The Chateau Diaries
So many of us have been feathering our nests and looking online for design inspiration during these crazy COVID days… With travel on the back burner, Instagram and blogs have provided a wonderful escape. A friend recently found the most amazing vlogger to follow, and we have been binge watching her YouTube channel ever since… Stephanie Jarvis is the chatelaine of Chateau de la Lande, a 16th century chateau in the heart of France that she purchased in 2004 at the age of 29.
Stephanie, her family, and friends worked tirelessly over the years to restore the chateau, which had fallen into dereliction. The first three years they lived amidst constant construction as walls were torn down to rediscover the original proportions of the rooms and remove asbestos. They created a new sewage system, dug hundreds of metres of boreholes to install geothermal heating, and redid all of the plumbing and electrics. “And at the end of this mammoth task, we still hadn’t started decorating!” Stephanie explains. “My parents, Nic, Michael and I were all living in insane discomfort (-10 degrees in the house during our first winter), but I was loving every minute.”
Expenses were exorbitant, and they began running Chateau de la Lande as a Bed and Breakfast to make ends meet. Stephanie’s story was discovered and shared by a small production company in the UK with a program called Escape to the Chateau, and it was met with tremendous feedback. Stephanie then created an Instagram account for Chateau de Lalande and her vlog hoping to drive more business to the castle… She now has approximately 120,000 followers between the two.
You can follow Stephanie’s delightful vlog The Chateau Diaries and YouTube channel to watch 150+ videos she created to document life at the Chateau. I recommend starting at Episode 1 and working your way through. Below are a few pictures of the chateau… Enjoy! 🙂
I recommend watching the above video to begin following The Chateau Diaries…. but I’m warning you, it’s addictive! 🙂
Arriving Home with James Farmer
There are so many wonderful new book releases this fall, and I cannot wait to share my favorites with you! One of my favorite designers, James Farmer, has released his ninth book — Arriving Home: A Gracious Southern Welcome — and I think it is his best yet. In the introduction, Farmer says, “I hope the common thread seen is not how well a room cleans up for a photograph, but how each room glows from within. The ability to host a family gathering, a cocktail party, or the reading of the Saturday-morning paper or a good book — all with a gracious dose of Southern charm, personality and style — is the task at hand for our designs.” Mission accomplished!
From a grand Connecticut country home to a stately St. Louis house or a columned antebellum Alabama home, Farmer’s style travels the country to set the tone for the lives of his clients. Homes in the city, the mountains, the country, and coastal locales are all reflected in this journey while being rooted in Southern design. James Farmer’s mantra is “traditional style stands the test of time,” and every beautiful home featured in this book is timeless in addition to being warm and welcoming.
This is such a beautiful book! You can order your copy of Arriving Home: A Gracious Southern Welcome via Amazon or through James Farmer’s website. For additional information, please visit www.jamesfarmer.com, and check out Farmer’s other wonderful books:
- A Time to Plant
- A Time to Cook
- A Time to Celebrate
- Sip & Savor
- Porch Living
- Wreaths For All Seasons
- Dinner on the Grounds
- A Place to Call Home
You can also follow him on Instagram via @jamestfarmer and @jamesfarmerinc. Additional articles by The Glam Pad are below.
A Whimsical yet Old School Makeover by Shelley Johnstone
Reimagining a beautiful old house to accommodate today’s lifestyle can be tricky, so the owners of an English Country Style home in Lake Forest, Illinois, called upon architect Peter Witmer, builder Todd Altounian, and interior designer Shelley Johnstone to coordinate a seamless transformation. The architect designed new wings for each side — one for the master suite, the other for a two-story family room that opens onto a screened porch — with the goal of making the house appear as if it had always been this way. For the interiors, the owners wanted their home to be fun and inviting with an “old-school elegance combined with coolness,” Johnstone told Luxe magazine. With a mix of fine European antiques, a generous dose of chintz, whimsical wallpapers, and psychedelic pop art, Johnstone was able to capture their distinct style.
Let’s take a tour with images from Luxe and additional images provided by Johnstone! Photography is by Cynthia Lynn.
I absolutely adore everything Shelley Johnstone does, and she also happens to be one of the sweetest people I know! For additional information, please visit Shelley’s website and follow @shelleyjohnstonedesign on Instagram.
And in case you missed the 2020 Lake Forest Showhouse Tour, I thoroughly enjoyed Shelley’s tour of the exquisite sun porch she designed for the event.
You can see past features on her work from The Glam Pad below…
Style Profile: Nicola Bathie McLaughlin
Born in Johannesburg, South Africa and brought up in San Antonio, Texas, Nicola Bathie McLaughlin developed an appreciation for travel and beauty as a child which has guided her path in life. After studying interior design at Texas Christian University, her artistic creativity took her to Oxford University in England as well as Lorenzo De Medici University in Florence, Italy. Nicola then returned to Texas where she began her career working as an understudy for Betty Lou Phillips and design associate for Jenkins Interiors in Dallas, Texas.
At the age of 21 Nicola opened her own jewelry business, Nicola Bathie Jewelry, and in 2015 she expanded by opening her own boutique interior design firm in San Antonio where she brings her historic knowledge of both interior design and the arts to her clients, mixing the old with the new to create timeless style. Nicola’s Instagram account offers an inspirational glimpse inside her charmed life and exquisitely curated world, and it is one of my very favorite follows. Today I am delighted to introduce Nicola to The Glam Pad today for a Q&A… Welcome Nicola!
Q: How do you describe your personal style and where do you find inspiration?
A: I would describe my personal style as being a combination of transitional and transitional, ethereal, and quirky. I find inspiration everywhere I look, a lot comes from traveling and seeing new things done in new, old, or different ways.
Q: Who are your top five favorite fashion designers and top five interior designers (past or present)?
A: Fashion: Emilia Wickstead, Markarian, Cecilie Bahnsen, Agua Bendita, and Brock Collection.
Interiors: Ben Pentreath, Thierry Despont, Victoria Hagan, Mark Sikes, and Suzanne Kasler.
Q: Where do you enjoy sourcing antiques and art?
A: Antique Stores, 1st Dibs, and through Auctions.
Q: What are five (material) possessions you could not live without?
A: My phone, oat lattes, fresh flowers, my big camera, and of course, a pair of my earrings.
Q: What are some of your favorite pieces in your beautiful jewelry collection?
A: I wear the pearl loops about every other day. They were inspired by the shape of the very first earring I ever made out of wire! Also love the rose or aquamarine studs, butterfly studs, and embellished tassels. I am about to debut my dream collection for the Holidays. It is the epitome of what I love in life, interiors, and jewelry all coming together.
Q: In addition to a successful career in interior and jewelry design, you have the most adorable little girls! How do you balance your time?
A: It is always a battle to find the balance but I am in the office from 8-3 (of course I go in and out of the house a lot to see them throughout the day) and then the rest of the day is spent with the girls.
Q: Your beautiful clothes are such an inspiration on Instagram! What are your favorite comfy things to wear while stuck at home during this pandemic.
A: I genuinely love to be in a robe. I don’t think there is anything more comfortable than being in a fluffy robe.
Q: Do you have any favorite “movie houses” that have inspired your style?
A: The Emma set and obviously, all the sets used for the Crown.
Q: When you aren’t busy designing, how do you like to spend your free time?
A: I love being outside any time I can be. Sophia and I love to go on little walks together, she picks flowers along the way and its so sweet.
Q: Where is your favorite place to vacation, and what destinations are on your bucket list?
A: Our absolute favorite place to go on a long proper holiday is England. We can get to the Bahamas rather easily so we go there a lot on shorter trips. Mustique Island is on our bucket list.
Thank you, Nicola, for making the world a prettier place! For additional information on Nicola Bathie McLaughlin and her exquisite jewelry collection, please visit www.nicolabathie.com. You can also follow her on Instagram @nicolabathiemclaughlin for daily inspiration. And I highly recommend this 10 minute video tour of her home where Nicola shares tips on where to spend and splurge when decorating.
Below, I am sharing some of my favorite jewelry pieces, which make the perfect gift for a special occasion, or just for yourself… I want one of everything! 🙂
Elegant Southern Style with Deborah Hensley
I first learned of designer Deborah Hensley when her exquisite Gracie-wallpapered dining room went viral on Instagram, so when the rest of her beautiful home was featured by Home Design & Decor magazine, I just couldn’t wait to share! Located in Raleigh, North Carolina, Deborah loved her house but it was becoming unsuitable for her family’s needs. Instead of moving, they decided to rebuild and construct a classic Southern-inspired Georgian masterpiece. She partnered with architect Carter Skinner to design a timeless home with red brick and navy shutters. Inside, she selected dynamic and colorful wallpapers and fabrics to establish a backdrop for treasured heirlooms and collected pieces. She wanted to create an environment that was elegant but also warm and inviting… a place where her family could gather and make memories.
“I firmly believe in filling a home with things that remind you of a wonderful memory or tradition, or something that simply makes you feel warm and happy. I love using handmade pieces that have been passed down,” she told Home Design & Decor. “For me, decorating a house is almost like directing a movie. I think of the milestones, memories, and events that will take place and how I can create a special backdrop for all of those occasions.
Let’s take a look inside with photography by Stacey Van Berkel and Dustin Peck.
For more inspiration from Deborah Hensley, please follow @deborahhensleyinteriors on Instagram. You can read more about her home via Home Design & Decor, and details about her dining room can be found here!
