REAL LIFE
after which Fiona and Miles returned to work in Cairo and the boys to schools in England, and the house became a place they spent their holidays. It was the onset of Covid-19,
that led Fiona and Miles to return to the house full time to restore and furnish the remaining rooms and work on the garden.
Naturally stylish, the Blue Bathroom; and how the beautiful space looked before the work was done on it!
life in Africa and concentrate on renovating the house and settling the children. Having read French at
university, the language wasn’t a barrier to Fiona and she first set about searching for an architect to help restore the property and make the layout of the house better suited to a young family. She wanted someone very local, who would be excited about the project. “We went with François
de la Serre, who has become quite well known for several prestigious projects across France, including an Olympic stadium, but he was newly qualified at the time. This was his first residential project and he put his heart and soul into proving his worth,” says Fiona. “François spent time with
all of us asking how we would each use the house. He asked the children whether they liked spending more time outside or more time inside watching TV and playing computer games, and he tried to get a steer on us and our interests. As we are all very outdoorsy, he made the TV room quite small, whereas the communal eating and socialising spaces are larger.”
MAKING A START As they weren’t changing the footprint of the property, there was no need to obtain planning permission for the restoration, and Fiona began searching for tradespeople soon after the plans were finalised. “I was keen to use only local
builders and artisans for the work,” says Fiona. “Not only are they used to working with the materials and restoring the architectural features native
to the area, using them was also another way of helping us to become part of the local community. And also, it means a lot to Miles and I to discover people and help them grow; in part, that’s what we have spent 30 years doing across Africa. “Local craftsmanDalla Barba
made the staircase. He drove all the way from Aquitaine to Burgundy to inspect the huge ash tree trunk that he wanted to use for the six-metre banisters and a year later he arrived with the staircase. “His 18-month delivery estimate sounded like a long time, but it was more than worth the wait,” Fiona says. The day he installed
the staircase, all the other workmen downed tools and applauded his workmanship and we all had an apéritif to
celebrate, there was a real feeling of team spirit.” Fiona is also a big fan of
recycling and upcycling where possible. Some of the kitchen units, for example, were made using the walnut wood from a buffet sideboard in what was the original dining room. “We saved this wood from the bonfire and had a local furniture maker, Jean François Laporte from Nerac, transform the original 18th- century walnut sideboard into a beautiful kitchen,” says Fiona. “Most of the furniture here has been sourced locally from brocantes or slowly shipped here from the homes we had in Cairo and Dakar.” The first phase of the project
saw two-thirds of the property restored, and the family lived there full time until 2006,
OPEN FOR BUSINESS With all four boys having flown the nest, the large family home felt empty, so Fiona was keen to open it up to let others enjoy its charms. She decided to revisit a concept she had developed from observing women’s empowerment projects. “Whether it was working
with a group of women in forest clearings or the Sahara Desert, I learned that people everywhere benefit from getting together and sharing their wisdom. I wanted to recreate that experience here, so I’ve spent the past three years developing creative getaways. “We now open up the house
for small groups to come here to relax, create and learn. Guests from all over the world gather here with their teacher for embroidery or botanical illustration, for example. They love the secluded luxurious home-from-home experience. We’ve welcomed zen hen parties, school reunions, cyclists and wine connoisseurs. I really enjoy showing them around the markets, brocantes and local sights such as the Latour Marliac Waterlily Nursery where Claude Monet bought his plants. “It is lovely to watch our
It's hard to believe that this empty space now holds several smart bedrooms
guests wind down from their busy lives. They can do yoga in our orangerie in the morning, then spend a day in the barn studio, painting or sewing. Organic homemade meals are served on the large terrace overlooking the pool built in the ruins of a 15th-century building near the main house. “So far the marketing has
only been by word of mouth recommendation and I can happily say the groups keep returning for more!”■
The Pavilion de musique, aſter the work (leſt), and in a sorry state before (right) 42 FRENCH PROPERTY NEWS: January/February 2024
Find out more about visiting Château de Pécile at
chateaudepecile.com
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