The Chambre Olympe de Gouges was one of the many rooms that we were not able to visit before purchasing the Château. The hallway leading to this room had caved in and so all of the rooms in this area of the Château were inaccessible…

Once the first phase of work began, and the rubble had been removed and the area consolidated, we were finally able to explore! This room was one of the few with the floor and ceiling mostly intact. The original slate flooring was in beautiful condition but had to be removed whilst we reconsolidated the area. Fortunately, we were able to keep the slate in a safe place with the hopes of using it again when we were ready.

Unexpectedly, as the work in this area continued one day the plaster ceiling in the room adjoining this one fell with a large crash. And so we discovered that beneath the plaster were the remains of the original hand-painted Renaissance beamed ceiling.

It wasn’t long before we considered that there may also be beams underneath the plasterwork of the Chambre Olympe de Gouges too. We decided to investigate and removed a small portion of the plaster ceiling and… discovered more hand-painted beams!

At the time, we do not have permission to restore the beams and so it was decided to leave them safely behind the plasterwork for the moment. And so for many years the plaster ceiling remained and as time went by we began slowly decorating and using the room just as it was…

It wasn’t until 2021, when we began the flooring on this level, that it was finally time to continue working on this room. First, the flooring was laid. Although we planned to use the original slate it was decided that it was better to lay old wooden floorboards in this area as it fit more with the Medieval and Renaissance age and features of this part of the building. The slate would instead be used in another area.

After the flooring was finished we began plastering and then painting the walls. And it was at this time that we were finally able to remove the plaster ceiling to expose the Renaissance painted beams. As it turns out, these beams are particularly special with painted cameos and even references to the Ottoman Empire.

Next, we began furnishing the room. We knew that there had to be thread between the later 18th and 19th Century style bedrooms and the more Renaissance style quarters. And so, we chose a mélange of French furniture from different eras. Adding just enough furnishings to be cosy, and fill the room with texture, whilst keeping the focus on the beauty of the ceilings and the view of the mountains from the window.

The room is now dressed and awaits the arrival of bedside lamps as the finishing touch. Apart from either some decorative painted frescoes or wallpaper, and the restoration of the painted beams, this room is now almost finished. We look forward to continuing to share the progress of the last few things…