Lara’s Theme

The Making of a Modern ChÂteau

Pam Elson visits Château de Percey not far from Chablis

The fireplaces had been stolen, there were holes were the windows had once been and the walls were black with mould. Not exactly a welcoming prospect, but despite all, Lara and Pauwl Lunow went ahead and bought Château Percey. Gradually they are infusing new life into this beautiful 18thC building in the countryside between Tonnerre and St. Florentin in the north of Burgundy.

As you listen to Lara speaking about the story so far at the château, you realise what true grit is needed to undertake such a huge renovation project. ‘Château Migraine’ , one journalist’s description, gets to the nitty-gritty straight away.

But it is clear that Lara and Pauwl have got what it takes. They are prepared to sacrifice what could be a comparatively easy and comfortable lifestyle for a battle with building dust, constant hard work and the financial burden of a grand project in order to get what they want. After three years of renovation, much has been achieved and they are open for business; – there is still a long way to go. In between it all, they have had two little daughters, Indy who is now five and Nina, three.

This is not a ‘precious’ château where everyone is ‘minding their p’s and q’s’. Instead, one wing has been turned into two contemporary gîtes; self-catering accommodation of a very high standard, with all mod cons. There is a study with WiFi, music systems and state of the art bathrooms, a home from home you might say. But the setting is not home from home. Here you have lofty, beautifully proportioned rooms with massive windows looking onto the château grounds; the elegant violet-walled dining room is particularly dramatic. The large gîte sleeps ten guests, ideal for family reunions or a group of friends, and you feel as though you have the place completely to yourself. The smaller one, finished recently, sleeps four and is spacious and light. Lara’s father was an antique dealer and so she has a well-trained eye and knows what to bargain for. The large scale of the old pieces fit perfectly in the house, fused with contemporary furniture and colours together with modern art, one of her passions.

This house has had a chequered history from the German occupation during the war to being a retirement home for some years. Then it was left empty and the vandals moved in. To make matters worse, the roof blew off in 1999 and if the Lunow’s hadn’t rescued it in 2002, it could have suffered a sorry fate. They lived for two years in Oman and a further year in London to gather much needed funds before realising that Château Percey in the Burgundy countryside was where they most wanted to be.

Lara had come to France to study the language when she was 16 and her ambition grew to one day own a château. Luckily her South African husband shared her dream and they spent a year looking for the right location. Percey is a small village within easy reach of Paris. The Canal de Bourgogne is across the road, the wine town of Chablis is close by, as are the magnificent châteaux at Ancy-le-Franc and Tanlay. The countryside is lush and green, calm, captivating and the pace of life is slow.

To start with a master craftsman had to be located to renew the roof and make the building watertight. The façade was restored with pierre de Bourgogne and work began on the enormous interior. Lara has had to keep a wary eye on the costings however, sourcing some products such as the balustrades in Spain and the windows in Germany after French quotations, the preferred choice, proved too steep. The right wing has been completed so far, the other wing will follow after a much needed breathing space.

To put the building in its rightful setting, they then had to turn their attention to the grounds and here Dutch landscaper Arend-Jan van de Horst was called in. There were century old trees and a box hedge dating back to the 1920s which undulates in waves like a modern sculpture. Behind the château, the village church peeps through the foliage, a romantic idyll. In front, meadow areas have been designed, offset by manicured grass paths and the beginnings of a maze, modelled on the Hampton Court design put in place. Anyone who has ever grown box, will know that this is not a quick fix, more a ten year plan. Grand designs? Definitely.

Being Dutch, quantities of bulbs were the order of the day. Narcissi and tulips in a host of varieties mingle with allium and lavender, azaleas and rhododendrons. Lara organises a ‘marché de bulbe’ one weekend each October at the château, selling vast numbers of help fund her garden schemes.

Apart from looking after the kids, project managing the building work, and now running the gîtes, Lara somehow manages too to search out local artists and display their work. Nina Vidrovitch who lives in the Yonne is a favourite. She welcomes workshops to the château and regularly hosts a Tango week, providing meals for the energetic participants.

Confident and competent, Lara, the Châtelaine, has her work cut out. But be assured, as this thoroughly modern château matures, so the life and vitality of the place will gather apace.