Chenonceau

I'm three posts in to an Austin-centric blog & here I am posting about...France. I can't help myself. Our family is just back from two lovely weeks in France & the trip was just as lovely as can be.

On the design front, the big winner of the trip was the chateau  Chenonceau. There was such a beautiful simplicity to it's design, especially when compared to other more ornate, castle-like chateaus. Chenonceau is known for being one of the first chateaus designed with pleasing aesthetics in mind, instead of protection. It was built for  Diane de Poitiers the king's mistress, who was later booted out by the king's wife, Catherine de Medici. The feminine influence is apparent here, this is no hunting lodge. The gallery, pictured below was so lovely & has inspired some ideas for my someday dining room re-do (stay tuned.)