Hotel Féniers

Ok.  I’m stepping aside today for Beth who wanted to share her thoughts on the new house 🙂

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My thoughts about Feniers.  

Many of you know that Brian was the first to see our maison in France when he took a flyer and came to this little town to see the house and meet the people.  Door to door, I might add.  So my first opportunity was on Thursday.  We left Limoges early in the morning and headed towards the house, stopping in Faux la Montagne for a cafe and croissant before continuing on our way to Feniers.  

At some point on the way we missed a turn and ended up on this tiny road to what looked like nowhere. It reminded me of getting lost on our first road trip to Vermont only to come around a bend to find ourselves on top of this beautiful hill overlooking the valley.  But I kept having this feeling that we were heading in the right direction.  Everything just felt right– and La Creuse landscape looks like a combination of Oregon, New Hampshire, Vermont, Nova Scotia.  Everywhere you look there is beauty in spite of the nasty weather we are having.  

As we pulled into Feniers you could feel the pride of the people.  Houses are kept in good shape, flowers are everywhere.  It is just perfect.  We waited for Jet to show up to get the key from Madame Regaudie.  When she arrived we had quick introductions and were told to come back for a cafe after we walked through the house.  

The house is huge – staircases everywhere.  We went in through the kitchen door and it is obvious that the previous owners still have a lot to clear out, so I needed to look past the clutter and mess.  The house is a mix of old 1700 and new 1950 features that need to be reconciled to bring harmony back to the house.  It will be so much fun watching that happen.  There is a wine cellar off the kitchen that has arched granite ceilings.  There are old wine cages left from the restaurant/hotel.  We had a debate on what to do with the bar (Cheryl’s Bar) that is in the kitchen and it has been decided it needs to be moved into the big living room – a second debate will happen in regards to where in the living room!  

The living room is just off the kitchen and it was once the dancing hall of the town.  We later learned that Madame Regaudie used to dance there when she was 14!  This part of the house was the original barn that they raised up and attached to the house, so it has its own entrance and the prior owners added a fireplace.  The original sign for the hotel is still in the house over the fireplace (I hope they leave that!).

Back through the kitchen is the main staircase to the upstairs.  That is where the majority of the bedrooms are located, as well as and one of the bathrooms.  We spent time wandering through trying to figure out where to add bathrooms and what to do with each room!  There are two staircases that lead up to what we call the writers lofts.  One on each section of the house.  There are more stairs leading up to the attic on each side of the house.  One side is in better shape than the other.  All the rooms need love– but mostly wallpaper removed and new paint.  The floors are in great shape and just need a good cleaning.  We are going to head back later this week and see it when the sun is out and do a video walk through of the house to keep it fresh in our minds as we begin to plan what next.

Last but not least is the barn and outside area.  The barn is amazing.  There is light and the walls are the old stone with old oak beams exposed.  Ideally, we would love to turn that part into our little house – again a trip down memory lane for me.  When Brian and I first met we watched and episode of This Old House in which they were redoing an old barn and turning it into a house — and we both said someday we would love to live in a barn like that.  We never imagined it would be in France.  

We have two garden areas; one on the back of the house and the second on the back of the barn.  The second yard is huge and we can create a perfect garden and area for the chickens!  😉  

After we went back for a second run through the house we went and had coffee with Madame Regaudie.  She was as sweet as could be.  I struggle to understand most of what they say in French, but I am able to pick up on the gists of the conversations.  Brian is sweet and helps translate when he sees my deer in headlights look.  I can see many mornings learning French over a cup of coffee with her.  

Final thoughts on this next adventure. Truly, I am excited!  There is a lot of work to be done (don’t listen to Brian), but it will be beautiful and it feels warm and ready to be brought back to life.  

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