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Castle
11 Rooms
•
570 m²
La Romieu
999 000 €
If you are looking for a ‘statement' property and love large light-filled rooms and endless views, this is the perfect place for you. This property is impressive in every way; the pristine stone façade on all sides, the spacious well-proportioned courtyard, the natural spring bubbling up from the rocks beneath the orangery, the views, the large light-filled rooms. Even the swimming pool has a private park of over 1,500 m²! There are two entrances to the property; from the front of the house, we can pass through an electric gate and drive up the approximately 500 metre tree-lined drive, catching glimpses of the chateau as we progress. For the day-to-day school or shopping runs, there is another semi-private road that arrives at the back gates, which are framed by an ancient stone archway. Once past the gates, there is ample parking in the courtyard. Here, we can access the main house through the front door, or a side door that leads to the kitchen. We enter the front door from the enclosed courtyard, into a wide hall that runs along the back of the house, leaving all the reception rooms to face the front. The front hall leads to a good-sized study with double doors leading outside. From here, we can access all the reception rooms ‘en enfilade'. This room would make an ideal library. Here too, we can access the large terrace that runs the length of the front of the house, offering panoramic views of the château park and the valley. This is the ideal spot to sit and sip an aperitif in the evening and watch the birds swooping across the sky above the rolling hills. On the right of the study is the dining room, with double aspect windows, a fireplace, and parquet flooring. Off the dining room is a good-sized kitchen with a large open fireplace, access to the courtyard and a small pantry. This is the main kitchen, as it is close to the dining room, but for serious cooks there is a second, much larger kitchen on the other side of the house, which we will come to later. There are two main salons, both with stunning views, parquet floors and fireplaces. These are lovely spaces to sit and relax; one of them could be a good games & TV room and the other one could be used for receiving guests, or just to read a good book curled up on a comfortable sofa. At the far end of the house, we come to the 53 m² bar/party room. This room has attractive wooden floors and doors leading to the terrace, and is the ideal spot for a big family reunion, a children's party or a disco themed fête on a summer evening. There is already a large wooden bar with a sink and room for a half-sized fridge – and plenty of space to keep drinks and glasses. It even has his & hers WCs! A room behind the bar could be used as a billiard room or even a very large mudroom – as it opens on to a side terrace on the pool side of the house. Beyond this room is another guest WC, a door that leads to the cellars, and at the far end, an enormous (56 m²) second kitchen with fireplace and 4 sets of doors leading outside. First floor Having toured the ground floor in a wide circle, we come back to the main hallway where a well-proportioned wooden staircase leads to the first floor. The first floor is in symmetry with the ground floor. A wide landing runs the length of the house and there are windows overlooking the courtyard. All but one of the bedrooms faces the view, and all have large windows to catch the light. On the left, once you go up the stairs, is the largest of six bedrooms, all with private bath or shower rooms. This first bedroom has a large bathroom with a traditional free-standing bathtub and a separate shower. The sink, bidet and WC all have a pretty flower pattern on them, and there is a window. The bedroom measures over 55 m², and has two large windows and carpeted floors. It has a half-wall that could form a separate dressing room, but this would be a quick job to tear down and restore the original proportions. The floor here is carpeted. Opposite this room a locked door leads to an unfinished room that can then connect to the first floor of the outbuildings. All this could be finished to provide more living space, but so far, the present owner has not felt the need to expand. As we walk down the corridor, there are two further en suite bedrooms, both facing the garden and the stunning views. Both have big closets and parquet flooring. Further along the hallway, the fourth bedroom is smaller than the others, and the bathroom needs some work. It is also the only bedroom that does not face the front of the property. The floor here is carpeted. Bedroom five is spacious and has a good-sized shower room. The floors are parquet and there are two windows. Bedroom six is bigger (30 m²) and has a marble fireplace and parquet flooring. It also has two windows facing the wonderful views and a large bathroom with both a shower and a bathtub. A door in the back hall opens to reveal a staircase leading down to the extensive cellars built into the rock. Here we find the oil-fired furnace that heats the house. There is a long room with a vaulted ceiling that could make an impressive wine cellar, a large storage room and another long room with doors to the garden, followed by two smaller spaces. There is so much space here, and as there are several large doors opening to the garden, this part of the house could be used for a variety of things, including garden equipment storage, a wine cellar or tasting room, a winter greenhouse…there are many possibilities. The grounds here form the perfect setting for the house itself. There are stone terraces on all sides, and a natural spring feeds the large ornamental fishpond in front of the house. This spring is one of the unusual elements in the property. It is accessed by an open-air stone staircase that goes down into a cave where a basin has been carved out of the rock. Water bubbles out of a corner of the rock all year round, we are told, and feeds the ornamental pond in the grounds. This is a magical space and it is easy to imagine that generations of chateau dwellers have come down here to cool off in the summer heat or just to look at the bubbling water and be soothed by its music. There is also a large wooded area on one side of the property and a number of beautiful mature trees in the park area. Behind the main building, through the archway below the tower, there is a grassy area and a side terrace. Here is where the main driveway comes up to the house, and here is the gate to the separate garden which contains the swimming pool. There are lovely views here too, and the area is very peaceful. The large pool offers two separate areas; one to play water polo or just relax, and another part to swim laps. There is a Mediterranean-style pool house with an enclosed patio and a built-in BBQ, and inside the house is a small kitchen area, room for a fridge, a WC and a shower. So, you can spend the day by the pool and still have cold drinks, snacks and even lunch without going back to the house! The property is built in a U-shape, so that all one side comprises the chateau, and it is attached to the outbuildings via a large back kitchen with a room to renovate above, followed by a charming tower with an arched passageway leading to the back terraces, the main driveway, and the pool area. On the other side of the U is an estimated 200 m² building comprising a series of large rooms, several with vaulted stone ceilings, and a space above with windows. On the courtyard opposite the kitchen, there is also a separate 50 m² stone building that currently serves as a rather magnificent laundry room. Attached to it is an enclosed area of about 50 m² that has served in the past as an orangery. There is a small guardian's cottage to renovate completely which is attached to the outbuildings and accessible both from the barns and from a door on the other side of the back entry gates. This property could make an amazing family home, which in fact it has been in recent years. It could also lend itself to any one of a number of projects, from a luxury B&B to an art or yoga retreat. It is big, but on a human scale, and the rooms don't overwhelm; rather they invite you in. It is an ideal house for entertaining, and will appeal to a wide variety of clientele. We fell in love with the wonderful views and the elegance of the park with its beautifully proportioned ornamental pond reflecting the façade of the house. The sense of light and space in both the reception rooms and the large bedrooms is just magical, and we were itching to offer suggestions on how to decorate and furnish this property to bring out the best in it.
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