ABOVE: Château Chic
France for Nature Lovers- A Perfect French Château
If, when you imagine a perfect French château, you dream of honeycoloured stone, a tall tower, romantic views across open countryside and a hefty dollop of luxury living, then Château de Lartigolle will tick all your boxes. It certainly did for three friends, Nick Austin and Emma and Chris Newton, when they were looking for a property to turn into their own boutique hotel.
With the idea of running a chic retreat in France firmly in their minds, the three of them gave up successful careers in graphic design, sold their London homes and started house-hunting in earnest. “We wanted something that would give us a buzz when we first saw it,” explains Chris. “That was most important. We knew we needed a place with ‘wow’ factor.”
Hidden treasure
Originally they looked around the côte d’Azur, but driving through France, they made a detour through the Gers in the south-west, a still largely unknown region of undulating, wooded countryside dotted with medieval bastide villages. Here, they discovered Château de Lartigolle.
“We drove through the entrance gates and arrived at the central courtyard with its huge chestnut trees and I knew this was the place for us,” says Emma. “We’re completely smitten with this region. The Pyrénées are nearby for skiing, Toulouse is a bustling, cosmopolitan city just an hour away and right here, we’re surrounded by fabulous countryside. It’s really a very special part of France and Château de Lartigolle is a very special house.”
The 17th-century château sits on high ground, its tower rising above the 22 acres of woodland that surrounds it. The property has landscaped grounds, a swimming pool, tennis courts, vineyards, an impressive vegetable garden (proudly tended by Nick) and orchards. The house itself is full of elegant, tall-ceilinged rooms infused with soft southern sunlight and has been decorated with a fashionable mix of French antiques and contemporary furniture and decor. Add to this list the indefatigable energies and enthusiasms of Emma, Chris and Nick and it should come as no small surprise that Château de Lartigolle was recently voted one of the top 100 places to stay in the world by Harpers and Queen magazine.
Behind the success is a lot of hard work, not least redecorating the château. “We wanted a French country home feel but we wanted luxury and a touch of glamour too,” says Chris. Emma was in charge of the main bedrooms and luckily for their guests, she believes that comfort is an essential part of good design. To this end, she insisted on the very best mattresses and crisp white linens from Cologne and Cotton and The White Company, not to mention enough pillows to make one of their guests recently claim getting into bed at the château was like sinking gently into a soft cloud.
Emma chose elegant colour schemes in each room; rich browns, pale blues, antique reds and fern-fresh greens. “I love wallpapers,” she says. “We were inspired by classic French château style, toile de Jouy and mahogany bateau lits but we wanted a touch of modernity too. Wallpaper works well in these spacious, well-proportioned rooms and there are some stunning designs available from companies who have been in business for centuries and have a rich history to call upon. I was able to choose papers that reflected our desire to mix traditional and contemporary style. We sourced incredible handmade papers from Brunschwig & Fils in New York and GP & J Baker, and Cole and Son in London.”
New and old
The classic papers create a colour-rich backdrop for the eclectic mix of modern and antique furnishings sourced from London, New York and local French brocantes. In one of the three sitting rooms, comfy modern sofas sit alongside 1930s art deco leather armchairs. On the wall a Pop Art print of Jimi Hendrix keeps an eye on a traditional French grandmother clock ticking steadily next to the fireplace. In the ceiling, in place of a chandelier, a giant lampshade from Andrew Martin’s London store forms a fun focal point.
“We’re always adding things,” says Emma. “I always carry swatches of our wallpapers in my handbag just in case I find an antique shop or a flea market to visit!”
Nick, Emma and Chris originally opened the château as a boutique hotel but soon realised that they wanted to offer something different. “It’s a lovely old house and it’s really too intimate to turn into a straightforward hotel,” Chris explains. “We want to give people a sense of ownership when they come here. We want them to feel it’s their château for the time they are here.”
Tailor-made stay
As a house-party hotel, the château is a beautiful venue for weddings, family gettogethers, birthday celebrations etc. Everything is tailored to the individual needs of their guests and it is this aspect that Nick, Chris and Emma find particularly enjoyable. “We’re here to facilitate the good times,” says Chris. “If guests want to hire the château and selfcater, that’s absolutely fine. We can be as present or as invisible as they want. On the other hand, if they want meals and maid service, we can do that too. We can organise parties, live bands, music, massage, hot-air ballooning, hunting, shooting, fishing, you name it – we can make it happen. Whatever you want, we can organise it!”
If you do choose to eat at the château you can expect local, seasonal produce including the choice picks from Nick’s vegetable garden. Nick and Emma are Lartigolle’s chefs and pride themselves on sourcing the finest local produce. “Our cooking style has developed since living here,” explains Nick. “In London you can buy any kind of ingredient you want at any time of the year. Here the emphasis is on the seasons and you realise that the taste and quality of locally produced foods is just so much better than food that has travelled. These days we don’t offer a menu. We find out what people don’t like or can’t eat and then make a trip to the market to see what’s looking good. It keeps our passion for cooking alive and our guests are delighted.”
On a personal level Nick, Chris and Emma have found themselves a home in south-west France and a lifestyle that suits them. Nick even plays football for the local village team. “We are so happy here,” says Emma. Judging by their continuing success so is everyone at Château de Lartigolle.
Château de Lartigolle, 32550, Pessan Tel: (Fr) 5 62 63 26 27 or visit www.lartigolle.com
For details of Lartigolle and other house-party hotels in France visit www.thebigdomain.com