Category Archives: What we did, how we did it and what we used

Here you will find our posts on products, materials, suppliers, techniques and tools we have used.
And a few hard won hints on what you might want to avoid when undertaking a project in France.
We aren’t professionals and this is based on our personal experiences; but it may save you time, money and grief.
Down the right hand side of the blog you will find tags and a search box; just type in whatever you are looking for & posts on that topic will pop right up.

Christmas project-part one

Posted on December 27, 2020 by coteetcampagne

BLEACHED, FADED PAINT FINISH At last, some time to work on our house!! Our kitchen and sitting room are on the first floor. Not unusual in village houses here, but it limits flooring options when your room is thirty feet … Continue reading →

Posted in What we did, how we did it and what we used | Tagged BLEACHED, chalk, DRIFTWOOD, floor, kitchen, paint, varnish | 10 Comments

Log store

Posted on August 13, 2020 by coteetcampagne

Trev built us a log store The only new wood purchased were the battens. Rest recycled from house junk and our friend’s old shutters. Part of our plan to turn front of workshop into boot room and entry space. Current … Continue reading →

Posted in Renovation and restoration diary- France, What we did, how we did it and what we used | Tagged boot room, entry, hally, log store, recycled, wood | 1 Comment

Dusty Miller

Posted on April 7, 2020 by coteetcampagne

Dusty Miller is this beautiful, very pale blue with a subtle grey undertone. One of those nuanced colours that seems to straddle more than one chromatic range. And, though I have only just noticed this, it matches the inside of … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, design and inspiration blog, Renovation and restoration diary- France, What we did, how we did it and what we used | Tagged Autentico, chalk, china, cups, natural, paint | 7 Comments

Post Paint View

Posted on April 5, 2020 by coteetcampagne

Kitchen ceiling finished, this wall almost finished. Brackets to mount under the little white painted wall cabinet Trolley needs new feet to line up with other surfaces Art Nouveau tiled splashback to go up Smaller cupboard to paint Inside of … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, design and inspiration blog, Renovation and restoration diary- France, What we did, how we did it and what we used | Tagged ceiling, kitchen, paint, wall | 7 Comments

Woodless

Posted on April 3, 2020 by coteetcampagne

I never thought that I would see the day, but we are close to running out of wood stocks, both new and reycled! Last offcuts of the floor boards we bought for the kitchen diner are being trimmed down for … Continue reading →

Posted in Renovation and restoration diary- France, What we did, how we did it and what we used | Tagged clock, recycled, shelves, wood | 4 Comments

The clock case

Posted on April 2, 2020 by coteetcampagne

So, now Trev has finished panelling in the new wiring in the kitchen, I can fill, paint and finish this wall and the ceiling. My Unfitted French Kitchen story continues on this, the Wall of Worry ( put that into … Continue reading →

Posted in Antique and Vintage finds, Art, design and inspiration blog, Renovation and restoration diary- France, What we did, how we did it and what we used | Tagged case, clock, comtoise clock, kitchen, long, paint, panelling, storage, Troc, unfitted | 8 Comments

Twiddly bits

Posted on February 11, 2020 by coteetcampagne

So here is Trev, up a ladder once more, panelling in new electric feeds and junction box. He only has to cut the 1 cm plywood to fit around the differently shaped beams, all with different sized spaces between. And … Continue reading →

Posted in Renovation and restoration diary- France, What we did, how we did it and what we used | Tagged electric, kitchen, panel, wood | Comments Off

Further news on the wet room

Posted on September 24, 2019 by coteetcampagne

Back on the ground floor wet room project again. We had a slightly anxious night waiting for the floor grout to go off, not only because it did not look anything like the carefully chosen grey shade on the packet … Continue reading →

Posted in Renovation and restoration diary- France, What we did, how we did it and what we used | Tagged cave, ground floor, grout, tiles, wet room | 2 Comments

More work in wet room

Posted on August 27, 2019 by coteetcampagne

So, we have tanking fabric smoothed and bonded to walls, the drains and floor tiles are in, but not grouted. One and a half walls tiled and a functional toilet. Boxing in for corner basin and shower assembly started. 12 … Continue reading →

Posted in Renovation and restoration diary- France, What we did, how we did it and what we used | Tagged brico-depot, bricolage, tanked, tiles, wet room | 2 Comments

Black hole – mid way point wet room

Posted on July 25, 2019 by coteetcampagne

Wednesday-Floor levels are being built up and we seem to be using a lot of this fibrous cement https://www.fr.weber/preparation-et-finition-des-sols/les-ragreages-et-mortiers-de-lissage/weberniv-dur Floor smoothed and skimmed with bed of cement, rubberised film with integral drain glued smooth, then more layers of the fibrous … Continue reading →

Posted in Renovation and restoration diary- France, What we did, how we did it and what we used | Tagged boxing in, marine ply, wet room | 2 Comments

Black hole

Posted on July 20, 2019 by coteetcampagne

This is the smallest space in our French house. I took a couple of photos, and, windowless, it really is dark in there; the further photos are flash – assisted. But you get the picture? The external shot shows the … Continue reading →

Posted in Renovation and restoration diary- France, What we did, how we did it and what we used | Tagged cave, shower, toilet, wash basin, wet room, wetroom | 3 Comments

Details Details 2

Posted on March 26, 2019 by coteetcampagne

I know I need to take these shots with a decent camera, but mine is under a pile of assorted stuff and the mobile phone is handy. Trev has returned to the tulip room ceiling project to start on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Antique and Vintage finds, Art, design and inspiration blog, Renovation and restoration diary- France, What we did, how we did it and what we used | Tagged beams, bed, carved, frame, fretwork, gilded, joists, moulding, panelling, picture, room, tulip, wood | 5 Comments

Panneaux de plafond-The last ceilings go up

Posted on December 19, 2018 by coteetcampagne

At last, the two unfinished ceilings in the tulip bedroom and the adjoining second floor shower room are being addressed. Unfinished might be an understatement. Since we took down the weird, tiled, low faux ceiling in 2008, these two rooms … Continue reading →

Posted in Renovation and restoration diary- France, What we did, how we did it and what we used | Tagged bedroom, carbon zero, ceiling, declassified, insulation, lambris, panelling, pine, recycled, shower room, unclassified, wood | 11 Comments

Thé vert olive

Posted on November 20, 2018 by coteetcampagne

Time to reveal the colour for shutters and cave and garage doors We picked (Trev had slight input) this shade from the Mixing Machine Man in M. Bricolage, Limoux. Being a colourcoded mix-up, it has the highly unromantic title of … Continue reading →

Posted in Renovation and restoration diary- France, What we did, how we did it and what we used | Tagged bois, door, Dulux, green, olive, paint, shutters, titanium, valentine, wood | Comments Off

Tuiles et Toits II

Posted on November 13, 2018 by coteetcampagne

It’s all happening here. Today, just two guys have stripped the greater part of the roof and are currently relaying both reclaimed and new tiles and relaying and repointing the ridge. They are using lime and sand mortar to bed … Continue reading →

Posted in Renovation and restoration diary- France, What we did, how we did it and what we used | Tagged chaux, lime, reclaimed, repointing, roof, sable relaying, sand, tiles | 12 Comments

Tuiles et toits

Posted on November 12, 2018 by coteetcampagne

May I rant, just a little? May I? OK, so you know that we drew a line under the absent ouvriers and moved on? OK, the stainless steel chimney pipes, chapeau, roof insert and collar were all now on site. … Continue reading →

Posted in Renovation and restoration diary- France, What we did, how we did it and what we used | Tagged flashing, log burner, pipes, roof, tiles chimney | 5 Comments

Onward and upward

Posted on October 9, 2018 by coteetcampagne

After a summer of stasis when nothing got done around the French house, we have finally started to address the final work. Everything stopped for a number of reasons: Trev’s new French doctor put him back on a drug cocktail … Continue reading →

Posted in Renovation and restoration diary- France, What we did, how we did it and what we used | Tagged builder, french, house, pipes, plumber, village, work | 9 Comments

Bedroom decoration and refurbishment

Posted on May 12, 2018 by coteetcampagne

Still no luck finding a new changeover person for the Argeles apartment, so doing that ourselves right now. As the apartment has not been decorated for a while, and the bedroom was just a white box, we decided to bite … Continue reading →

Posted in Antique and Vintage finds, Art, design and inspiration blog, What we did, how we did it and what we used | Tagged apartment, appliques, argeles, brocante, dressing table, french, lace, lampshades, painted | 6 Comments

Window seat made with reclaimed materials

Posted on February 23, 2018 by coteetcampagne

Long term followers may remember that we rescued a 19thc side table from a chapel on the point of demolition. Would have ended up in the skip if my brother-in-law and sister hadn’t spotted that we could do something with … Continue reading →

Posted in Antique and Vintage finds, Renovation and restoration diary- France, What we did, how we did it and what we used | Tagged antique, bedroom, chapel, church, demolition, Linen, paint, parana pine, Puginesque, renovation, rescued, restoration, stripped, vintage, wood | 22 Comments

Episode 162- The herringbone kitchen ceiling realised

Posted on October 26, 2017 by coteetcampagne

From this left to this right-photos via these links first stage second stage How? We removed the grotty ceiling tiles (if you are following in our footsteps, PLEASE check that these tiles are not asbestos based!) Clean underside of ceiling … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, design and inspiration blog, Renovation and restoration diary- France, What we did, how we did it and what we used | Tagged aged, artist, beams, ceiling, country, effect, french, houses, insulation, joists, kaolin, kitchen, lambris, painted, pant, rustic, vintage, white washed, wood | 11 Comments

In which Trev loses the will to live again-

Posted on October 15, 2017 by coteetcampagne

You may recall me buying these hand made coppery lights in M. Bricolage a couple of years ago. They had vile plastic hanging flexes. Not a problem, I made ruched linen sleeves for them (sew a tube up with a … Continue reading →

Posted in Renovation and restoration diary- France, What we did, how we did it and what we used | Tagged beams, copper, flex, kitchen, lamps, lights, Linen | 5 Comments

Episode 161- the kitchen ceiling, inspiration from 13th century Domaine at Luc-sur-Aude

Posted on September 16, 2017 by coteetcampagne

You remember the horrible kitchen ceiling? The one I demolished and then started wondering about half way through if the insulation tile was asbestos? horrible kitchen ceiling post In common with most old and some new French houses, the ceilings … Continue reading →

Posted in Renovation and restoration diary- France, What we did, how we did it and what we used | Tagged barn, beams, Castillou, cave, ceiling, french, herringbone, house, joists, kitchen, lambris, paint, renovation, restoration, village, wine, wood | 17 Comments

Episode 160- the penultimate bit of plasterboarding

Posted on August 26, 2017 by coteetcampagne

This was the entrance to the kitchen when we bought the French house. You may struggle to see all the improvements but we can! Above and to the left of the doorway (in which there will be no door) there … Continue reading →

Posted in Renovation and restoration diary- France, What we did, how we did it and what we used | Tagged building materials, door, doorway, french, house, kitchen, lintel, old, plasterboarding, renovation, restoration, village | 22 Comments

Episode 159- Working on the salon door

Posted on August 21, 2017 by coteetcampagne

Do you remember the truly hideous door in the salon? This did not say “hello, I’m a French village house salon door” in any language. It’s sole merit was that it fitted, and adjusting reclaimed doors, or their frames, to fit … Continue reading →

Posted in Antique and Vintage finds, Renovation and restoration diary- France, What we did, how we did it and what we used | Tagged antique, door, french, house, reclaimed, renovation, restoration, salon, village, vintage, wax, wood | 10 Comments

Episode 156 part two – waxing a painted door

Posted on July 2, 2017 by coteetcampagne

So, by popular request (at least THREE readers) here is how we roll when we refinish doors here at the French house. This technique is based on our finishes developed for our painted furniture and gives a far tougher surface … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, design and inspiration blog, Renovation and restoration diary- France, What we did, how we did it and what we used | Tagged antiqued, antiquing, bedroom, doors, french, house, paint, painted, tutorial, wax | 12 Comments

What a day!

Posted on May 27, 2017 by coteetcampagne

It’s glorious here in le vrai sud de France weatherwise; perhaps not the ideal day for running around. Down to the dechetterie with renovation detritus, all super-heavy. Then had we to get three big solid twelve foot roof joists down … Continue reading →

Posted in Renovation and restoration diary- France, What we did, how we did it and what we used | Tagged dechetterie, door, dowels, drawers, france, pegs, renovation, wood | 4 Comments

Sealing the shower- glass mosaic tiles

Posted on May 20, 2017 by coteetcampagne

Do you remember the issues with the shower on the 2nd floor at the house? It is lined with six large panels of very beautiful silvery grey/blue granite. These are marked with 90 years of limescale but we are hoping … Continue reading →

Posted in Renovation and restoration diary- France, What we did, how we did it and what we used | Tagged adhesive, france, glass, grout, house, mosaic, shower, tiles | 11 Comments

Economication. That’s the name of the game.

Posted on March 30, 2017 by coteetcampagne

So, ply is hard to find in France and relatively expensive. Chip board also. So in the first floor kitchen we put down a sub tile floor using our leftover stash of tongue and groove remnants; to be covered by … Continue reading →

Posted in Renovation and restoration diary- France, What we did, how we did it and what we used | Tagged floor, france, groove, kitchen, tiles, tongue, wood | 6 Comments

Episode 147 part two- in which we show why we blew the b****y doors off

Posted on October 14, 2016 by coteetcampagne

So, there were two of these horrible doors.We took them off and removed the chipboard lower shelves. We put up these carved and gilded fruitwood panels that came from a Georgian house in the UK (1817) not as deep … Continue reading →

Posted in Antique and Vintage finds, Art, design and inspiration blog, Renovation and restoration diary- France, What we did, how we did it and what we used | Tagged carved, cupboard, Georgian, gilded, oak | 14 Comments

Finishing a table top.

Posted on October 11, 2016 by coteetcampagne

It’s a real pain when you find that , once you have laboriously taken bits of grotty old varnish off your dining table, the stain once used on this piece has soaked right down into it and it’s STILL DIRTY … Continue reading →

Posted in Antique and Vintage finds, Renovation and restoration diary- France, What we did, how we did it and what we used | Tagged dining, effect, lime waxed, liming, table, wax | 18 Comments

Episode 146- Another retrospective- French house dining room- working with a narrow space

Posted on September 27, 2016 by coteetcampagne

I am trying to remind myself that progress is being made at the village house, as well as giving newer followers the heads up on what we have actually achieved to date en France. The photo –left- is not exactly … Continue reading →

Posted in Renovation and restoration diary- France, What we did, how we did it and what we used | Tagged dining, france, french, grey, house, painted, roof, room, steels, terrace, village, wax, wooden floor | 18 Comments

Episode 144 – In which we muse upon time and chaos and order and how long it takes for paint to go out of date

Posted on September 3, 2016 by coteetcampagne

So, a few of you might recall that, although we thought the roof was fixed, there was evidence of water ingress earlier this year , mainly in the form of some small damp patches on the ceiling lambris in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Renovation and restoration diary- France, What we did, how we did it and what we used | Tagged Aude, bedroom, bricodepot, french, lambris, paint, property, renovation, restoration, terrace | 8 Comments

Episode 143 – More decorative finishes- lambris wood panelling

Posted on August 25, 2016 by coteetcampagne

There are a number of elements we see time and time again in humble French houses. One is lambris, or narrow wood panelling. It’s been popular here for centuries though the default finish seems to be dark treacly varnishes and … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, design and inspiration blog, Renovation and restoration diary- France, What we did, how we did it and what we used | Tagged how to, kitchen, lambris, original, paint, painted, panelling, renovation, restoration, wood | 10 Comments

Episode 142- Decorative finishes update – mettre en valeur

Posted on August 24, 2016 by coteetcampagne

You might remember that I posted about the first two stages of the process I have developed for stucco-stencilling walls. Check it out here in French house salon. Can you stucco stencil it? Yes you can! I have now completed … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, design and inspiration blog, Renovation and restoration diary- France, What we did, how we did it and what we used | Tagged colour washed, french, house, liberon, lime, plastered, salon, stencil, stencilled, stucco, village, wax | 9 Comments

Woo-hoo! L’escalier is painted

Posted on July 29, 2016 by coteetcampagne

In case you were all wondering whether my Refined-Rustic vision for the village house was edging dangerously toward just refined ( i. e the chandelier, or ” the shandAYhlia” as Trev now calls it in a lousy Cockney accent) I … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, design and inspiration blog, Renovation and restoration diary- France, What we did, how we did it and what we used | Tagged blue, escalier, french, grey, house, Innes, Jocasta, matte, motifs, paint, painted, staircase, turquoise, village, wax, white | 9 Comments

In which I do something I’m not sure the house wants, but it’s exactly right

Posted on July 28, 2016 by coteetcampagne

Yes, I said the house doesn’t want anything as glamorous as a chandelier. They are for grand houses like bizzyella’s and poshbirdy’s, not mine. But I had this little Italian one I bought ten years ago that sat in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Renovation and restoration diary- France, What we did, how we did it and what we used | Tagged Campagne, chandelier, crystal, french, glass, house | 13 Comments

Making part medieval French village houses work

Posted on July 12, 2016 by coteetcampagne

For those of you interested in the Demolition Derby clearly in operation on the last post, I present two earlier posts which explain. To clarify- the photo top left of first post below (with the weird wardrobes) shows FRONT of … Continue reading →

Posted in Renovation and restoration diary- France, What we did, how we did it and what we used | Tagged Aude, bedroom, demolition, fort, house, Kights, medieval, original, renovation, restoration, river, stone, templar, terrace, village | 17 Comments

It’s not all been doom and gloom this month

Posted on June 30, 2016 by coteetcampagne

After many kind pep-talks via my blog visitors and followers, I am taking “Ellen A’s” sensible advice; she says that she is quite happy to read about our furniture rescuing activities whilst we collect our very scattered thoughts. These tables … Continue reading →

Posted in Antique and Vintage finds, Art, design and inspiration blog, What we did, how we did it and what we used | Tagged chalk, coffee, country, french, mirror, paint, painted, provincial, refinished, shabby chic, tabel, table | 12 Comments

Chop Chop – skirting around French kitchen restoration

Posted on June 23, 2016 by coteetcampagne

If you have been paying attention, you will recall that in order to find the wooden staircase we cut a while back, we had to clean up and tidy the cave. This was going to be the last job on … Continue reading →

Posted in Renovation and restoration diary- France, What we did, how we did it and what we used | Tagged base, boards, french, house, kitchen, maritime, pine, renovation, restoration, router, skirting | 8 Comments

Can you stucco stencil it? Yes you can!

Posted on June 9, 2016 by coteetcampagne

Yes sir, we can stencil. And we can handpaint motifs on our French Country Walls and Ceilings etc . Above are two fine examples and some more here https://husifrankrike.com/2016/06/08/dag-5-sondagen-aterigen-en-vilodag/ Thank you JP! I … Continue reading →