Pivoine Room

A room steeped in history

The Peony Room is perhaps the most personal room in the château. It belonged to Robert de la Bouillerie – Bob, as he was known to the family – and it still bears his mark, in the truest sense of the word. Its wood panelling, four-poster bed and wardrobe: everything bears the mark of a man who worked with wood with great skill. Its window overlooks the pond and the orangery, a view one imagines has been admired for generations. With its Indian-style fabric draped across the walls, this room has a particularly warm and welcoming feel.

Bob and his woodwork

Robert de la Bouillerie was a carpenter at heart. According to family tradition, it was he who crafted the wood panelling that adorns his bedroom – a meticulous, understated piece of work that speaks volumes about the man’s character. He is also credited with crafting the four-poster bed that stands at the centre of the room and the wardrobe, which is closed by an authentic ‘napkin fold’ door – a cabinet-making technique characteristic of the 15th century, with its relief-carved panels imitating the drape of pleated fabric. These pieces did not come from an antique dealer: they have always been here.

Memories of the Restoration

The room also houses mementoes from a pivotal period in French history: the Restoration, in the early 19th century, when the Bourbons returned to the throne following the Revolution and the Empire. A forebear of the family held prominent positions there: Master of Requests at the Council of State, Intendant of the Crown Treasury, member of the family council of the Children of France, and Officer of the Legion of Honour. Charles X, the last king of the elder branch of the Bourbons, reigned over France from 1824 to 1830. Deeply attached to the values of the Ancien Régime, he embodied the desire to restore the monarchy to its former glory. It was against this backdrop of royal revival that the great noble families regained their positions at the heart of the state. His reign came to an end with the July Revolution of 1830, which brought the Bourbon monarchy to a definitive close. The objects preserved in this room are silent witnesses to those years, which were both glorious and turbulent.

Breakfast

An organic breakfast is provided. It is served in the dining room with all the refinement and art de vivre of the French. Most of the dishes are prepared in Hodebert’s kitchen by the hostess using high-quality organic ingredients. The spelt bread is made according to a recipe by Saint Hildegard of Bingen using non-hybridised organic flour. The jams are cooked in organic cane sugar using fruit from Hodebert or neighbouring orchards. Organic cheeses or those from nearby farms, homemade organic yoghurt with orange blossom…