Auvergne: how a 10th century fortress earns a facelift

What to do with a 1,000-year-old castle full of a patchwork array of its lifetime's design trends? Preservation architect Joseph Pell Lombardi approached Château du Sailhant in Auvergne, France with immense respect for what appeared to be a bit of a split personality of a building. The surroundings are natural and romantic, the perfect stage for a revival of its 19th century livings. Lombardi was able to procure antiques from this period, revive its old wall paper scheme, and even adjust the floor plan to allow for the original great room—temporarily subdivided into bedrooms by a previous owner.

"If you're on a quest trying to go back in time, you're not always successful. It's essentially like time travel, and if you do find the answer to your quest, it is a little miraculous," he is quoted in Architectural Digest.












[images © Architectural Digest]