This is going to sound very wrong but I need a Dick in my life. Not that sort, obviously. I’m talking about ex-Army Lieutenant Dick Strawbridge; TV presenter, engineer and gourmand.
He’s the sort of chap who can install a glass elevator in an afternoon and still have time to knock-up a tent-on-a-pontoon in time for your evening sundowner.
It was January 2015 when Dick and his wife Angel Adoree (a heaven-sent match if ever there was one) moved to Chateau-de-la-Motte Husson in Pays de le Loire.
The chateau offered that fairy-tale combination of neglected elegance and dilapidated promise which appeals to vintage-loving TV viewers everywhere as it offered the holy trinity of DIY, craft and construction on a grand scale.
The charming Strawbridge clan
Before you could say ‘mais oui’, Channel 4 had commissioned a four-part ‘restoration’ series (there’s now been five series and a DIY spin-off) which would follow Angel and Dick’s extraordinary adventures in creating a home/castle for their children Arthur (6), and Dorothy (5).
Five series and counting; the chateau makes for compelling TV source
Of course, Channel 4 were probably hoping the charismatic couple would fall flat on their worm-ridden floorboards. After all, Dick and Angel were leaving a chic two-bed apartment in Essex to take on a house neglected for forty years.
As Dick himself testified; “Moving to a new home, in a foreign country, in the middle of winter, with no electric, sewerage or heating, and with two very young children in tow, could be considered foolish.”
What the crew hadn’t banked on was the greater appeal (two million plus viewers per episode) of seeing the couple succeed; in style.
No matter what the £280,000, 45-bedroomed chateau threw at them – leaky roof, rotten windows, fly infestation – Dick always had a nifty solution. Moreover Angel’s prowess for vintage styling, accrued from running Vintage Patisserie, allowed her create chateau chic on a tight budget.
What the TV crew failed to show – Dick believes for romantic reasons – is the sheer amount of forward planning they put into their project.
”I don’t think they covered in detail how much planning we did…if you don’t think about it properly, something will turn around and bite you in the bum,” Dick told House Beautiful in 2018 when asked what advice he’d give to other would-be owners of one of the 10,000 chateau in France.
“We knew about all the rooms, we knew about termites, we knew about heating….”
“We laugh a lot. Life is all about energy and passion and living it,” says Dick.
In fact, Dick and Angel were nothing like the naive dreamers you often see on ‘new life abroad’ documentaries. After investing the last of their savings pot (the couple had £20k left after buying the chateau) into the initial work they launched a wedding and events business which, supplemented by Dick’s TV/corporate work, allowed them to complete specific projects.
“Each wedding we got booked in we allocated it to a sink or a bathroom,” Angel told GMTV viewers in December 2018.
Extremely watchable – Dick and Angel on GMTV
“We wrote down all of our possible revenues and then put smiley or sad faces next to [projects].”
Whilst Angel’s room transformations look magically easy on screen, it pays to remind yourself that this clever lady was assisted by volunteer labour (provided by Workaway) and her parents Steve and Jenny who happily provided free DIY services and children-care.
That’s before you factor in the brain/brawn provided by her magnificently moustachioed hubby (who can turn his hand to anything) and the fee paid by Channel 4 to film the families’ adventures.
Are you a Mr and Mrs Fix-it ? If not, give renovating a miss source
Put simply, unless you have a film crew, amazing up-cycling skills, willing volunteers, a well-paid job and a revenue stream from your home and – oh here we go again – a multi-talented Dick; it might be best to invest in a bit of French interior style rather than in the shabby chic chateau itself.
Inspired by Dick and Angel; Jolly Volley looks at some key elements of Dick and Angel decorating triumphs and shows you how to emulate that classic French style in your own home.
Dick and Angel’s Rococo chairs really rock
The finds
France is home to 15,000 brocantes (flea markets) and it’s at a market in Normandy that Angel finds a pair of 1950s reproduction Rococo-inspired chairs which she feels are perfect for the honeymoon suite.
Angel is determined to bag a bargain but the dealer remains stony-faced when she attempts to haggle. Dick is not sure about this pricey purchase – especially as he’s not sure these spindly golden-legged beauties will take his weight.
They cost Angel £250e (around £219).
Angela at her favourite charity shop; photo Rapid Pictures
Fortunately, Angel supplements the occasional splurge with re-purposed items from the local second-hand shop and an attic seemingly stuffed with treasures belonging to centuries of the De Baglion family.
“It’s my pleasure, finding treasure in other people’s junk,” she says after finding a wardrobe stuffed with antique clothes and linen.
“It’s all so beautiful.”
How to emulate; There’s a wonderfully helpful website called Flea Market Insiders which lists 23 of the best brocantes in France this year (2019).
Top of their list for fearless pickers is Le Grande Braderie de Lille; an annual event which takes place over two days in September. There’s 10,000 stall so it pays to know what you want in advance as it gets extremely busy.
If you can’t travel to a brocante – get your French fix through French La Vie
If you are looking for French style a little closer to home; a great place to start would be to attend an Arthur Swallow Fair like the Antique and Home Show, held at the Lincolnshire Showground, just outside the City.
Arthur Swallow Fairs – always worth a flutter
Closer to home still (my own Derbyshire home that is) is the Newark International and Collector’s Fair.
Events – are held Thur-Fri, up to six times a year. Entry £20 Thur, £5 Fri at the Newark and Nottinghamshire Showground (01636 702326, iacf.co.uk).
For more info try The Guardian’s guide to England’s best vintage markets and antique fairs.
The wallpaper wall
Most people who come across a pile of wallpaper scraps in their attic would have them on the bonfire.
But Angel isn’t most people. Declaring them a thing of beauty, she utilises them to create a wallpaper museum on a circular staircase in the chateau’s turret.
Angel’s famous wallpaper wall made from vintage off-cuts
“I’m not going to lie – it’s not going to be easy,” says Angel as the TV viewers watch her cutting hundreds of paper panels from a triangular template.
“But who needs sleep?”
DIY Diva; Angel performing another magical transformation
How to emulate; Fortunately, there’s no need to spend days cutting up paper. Angel has launched her own soft furnishing and wallpaper range – with the Design Studio. ‘The Chateau by Angel Strawbridge’ includes the ‘Wallpaper Museum Collection’. (below).
Good enough for their chateau; good enough for your caravan
The fairytale wedding of Charlie and Rich; the first guests married at the chateau
The ‘Monumental pain in the arse,’ aka the honeymoon suite
During their first year at the chateau, Dick and Angel had to regularly put in 18 hours days. As they were due to get married at the castle nine months after their move, Angel decided to focus much of this effort on completing the honeymoon suite at the top of the castle’s turret.
This project saw Dick having knock-through a 3ft thick wall to create an arch connecting the bedroom with Angel’s wallpaper museum. A task Dick dubbed ‘A monumental pain in the arse’ but was completed with his customary grin and twinkling eye.
How to emulate; Unless you are Kirstie Allsopp, do not knock through any walls without a structural report. But there are tips you can borrow from Angel to create a romantic boudoir.
In contrast to a lot of Angel’s rooms which are packed with vintage drama and eccentric touches (pineapple chandelier, faux taxidermy and circus posters) the bridal bedroom and adjoining suite are pictures of pared-down simplicity.
According to the French Bedroom Company, minimalism is key to creating a beautiful boudoir.
Available from the French Bedroom Company; just add croissants source
“As the rooms can often be dark, residents keep their rooms light, typically white with one accent colour,” the team advise.
“The real key is nonchalance; scattered coffee table books, plump cushions thrown on your bed and a vase full of colourful flowers are all a great way to achieve that subtly embellished boho look.”
Those hand-made tiles, those copper pans….I’m salivating over the chateau kitchen source
The kitchen
Far from being the heart of the home, the chateau kitchen was sited in a dank basement.
“Crumbling and covered with mould.” was how TV commentator Tracy Ann Oberman described this depressingly, dark area.
Dick (with help of some workmen) adapted the carcass of a ready-made kitchen to create a new-look kitchen which came to life when Angel decorated the room with items from her vast collection of vintage kitchenalia; including an impressive collection of copper ware.
Angels also illustrated and hand-printed the kitchen tiles herself; a process which took three days.
Delft design by Fired Earth; an illustration of tile style
How to emulate: For those who cannot decorate their own tiles – cheat. These decorated Flemish-inspired Delft tiles are hand-painted by clever folk at Fired Earth.
As for French-style kitchen accessories, chef and blogger David Leibovitz suggests scouring flea markets, antique shops and second-hand stores/charity shops, especially those on French turf (a great excuse for a holiday – don’t forget to take a van).
Borrow a tip from Angel and hand embroider your guest’s initials on old linen source
David’s advice is to look for; “Piles of gorgeous French linens, mortars without (or without) pestles, French jam jars, and no longer loved café pitchers,”
“Whisks, spatulas, café au lait bowls, used kitchen knives, cake pans, cocktail glasses, etc…’
One man’s trash is vintage collector David Lebovitz’s treasure
One of David’s favourite places to shop in France is La Brocalou le Titoustock, and typical things on his wish-list would also include;-
cake pans, tart rings, enamel bowls, old glass, stone jars, coffee grinders, antique storage jars, terrines, casserole pots, wicker baskets, coffee grinders, fruit presses, bottle driers, knives, bottles, cruet sets, drink pitchers, cordial glasses, moulds, French pottery, enamel signs and classic white souffle dishes.
Find more of David’s scrumptious tips, recipes and pics at www.davidlebovitz.com
Fresh and dry – a hand-made floral bouquet source
The flowers
Dick and Angel make no bones about being practical, frugal folk. If they can borrow, beg or grow-their-own – they will.
This trailing decoration made from laurel is fresh from Angel’s garden
“It’s amazing what you can find in your garden,” says Angel as she creates a laurel trail for the stairs which would cost hundreds of your British pounds if bought from a Chelsea florist.
“When I insert fresh flowers, it will be beautiful.”
Daisy, daisy, for a tutorial on how to dry flowers visit Daisy Shop
Angel invested in some long-lasting dried flowers from the Daisy Shop to decorate her first wedding. Angel put bunches of gypsophila in little alcoves, lavender in teacups and, on the wedding breakfast table itself, vases filled with beautiful bunches of dried hydrangeas, wheat and oats.
Grow your own – Image; Michele M. Waite
How to emulate – spend the afternoon in the garden with Erin Benzakein’s Floret Farm’s Cut Flower Garden – or similar.
As for what to do with those flowers once you’ve grown them – take a leaf out of Angel’s book and visit other people’s gardens and Pinterest.
The styling
Blogger Will Taylor (author of ‘Dream Decor’ ) has coined the ‘curious collector’ to describe the decorating style of people like Angel.
Angel fits interior writer Will Taylor’s bill for curious collector
“Quite literally you decorate your space with collections of things you love,” says Will who runs the Instagram account Bright Bazaar.
“Whether it’s old cameras sourced from flea markets or a set of glassware handed down through your family for generations.”
Angel is an ardent collector of all-things vintage including old umbrellas, wicker baskets, perfume bottles, ragged flags, old toys, colour-pop posters and advertising tins.
Suitcases, games, hats, birdcages – classic Angel style source
“I always liked doing things bespoke rather than things you can buy off a shelf,” she says.
“I think that’s why I am obsessed with vintage, it’s unique – like Dick.”
Some of Angel’s reclaimed ‘curiosities’ in the boot room
How to emulate – according to interior design expert Will Taylor, a curious collector could start with;-
vintage fans, heritage tins, global finds, furniture classics, over-sized paintings, curated displays, ceramics, old cameras and mix and match rugs and hides….etc etc etc
Not exactly the cheap seats; these 1930s cinema seats on eBay are £340
Angel’s crafty transformations always have wings
The crafty transformations
Up-cycling and re-purposing vintage finds makes perfect sense to Angel.
“It’s greener and cheaper,” she says.
“I’ve always loved old things. There’s a history and story attached to all of them (the objects).”
The botanical suite – a study in Angel’s vintage styling
In the couple’s ‘Botanical Suite’, Angel enthuses about her thrifted treasures.
“I’m proud because hardly anything in this suite is new, the bed is from a charity shop, the fireplace from the attic,” she says.
“I like seeing things having a purpose again.”
Angel on another treasure hunt in the chateau’s attics
How to emulate – Emma Lander, a farmer’s wife from Cheshire, has written a hugely informative article on how to replicate Dick and Angel’s style on her blog Farmer’s Wife and Mummy.
Emma with her own charity shop finds
“My obsession with the show has gone far beyond the dungarees I ordered to be all ‘chateau’ on the farm,” she laughs.
“I too have enjoyed a renaissance in the pleasures of old things being repurposed. I think everyone can learn something from the show.”
Her top tip for emulating Angel’s crafty transformations is – ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’.
Angel’s illustration of son Arthur brandishing a sword found in the chateau
“If you have watched (the series) from the start, you will know that most of the decoration and furniture has been either refashioned or reused from things that were either already in the chateau attics or, from charity shops. What a great way to live,” she enthuses.
“I truly believe that if people stopped for a moment every now and then and thought about things, they might well come up with genius plans for things already lying around their homes.”
The craft studio
Four years into chateau life and Angel is desperate for a room of her own; a private place to craft and to display some of her vintage finds (including old Avon perfume bottles) amassed after 35 years of collecting.
“It’s a place I can go to make something without interruption,” says Angel.
“If people want to ask me things they’ll have to – I hope – wait until I go downstairs.”
Angel had grand designs for this neglected space
The project begins with a search through piles of furniture, dumped in the chateau’s outbuildings, for innovative storage solutions. The couple uncover a desk (bought by Angel for 60€), old ladders (transformed by Dick into shelves) and an enormous drawer which is re-purposed into display box for jewellery.
Angel shows her amazing attic craft studio to interior stylist French and Wilder
Angel also visits a local market and finds a day bed and ‘canteen’ (a giant sideboard) with a 150 kilo marble top which has to be lifted up a 92-step winding staircase to her room. It’s clear the delivery men regret their offer to help…especially when they have to dismantle the canteen to get it into the narrow stairwell.
They are rewarded with ‘a couple of beers’.
How to emulate – if you want to create a craft room surrounded by your own treasures – why not give this room a sprinkle of French style…
Ideal home would suggest;-
Pair a pretty desk or painted table with a vintage office chair
Your Ideal Home – is packed with French style
Surround with paintings, prints, maps, posters or engravings
Keep the walls light – white, bare plaster or faded vintage style wall-paper
Decorate old shelves, shutters and crates with items from your vintage collections
Frame your window with sheer blinds or shutters
Use glass jars, packing cases and earthenware to display your craft paper, brushes, stationary and tools
Finally, assemble a large rug, lamp and a generous arm-chair and sit back and enjoy the view.
Catch-up with all five series of Escape to the Chateau on-demand at Channel 4.
If you would like to book the Chateau De La Motte Husson – for a wedding; visit the website
To see glorious pictures of a wedding at Chateau De La Motte Husson; visit the website of Claire Macintryre photography.
