A seventeenth century mansion was transformed into a castle in the nineteenth century with the addition of a new floor and a tower. As was the fashion the XIXth c., the ground floor was reorganised and decorated with mosaic floors, arches and deep red walls. However, whilst the staircase and the volumes are quite exquisite, the overall feel of the house fell short of its ambitions due mainly to the palette used throughout as well as incoherent details which made one feel like the house was a succession of period rooms without any real link to one another. The clients wanted to have spaces that felt more welcoming as well as adapted to the needs of the XXIst c. and more importantly a house that would feel coherent throughout.

Thus, keeping details, such as the mosaic floors and the base mouldings, that seemed relevant, the overall feeling was changed drastically by giving the architecture more solemnity and gravitas by manifesting the door and window frames with mouldings as well as emphasise the height with new panel mouldings. The colorimetry was informed by the minute details in the mosaic and adapted to each room to make a coherent whole. What once felt like a patchwork of period rooms now works together to create a homely house where scale remains human yet feels grandiose.