Ian Wallace | John Hersey
If you happen to’re a fan of Channel 4’s Escape to the Chateau, or have seen pictures of one of many 45 rooms in Château de la Motte-Husson, you may recognise Dick and Angel Strawbridge as essentially the most fearless of decorators. With a style for daring and eccentric design, the couple have remodeled a as soon as uncared for shell right into a vibrant household house.
Angel and her husband Dick bought their lovely nineteenth century chateau within the French commune of Martigné-sur-Mayenne in 2015, bringing the five-storey constructing again to life after years of neglect.
Right here, we take a peek contained in the chateau, and delve into the design particulars, styling strategies and ending touches that now we have lengthy loved on our screens.
John Hersey
This fabulous nook demonstrates a number of the key traits of the Strawbridge inside design model. Curiosities abound – we love the butterflies mounted in swirling shapes up the wall – the wooden is darkish, however pure gentle floods in to counter its heaviness, the furnishings is vintage, and the styling relaxed with a contact of the sudden.
Distinctive trinkets and classic finds fill the house, and carry sentimental worth. “My work room is full of so many particular reminiscences that I’ve collected through the years. There’s outdated telephones and royal memorabilia that I’ve picked up. And I’ve obtained bins of these items!” Angel tells Nation Dwelling in our latest interview.
Ian Wallace
The grand residing areas are a deal with to take a look at, embracing true maximalism within the mixture of color, sample, eras and design types.
This use of color is a intelligent one in a interval house. So typically, doorways, flooring and wall panelling use a mahogany or darkish walnut, and a few daring color is required to offset its richness. Metallic finishes do the same job, plus they will bounce the sunshine across the room – that fabulous XL wall artwork mixes the 2 successfully.
The Strawbridges have a quintessential French nation kitchen, marrying the performance required of a working room with the charming and informal styling so widespread in grand French houses.
The star of the present is the black vary cooker, framed with an array of copper pots and pans – hanging your extra engaging kitchen utensils from the ceiling or on a wall-mounted rail is typical of nation houses.
Ian Wallace
Using patterned tiles on the central island is a stunning one, and one thing that may be so simply replicated in your personal house. If you do not have a kitchen island, you may create a splash again in the same model or a wall mural depicting candy farmyard scenes.
Get the look: An ‘Escape to the Chateau’ kitchen
The chateau’s whimsical bedrooms use elaborate vintage beds, wearing Angel’s personal cover covers and cushions, in the stores at a number of UK shops like Wayfair and Subsequent.
Ian Wallace
Mixing new and outdated is one thing that Angel mastered early on. “In my early days it was all very thrift-led, however the fashions have modified through the years. I at all times used to pop into Woolworths when it was nonetheless round,” she says. “There are a few retailers in France that I like, resembling Maisons du Monde and Anthropologie. I additionally love these curiosity retailers which you can marvel previous. It could possibly really feel a bit an excessive amount of when you solely have second-hand gadgets at house, so it is good to have that mixture. We have that actual combination of every thing.”
Get the look: ‘Escape to the Chateau’ color and sample
By way of a design philosophy, Angel embraces fearlessness. “What’s the worst that may occur? Dick says that quite a bit to me. We are able to typically be scared about doing issues as a result of we’re nervous in regards to the consequence. Even when you must repaint one thing or sand it again, what’s the worst that would occur? There aren’t many circumstances the place issues cannot be mounted. It is all about giving it a go.”
