4. Stephanie Jarvis Had an Unbelievable Grand Salon Transformation
Fans of Escape to the Chateau DIY or The Chateau Diaries will recognize the name Stephanie Jarvis. She is the owner of Chateau de Lalande in France. Buying and renovating a castle is one of the biggest projects any homeowner can tackle. When she first bought the castle, the entire home was covered in asbestos. So before she could do any renovations, that all had to be cleared out, down to the dirt and stone. Once the room was ready to build, Stephanie recycled old terra cotta tiles that she found in the castle’s attic, as well as pieces she found at thrift stores throughout France. She pieced them together to make the new floor, and created a pattern to hide the fact that they’re not all identical.
All of the drapes were hand-sewn by Stephanie, and she sourced much of the furniture from a local thrift store. Most people who visit the Chateau de Lalande would assume that the room looked like that for hundreds of years, but it was actually only possible due to the careful research and renovations done by Stephanie. Here in the United States, we would call a “salon” a “living room”. But in a castle, the area is much larger. Now that it’s fully renovated, Stephanie can move the furniture out of the way to accommodate seating for small concerts for the music workshops she enjoys hosting at the chateau. She also has dancing classes held there, and so much more. If you would like to see the full story, watch Stephanie’s video here.
