Tag Archives: stone

A different Thursday Three- Painted walls, ceilings and beams

Posted on February 15, 2018 by coteetcampagne

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 →

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Deliberating on the details

Posted on January 26, 2018 by coteetcampagne

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 →

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Friday French Property P**n – two and one

Posted on November 25, 2017 by coteetcampagne

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 →

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Renovating and Restoring in France, a broader view

Posted on November 22, 2017 by coteetcampagne

As we walk around the village, I notice signs of renewal here and there. This is encouraging. I see new windows, new paintwork, a newly re-pointed little stone man-cave down by the river see below left. Houses that have stood empty … Continue reading →

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Nous ne nous baignons pas aujourd’hui!

Posted on August 10, 2017 by coteetcampagne

We have new leisure facilities  a mere stone’s throw away from Campagne. Fishing and sports lake, paddle boarding, boats, quad-bikes, play areas, swimming lake with beach, picnic spots, giant inflatables and these very quirky stone “chairs” all with amazing wrap-around … Continue reading →

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Lovely building for sale in Limoux

Posted on July 7, 2017 by coteetcampagne

Here is a business opportunity (G & D?) Lovely stone building with historic bones and large two storey space atop a former restaurant/cafe on the corner of the beautiful main square in Limoux, Occitanie, France. I cannot confirm if it … Continue reading →

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Four hours of fun in France- or, my house has an attitude as big as a chateau

Posted on June 6, 2017 by coteetcampagne

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 →

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La chambre d’amis. Guests at the French house

Posted on June 3, 2017 by coteetcampagne

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 →

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Bang Crash Wallop

Posted on February 22, 2017 by coteetcampagne

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 →

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More recycling musings

Posted on February 12, 2017 by coteetcampagne

If you have followed this blog from way back, you will know that I have changed my mind about how to upcycle this Puginesque pine chapel table left. It was earmarked as kitchen furniture until I had the eureka idea … Continue reading →

Posted in Antique and Vintage finds, Art, design and inspiration blog, Renovation and restoration diary- France | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Restore, recycle, reuse, relook it, relove it

Posted on January 30, 2017 by coteetcampagne

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 →

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Friday French Property P**n – chambres brutes

Posted on January 27, 2017 by coteetcampagne

Remember this snippet of a stone fireplace  from an earlier  post? Well I found a wider view at- athoughtfuleye.files.wordpress.com see below-plus this very rough and raw bathroom- Actually my downstairs shower room looks a lot like this right now (minus … Continue reading →

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La cheminée, le cœur de la pièce- or, why the fireplace is key

Posted on December 15, 2016 by coteetcampagne

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 →

Posted in Antique and Vintage finds, Art, design and inspiration blog, Renovation and restoration diary- France | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Episode 148- In which we can see the wood for the trees

Posted on November 1, 2016 by coteetcampagne

Just in case my recent posts have suggested that we are galloping toward the finishing line, here is hard proof that we are not. This is the workshop ceiling. The big beam left to right used to hold up half … Continue reading →

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Episode 145 part 2- Reflections on restoration, renovation and reconstruction in France

Posted on September 19, 2016 by coteetcampagne

Our shopping lists in France rarely have any of the usual domestic requirements such as food on them. It’s more likely to be stuff for the house . I have no idea why I spelt “filler” with three “ls” . … Continue reading →

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Episode 145- A retrospective. Renovation, restoration and reconstruction in the Aude

Posted on September 17, 2016 by coteetcampagne

I think it’s time to look back and take stock. Quite a few new folk have started following this  epic saga of ours and must be wondering what kind of blog they have stumbled onto here. Some art, some antiques, … Continue reading →

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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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Maison or Museum? Save or Skip? #1

Posted on July 8, 2016 by coteetcampagne

Forget OCD. Those embarking on the giddy path of French House Rescue; and who have any sensitivity to the building they buy will have to wrestle with  a seemingly endless list of  OHD’s Old House Dilemmas Though, thinking about that … Continue reading →

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Faïence in France – Tile Style- Getting it just right

Posted on June 18, 2016 by coteetcampagne

http://www.faience-ponchon.com/ http://www.homeceramics.com.tn/Content/Pages/Faience-gres.html   There are some gorgeous kitchen tiles available right now, and I was very tempted by these mixed designs- above- for a while, and they may well have worked Chez Nous, but as ever I am drawn back to … Continue reading →

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Signs and symbols- traditional decorative motifs in the Languedoc #1

Posted on June 13, 2016 by coteetcampagne

I had every intention of featuring some of the decorative motifs on this beautiful town house in Carcassonne, but Poshbirdy beat me to it, and with a proper camera, unlike my phone; So see her great photos here, thanks P!- … Continue reading →

Posted in Antique and Vintage finds, Art, design and inspiration blog, Renovation and restoration diary- France | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Episode 140 – the phoenix will rise, eventually

Posted on May 24, 2016 by coteetcampagne

I have been prompted to post today by three things really- after reading about  Poshbirdy’s mammoth work on “de-guano-ing” her attic in her recent post on 23/05/16 “L’Air de Pigeons“; https://poshbirdyblog.wordpress.com/ I had also been looking at the photos on … Continue reading →

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Buying Property in France- A cautionary tale

Posted on May 13, 2016 by coteetcampagne

Just to let you know, I now take requests.See “Taste of France” blog- https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/37172339/posts/1025435832 The area around Puivert is mentioned. Very pretty, has a chateau & museum, too cold for me. It took a while for us to find out … Continue reading →

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Wood I?

Posted on February 13, 2016 by coteetcampagne

Yesterday I spent a considerable amount of time closely studying some beautiful knots and blemishes on a rustic wood dining table in Homesense and talking to myself about it. In my defence, I thought I was talking to Trevor, but … Continue reading →

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“After The Drill Is Gone”

Posted on February 1, 2016 by coteetcampagne

After the Drill is Gone You will have seen on an earlier post the harrowing story of my falling over in our street in France. I reaffirm that no strong drink was involved as to cause this mishap. Maybe the … Continue reading →

Posted in Renovation and restoration diary- France, What we did, how we did it and what we used | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Episode 129- “Les murs” to be sung to the same tune as “La mer”

Posted on December 8, 2015 by coteetcampagne

This is what medieval stone walls look like. Before the restoration purists start screaming at me they should note that we had no option but to widen the doorway  from the cave to the courtyard as the existing one was … Continue reading →

Posted in Renovation and restoration diary- France, What we did, how we did it and what we used | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Flipping French Floors #2 – floor envy

Posted on November 22, 2015 by coteetcampagne

I have had floor envy for a while now. Investigations have not turned up any charming original tiled floors in the French house which we could have lovingly restored. There is a small area of tomettes on the first floor … Continue reading →

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Episode 126 part (1) – October progress, yes, we did a bit, quite a bit actually

Posted on October 13, 2015 by coteetcampagne

Yes we did a bit in France, and here is the first instalment. I finished the painted skirtings in marmotte#3 and Liberon lime wax so if I swish a damp mop over the finished floors (not done yet) it won’t … Continue reading →

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Sensitive skin- and a greater sense of loss

Posted on October 12, 2015 by coteetcampagne

            I have had a weird few days. I should explain that I have spent decades developing coping strategies to deal with the hyper sensitivity/empathy I was seemingly born with which has, historically, proved to … Continue reading →

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Episode 121- Whispering words of wisdom, let it be

Posted on September 2, 2015 by coteetcampagne

Please don’t sue me L & M, but that particular lyric is very appropriate. I could also call this “bedroom before” photo – left- “a view to a hill”. OK, OK, I’m getting carried away now. This post is about … Continue reading →

Posted in Renovation and restoration diary- France, What we did, how we did it and what we used | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Carcassonne

Posted on August 22, 2015 by coteetcampagne

Carcassonne castle, “Le Cite”( e accented but won’t work on this damn notsosmartphone) Is a stunning early medieval fortified city in the Languedoc  and not far north of the village house. A UNESCO world heritage site, there is so much … Continue reading →

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Episode 116- back on the paper trail again

Posted on June 30, 2015 by coteetcampagne

Yes, I am back pondering about wallpaper once more. This is odd, I haven’t included wallpaper in any of my decorative schemes for many years; paint is my go-to solution . France and this house are clearly steering my thoughts … Continue reading →

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Why water is key for me

Posted on June 7, 2015 by coteetcampagne

I like to watch water, even if it isn’t doing a lot. I have always felt a strong affinity with rivers and lakes particularly . We are a long way from the sea here in the UK, the furthest “inland” … Continue reading →

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Episode 114 – It’s all in the detail, SSSWC- skip, strip, sand, wax, curse a bit ….

Posted on June 4, 2015 by coteetcampagne

SSSWC, SSSWC, that’s my new exercise programme. Is it effective? on me and on the French house?…yes Again these are phone photos, so not great but I want to show you the fruits of some of our labours. STRIP- Newly … Continue reading →

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Episode 113- recognisable renovation progress

Posted on May 25, 2015 by coteetcampagne

First of all, apologies for quality of these shots and the last two posts from France. My phone camera is not focusing properly (they looked fine on my tiny screen) Shame as we achieved quite  a lot in the salon. … Continue reading →

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From France- one corner looking ok

Posted on May 17, 2015 by coteetcampagne

A little snippet of a snap showing one corner of our rapidly improving French salon. The eclectic mix of objects captured here says quite a lot about us. The “temporary” music centre Trev bought THE MINUTE we completed on the … Continue reading →

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Episode 102- Where do I begin? the cave story- part 1

Posted on March 9, 2015 by coteetcampagne

Ok, so you may not want to trawl the archives for the full saga so I have decided to post some bite-sized summaries on progress in French house to date. Left- we have one end of the cave. On purchase … Continue reading →

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Stone Love – A little village in the South of France

Posted on January 18, 2015 by coteetcampagne

Renovation, Restoration, Triangulation Ok, so here we have the village of Campagne-sur-Aude. Unique in it’s central 11th century fort, housing the church, the Templar Knights’ quarters, Masters House, smithy, armoury and stables. Around this circular structure, what is now the … Continue reading →

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Episode 93- Hidden historic details #1-Terrazzo finishes

Posted on November 10, 2014 by coteetcampagne

OK, our Maison  may not be as grand and glamourous as this one on  http://www.thisoldhouse.com , but  we have old terrazzo staircases and we have discovered that under layers of dust, dirt and caked on cement, we do have some … Continue reading →

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Episode 92- Be careful what you wish for

Posted on November 2, 2014 by coteetcampagne

Renovation, restoration, speculation..September 2014 Ah, the impenetrable mysteries of life in France’s small villages. I was pondering this exact subject when I looked out of our kitchen window this September . A mixed bunch of village children (three to thirteen) … Continue reading →

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Episode 81- Food for thought

Posted on August 5, 2014 by coteetcampagne

Renovation, restoration, alimentation….Fresh trout from the river, vegetables that taste of something, cherries, peaches and naughty patisserie, home made ice cream, cuts of meat that you would not normally touch even with a robot arm, a drop of violet or … Continue reading →

Posted in Food and wine, Renovation and restoration diary- France | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments