Bouresse, Vienne, France

 


Today let's visit a quiet chateau in a quieter village. You know a town is sleepy when tourist guides highlight other towns to visit, and its Wikipedia page is one sentence long. 

This is a real Sleeping Beauty of a place, though. That image above? That's just the stable yard. Here's the chateau:


The chateau is 4,305 square feet on 12 acres "carpeted in cyclamen" and surrounded by oaks and cedars. They don't say when it was built-- but when it looks like that, I suppose an exact build date doesn't matter, does it? It has 8 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms, but the listing suggests converting the attic space into 4 more bedrooms with ensuite baths. You know, in case 8 bedrooms aren't enough. 

As fairy tale perfect as the outside looks, there was one interior image that made me think about if it were mine:


Yes, the chateau needs work, but all I could picture were crinkly silk ballgown drapes hanging at this window instead. 

I pictured a moment like this:


Which, in a room like this:


...translates into this:


At Christmas, it translates into this:


Fittingly for a fairy tale chateau, it has sweeping stone staircases...


...a kitchen with a grand stone range surround, old beams and an attached scullery...


...and what I believe is a bathroom complete with wine bottles, which may come in handy during restoration.


I'm guessing that's a sink basin with a wall mounted faucet in the niche? Or it could be? Potentially becoming something along these lines...


The listing has disappointingly few pictures (what's up with that? Our last chateau did, too). I think it's relying on the overall Sleeping Beauty romance of the place to sell it.



Speaking of romance, can't you just picture that walkway from the house to stables landscaped like this:



That armillary sphere would be perfect in this center circle:


Maybe it would point the way for the prince to find this Sleeping Beauty?

If you'd like to find it first, the listing is here. Thanks to commenter AmyBee at the Old House Dreams link exchange for posting it!

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