L’Atelier de Courances

The park as well as the outer walls of Chateau de Courances are inscribed as Monuments Historiques. Although the rest of the buildings of the domain are not listed per say, they are pretty much subject to the rules governing the Monuments Historiques in case of any works. When renovating the Hameau, the architect of the Batiments de France required, quite rightly, that the buildings keep the rural aspect of their original functions. The restoration took eighteen months and needed about ten people. Manolo, the Courances gardener was hired to help. He knew everything there was to know about Courances and becomes little by little the site manager coordinating the different artisans: a plumber, an electrician, a carpenter who executed the door and window frames, the shutters and the staircases. A few masons and four other people who usually worked for the upkeep the Park of Courances were also hired. Because of the proximity of the buildings to the water, the biggest difficulty of the work site was to clean up the foundations; without knocking down anything it had to be repaired from underneath so as to reinforce and protect it from the waters. This structural work implied moving … the Pump. It can be imagined how difficult it was to move such an imposing system. As for the very bad state of the paved court it was best to completely redo it. It was set in the traditional way, that is to say, on a bed of sand slightly treated with lime. Following damages during World War II, some sections had been repaired in the seventies and eighties with concrete. When talks of restoration took place, there was very little if any, of the original elements that could have been used. However, it was obvious that high quality materials had to be used. This is why the walls were worked with whitewash and the floors covered with old terra cotta tiles. Insulation was done with hemp, a vegetable fiber known for its transpirant qualities. The regional park of Gatinais, in which sits the château de Couranes, has put in place a procedure for the availability of local hemp and encourages the use of this wonderful material that not only is very efficient but also perfumes pleasantly the walls. Decorated both soberly and elegantly, each of the three houses have a particular charm and atmosphere. A place for the family or a group of friends, for relaxing, breathing, simply taking a pause. The peacefulness of the Hameau de Courances comes very much because of the pretty paved courtyard. But also because of the grandiose beauty of a small hidden, private garden : THE Japanese garden, known to be one of the most beautiful of Europe.