Restyled Refinished Vintage
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Our apartment at Argeles-sur-Mer is available to rent now. Email us direct for the best prices for this season and next. See our "Galleries" post for more photos of our little seaside place in the South of FranceApartment gallery
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Tag Archives: house
Looking slightly less like a hovel
I now treat you to an image viewed many times before by long suffering followers; the front of our French house in 2006. Although we still have some tidying up work to do and the walls to paint, it is … Continue reading
Refocus
The house project has been allowed to drift. This is due to a number of factors, not least a creative/business project that I started last September and a second project here in our village. Also, Trevor’s blood thinning drugs had … Continue reading
Posted in Renovation and restoration diary- France
Tagged Bronte, house, project, renovation
14 Comments
Pimp my hovel
Well, we finally nailed the colours for the outside render and the shutters. So, taking advantage of the late Autumn sunshine, the Trevoracle started sanding down the flaky doors. Aren’t those layers of colour beautiful? Yes they are . … Continue reading
Posted in Art, design and inspiration blog, Renovation and restoration diary- France
Tagged building, colour, house, paint, render, Roussillon, shutters, village
8 Comments
Onward and upward
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
Bedroom rugs- Indian and Indiennes motifs
Following the installation of the window seat storage in the terrace bedroom, I have unwrapped another of the rugs that have been sitting in the workshop for eons. This one was hand made in India. The short looped ground is … Continue reading
Posted in Art, design and inspiration blog, Renovation and restoration diary- France
Tagged bedroom, cotton, france, french, hand made, house, Indian, Indienne, indiennes, jute, rug, silk, terrace bedroom, wool
11 Comments
A different Thursday Three- Painted walls, ceilings and beams
Super busy today, but in the middle of a restoring a handpainted piece my mind slips to the wall and ceiling paintings that I plan to execute here at the French village house. Look at this one –left-JP! painted ceiling … Continue reading
Posted in Art, design and inspiration blog, Renovation and restoration diary- France
Tagged beams, ceilings, design, french, house, painted, renovation, restoration, stone, tree of life, village, walls
12 Comments
Deliberating on the details
So, proof that a little simple attention to detail can be effective? More from this pinterest site here, where I found this photo- Lovely Pinterest Link I have a number of inset cupboards like this in the house. Cut into … Continue reading
Posted in Art, design and inspiration blog, Renovation and restoration diary- France
Tagged cupboards, dog, france, french, house, stone, walking, wallpaper
17 Comments
Trevor’s limited editions 2017
You may remember this rack that Trev made for our small chopping boards. All recycled wood from the French house, apart from the dowels. The finish is my secret recipe for treating new and old wood to blend both together … Continue reading
Posted in Art, design and inspiration blog, Renovation and restoration diary- France
Tagged design, french, house, kitchen, painted, recycled, renovation, restoration, rustic, wood
15 Comments
The cracks are beginning to show…………and I am very happy about this
Lived in and heated full time for the FIRST time in fifteen years, the French house is settling into itself. The old bones and the careful new additions are getting to know each other. It’s a kind of rustic romance … Continue reading
Posted in Renovation and restoration diary- France
Tagged Bronte, diner, floor, french, house, kitchen, painted, panelling, renovation, restoration, village, wood
21 Comments
Lots of small things that make a big difference
I know I haven’t posted much re progress on the village house for a while, but Trev has certainly been working hard on a whole host of small but critical projects. This storage cupboard, left , was created from part … Continue reading
Posted in Renovation and restoration diary- France
Tagged aged, chic, french, house, kitchen, renovation, restoration, rustique, village, waxed
9 Comments
Friday French Property P**n – two and one
These are the three Pinterest photos that I have looked at the most over the last couple of weeks. I love the decorative frieze on what I presume is a stone chimney piece left and the ceiling treatment https://pin.it/thxb3iram3zm5r We … Continue reading
Posted in Art, design and inspiration blog, Renovation and restoration diary- France
Tagged antique, authentic, cave, courtyard, design, french, gallery, house, motifs, painted, property, renovation, restoration, stencil, stone, village
11 Comments
Gluten free Tiramisu – and why you should unpack all your kitchen & dining stuff before you try to play hostess with the mostest
Here is a new Handy Hint for Restoration and Renobuddies who are planning to offer “Restauration” Chez Vous. Check if you’ve got enough serving dishes, serving spoons, glasses and appropriate cutlery unpacked before your lunch or dinner guests arrive. (Note … Continue reading
Posted in Food and wine, Renovation and restoration diary- France
Tagged coffee, custard, dessert, diner, french, gluten-free, house, kitchen, madeleines, recipe, tiramisu, vintage
19 Comments
Episode 160- the penultimate bit of plasterboarding
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
Episode 159- Working on the salon door
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
Rideaux de porte- door curtains
I though you might like to see my “new” door curtains. You may recall that we have a “Jack & Jill” shower room on the second floor at the French village house. We now have functional locks on the access … Continue reading
temporary pets
I think it may be time to get Trevor a pet. This is the man who “didn’t do pets” when I met him and is now morphing into the Creature Whisperer. The Bride and I found this almost adult Hirondelle … Continue reading
Posted in Art, design and inspiration blog, Renovation and restoration diary- France
Tagged bird, cicada, courtyard, hirondelle, house, pet, terrace
14 Comments
The Terrace Bedroom- La Chambre Terrasse
Never let anyone tell you that you can do nothing with a room 2.3 metres wide and five metres long, except perhaps turning it into a bathroom. Remember this painted door from an earlier post? That’s on the other side … Continue reading
Posted in Antique and Vintage finds, Renovation and restoration diary- France
Tagged antique, bedroom, chambre, embroidery, french, house, painted, renovation, restoration, silk, terrace, terrasse, village, vintage
21 Comments
Episode 157 – In which I think that I may have pushed my vision more than a tad further than anyone would deem standard French house restoration
Nothing here is straight, or straightforward. We knew that in principle, but in practice the reality is that sometimes even more creativity and lateral thinking is required when finishing off our projects. Because I will not let Trevor demolish or … Continue reading
Posted in Renovation and restoration diary- France
Tagged door, french, fretwork, house, lime plaster, old, original, plasterboard, renovation, restoration, wall
11 Comments
Episode 156 part two – waxing a painted door
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
Argeles-sur-Mer late spring cleaning #1
One of the many benefits of living here at the French house is that we can actually spend time at, or even have a holiday at the Argeles apartment! Many others have benefited, including family and friends, just NOT US.This … Continue reading
Posted in Art, design and inspiration blog, Renovation and restoration diary- France
Tagged apartment, argeles, balcony, france, french, house, sea, seaside, sunset, village
14 Comments
Four hours of fun in France- or, my house has an attitude as big as a chateau
We now have landline (sans phone right now) internet and TV (not yet set up) In the interests of complete candour, I will keep you posted as to it’s efficacy and utility………….. I also have a few holes in the … Continue reading
Posted in Renovation and restoration diary- France
Tagged electrical, france, house, internet, landline, orange, stone, walls
16 Comments
La chambre d’amis. Guests at the French house
It’s not easy finding a battery operated light that is bright enough to steer you to the bathroom in the middle of the pitch black, light pollution free nights we have here. We have wiring, but it’s not connected up … Continue reading
Posted in Renovation and restoration diary- France
Tagged amis, chambre, french, house, renovation, restoration, room, stone, tulip
8 Comments
All manner of pretty things
You are going to see lots of posts like this. If you aren’t keen, look away now; I am not at all offended if you un-follow or un-friend me or whatever it is you can un-do. In the middle of … Continue reading
Posted in Antique and Vintage finds
Tagged antique, bedroom, chinoiserie, curtain, embroidery, french, house, restoration, terrace, vintage
11 Comments
Sealing the shower- glass mosaic tiles
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
The Thursday Three – and some thoughts on storage.
I don’t think you have seen these? The bug lamp, the Art Nouveau copper dustpan, this little painting? Actually you might be able to help me, I have been looking for a copper handled brush to match the pan, does … Continue reading
Posted in Antique and Vintage finds, Renovation and restoration diary- France
Tagged art nouveau, french, house, lamp, painting, salon, storage, village
16 Comments
Hints
It is chaos here. Twice as tough because I’m moving both home and office. There are some silver linings to this whole debacle though; amongst other treasures I bought for the French house and which I haven’t unwrapped in ten … Continue reading
Posted in Antique and Vintage finds, Renovation and restoration diary- France
Tagged french, house, mirror, rose
4 Comments
Episode 153- In which we do some editing and consider what happened to the Great British Pub
I am of the opinion that moving countries and downsizing both your life and your house is not so much stressful as Profoundly Mentally Taxing. I have this button here that allows me to preview changes before I post. Now … Continue reading
Posted in Food and wine, Renovation and restoration diary- France
Tagged Black, change, country, downsizing, france, french, house, life, packing, pub, wall
10 Comments
Ready, Shreddy, GO!
So, the logistics of making a relatively simple move. Why does no one ever blog about the sheer slog and the practical detail of moving to another country? Boring? Is it? ………….Tough! This is the “warts and all” blog diary, … Continue reading
Posted in Renovation and restoration diary- France
Tagged another country, france, house, move
14 Comments
Mixing materials
I am fascinated by the gorgeous mix of materials and colours in this one French house found on http://www.cotemaison.fr I like the change in colour on the stair risers at the door way. And the raw wood panelling on the … Continue reading
Posted in Art, design and inspiration blog
Tagged art, design, french, house, painted, panelling, wood
19 Comments
Another old French village house
In my self appointed ongoing mission to bang the drum for Small Village Houses, here is another from Lost In Arles- see here I note the many common features shared with our place, inset cupboards, terrazzo stairs and modest dimensions … Continue reading
Posted in Art, design and inspiration blog, Renovation and restoration diary- France
Tagged design, fireplace, french, house, plaster, renovation, terrazzo, village, walls
12 Comments
The Thursday Three – velvet and verdigris
I will miss aspects of the cottage in the UK. Although the cheap white walls and dark brown carpet upstairs are not my choice, they are an OK backdrop for photos. As you might know, I have been sourcing curtains, … Continue reading
More paint ideas
Back on the subject of walls, here is an atypical French house I have seen featured in several interiors magazines in France. It has parallels with our project in that although the house is twice the size of our place, … Continue reading
The Romance of the Raw – mixing it up in the salon
If you have been following this blog you will know that I have been doing my best to preserve the old lime plaster walls and ceilings we still have at the French house .We have to accept that some walls … Continue reading
Posted in Art, design and inspiration blog, Renovation and restoration diary- France
Tagged artists, french, house, lime, original, paint, palette, plaster, renovation, restoration, walls, wax
12 Comments
Bang Crash Wallop
Poshbirdy is having bits of her French house ripped apart. For sound and sensible reasons and with a purpose; but it does not make it any easier for the sensitive restorer. I know- left https://poshbird.blog/author/poshbirdy/ I remember the feelings I … Continue reading
Posted in Renovation and restoration diary- France
Tagged french, house, renovation, stone, walls
16 Comments
Architectural ironmongery – and four more for Friday
Wise words for French house restorers, with a wider message I think. I am not of any traditional religious persuasion myself but I found this piece of embroidery from a Welsh Chapel; presumably it hails from a period when the … Continue reading
Posted in Antique and Vintage finds, Renovation and restoration diary- France
Tagged antique, arhitectural, french, handles, hinges, house, ironmongery, jouy, renovation, restoration, restorers, rustic, toile, traditional, vintage
10 Comments
Bonus Friday post – Instant karma’s gonna get you
You know I love old maps. I have my 17thc pre “Treaty of the Pyrenees” map from ebay to frame up. Then, on Wednesday I had to go over to Birmingham (long story) so I decided to take the opportunity … Continue reading
Posted in Antique and Vintage finds
Tagged antique, clay, french, glazed, house, map, pyrenees, terracotta, treaty
11 Comments
Restore, recycle, reuse, relook it, relove it
I have been blog-chatting with JP at https://husifrankrike.com/ where he and his wife have been musing on restoring features at their medieval village house ( also in the Aude) and perhaps commissioning replacement features. JP has what looks like a … Continue reading
Posted in Renovation and restoration diary- France
Tagged Aude, france, glass, house, joists, medieval, original, project, recycling, renovation, restoration, stained, stone, village, window, wood
12 Comments
À la fin de l’année- the end of a tough year
So we walk into our closest large supermarket (UK) & this bottle of crémant de Limoux is on the shelf with all the other bubbles. A bottle of Premiere Bulles rosé, with that toffee coloured tint that so many Southern … Continue reading
Posted in Food and wine, Renovation and restoration diary- France
Tagged blanquette, french, house, languedocienne, limoux, rose, village, vintage, wine
12 Comments
La cheminée, le cœur de la pièce- or, why the fireplace is key
I’m not dictating what you should do Chez Vous, but for me, the fireplace in any room is key. Left- from linen & lavender – lifestyle I have two woodburning stoves to fit at the French village house; but if … Continue reading
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