Auckland couple's stunning French chateau

Nick Ferneyhough and Chrystelle Brown.

Chrystelle Baran and Nick Ferneyhough live in a perfectly nice Remuera coach house in Auckland.

Their other house is a French chateau. At least it's one wing of the 20-plus bedroom Chateau de Saussignac in the south west village of Saussignac between Bordeaux and Bergerac.

Ferneyhough and French-born Baran have been spending so much time in France sourcing pieces for their antiques business Baran de Bordeaux, they needed more of a base than her parents' place in Bordeaux.

Once they traipse round the countryside vying for pieces for the Auckland shop they can settle into idyllic country life in the village with a population of 400, two shops - one selling local wine, the other bread and cigarettes - and free Saturday afternoon aperitif sessions hosted by the mayor for locals and their friends.

They "practically signed-up on the spot" last year when an antiques dealer friend told them he'd just put it on the market.

"We'd always loved the area - with the vineyards of Bordeaux and Saint Emilion to the west and the medieval castles and villages of Dordogne to the east and this style of architecture with the mansard slate roof, the original fireplaces and the vaulted cellars," says Ferneyhough.

"Then, there's the way the chateau sits on top of a hill, dominating the Dordogne valley. But I have to admit, the 17th-century walnut panelling in the salon really clinched it. It's the most intact original interior element in the entire chateau - absolutely stunning," says Ferneyhough.

Built in the 16th century by a general under Louis XIII, with two wings added in 1680, the building was divided into five separate titles when the town couldn't keep up the cost of maintenance.

"Dividing chateaux into multiple ownership is practically unheard of in France, so we jumped at the chance. It enables us to have the true chateau living experience without the horrendous maintenance and heating bills of owning the whole building."

What's more, each owner has a private garden and access to the shared central courtyard which is maintained by the council.

"At the moment it's a great pied a terre for us on our buying trips to France. The only problem we face is deciding which of our purchases will be sent back to the shop in Auckland and which will stay in Saussignac."

Which means the shop may not see much late Louis XIV (1640-1715) to early Regency (1715-1730) pieces, as they furnish the chateau in period style.

"It was a bold Italianate style compared to the rococo, florid Louis XV that had taken hold by the mid-18th century. It really stands out as a golden era."

Other than finding the furniture, they plan on giving it a more opulent feel by introducing some rich 17th-century limewash colours instead of the more sterile white walls.

"A coffer, the odd large oil painting, a chandelier and it's done. Noble homes of the era didn't really have a great deal of furniture. The 4.5m stud height and beautiful joinery does all the work, not to mention the views of rolling vine-covered hills."

If you're thinking there must be a downside to living in a chateau - not this one. Draughts aren't even a problem once it has been heated.

"We did discover on our first winter, that a stone building with walls a metre thick takes about a week to heat up. We had fires roaring and the heating up full, but until the stone structure actually starts heating up, the temperature doesn't move much. Conditions were extreme, though. The first day there also happened to be the first time it snowed in about 10 years.

"Fortunately, the last owners brought our wing into the 21st century. We have a modern kitchen and under-floor heating which is a huge bonus, otherwise living in a chateau is all we'd imagined it to be. The feeling of height and space is wonderful. Architects certainly knew what they were doing back then."

* Baran de Bordeaux is at 36 Portland Rd, Remuera, ph (09) 524 6949, frenchantiques.co.nz