ceiling was covering up a 17th century ornamental cornice or centuries worth of concrete was blocking up an original inglenook fireplace."
The restoration process took two years and an inordinate amount of patience and dedication, both from the family who camped out in various rooms of the chateau during the process and the tradesmen who painstakingly uncovered the features one by one. "The most exciting discovery was the exposed stonework in the stone salon," Mark says. "We had to take a giant leap of faith when we started chipping off the years of plaster, but after 12 weeks of intense work, a stunning honey-coloured local stone was uncovered and the quality is just fabulous."
Restoring the basic architectural splendour of the home was not limited to merely peeling off layers of neglect. In some instances, the couple had to reinstate period features. "It was disappointing to find that some of the original fireplaces had been ripped out, so we sourced reclaimed fireplaces from the right era as we felt it imperative that all the basic architectural and sculptural details were age-appropriate," Mark explains.
Poky dark rooms were refigured into light-flooded salons and spacious suites that manage to attain that elusive balance between tradition and modernity. "We both believe very strongly that you shouldn't become a slave to the past," Mark stresses. "We didn't want to recreate the 17th century with ornate furniture and heavy tapestries, because we are in the 21st century and we wanted to introduce modern contemporary design to a very traditional setting."
He says modern, we say fabulously eclectic, as retro-iconic designs such as Arne Jacobsen's egg chair sit amiably alongside vintage Chesterfield sofas, plastic and acrylic 1970s accessories and ornate objets d'art picked up from the couple's exotic travels in the Far East and India. "The house is a definite representation of Nicky and me; her taste leans towards the unique and ornate, and I'm drawn to furniture and items from the 1960s and 70s, very clean lines and predominantly plastic, so the end result is a real fusion of those two," he laughs. "The mix sounds bizarre on paper, but we think it works."
In France, between May and October, every weekend sees a plethora of brocantes (antique fairs) taking place up and down the country, and these have proved invaluable resources for accessorising the chateau. "We've been very lucky and managed to source most of the items from a 50-mile radius," Mark says. "We are always on the look out for accessories and furniture. We do have a very big space to fill after all!"
Now that the renovation is complete, the chateau is the ideal backdrop for hosting weddings and being rented out for family reunions. It has garnered an enviable reputation for providing a unique hospitality space in the heart of rural Charente. Even Hollywood's royal couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have holidayed within the chateau's palatial walls. Mark offers an insight into the chateau's unique appeal: "I suppose a cool modern interior within an ancient stone chateau is quite an uncommon sight, but we often say to people, if this was just our home and it wasn't hired out to guests, it would look exactly the same. We wanted to own something that we would like to stay in, and if you're going to change your life's direction in this way, you might as well do it in a chateau!"
For more information visit: www.chateaudelacouronne.com
