A Charming Country Hotel in France

 Brantôme, known as the “Venice of the Périgord” because of it’s winding waterways, is a stunning spot where the 16th century masterpiece that is the quirky right-angled stone bridge known as Pont Coudé links the ancient abbey with the monastery garden as well as the medieval tower, the Renaissance pavilion and the abbey itself.    

 A riverside terrace shaded by mature trees houses a restaurant for the hotel guests and passing diners, providing the opportunity to while away the hours by the babbling River Dronne, where an old water wheel rolls lazily around.

 By night the bridge lights shimmer over the waters surface, creating a romantic atmosphere.    

 Steeped in history, this charming place is ideal for a deeply relaxing getaway, where the rooms and common areas are decorated with a homey country feel, full of traditional checkered fabric, rattan seating and white washed woodwork.    

 Each suite has an individual scheme suited to the space, creating a quaint mix of interior design throughout, though all with a distinctly traditional air.    

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Inside-Outside Living Style

 In the children’s bedroom, a ‘mat’ of grass grows right from the floor, forming a base around a leafy tree that creates a shady extended headboard feature under a sunny skylight. Here the natural elements are juxtaposed with a hi-tech mural of a car plan along one entire wall, and adjacent computer equipment.    

 To continue the amalgamation, natural materials such as timber and slate have been used to clad walls, floors and ceilings rather than synthetic carpets and plastics. Despite the back to nature feel though, the home furnishings are constructed in a very new age style, with edgy contemporary furniture silhouettes and accent colors.    

Every room is bathed in pure light from the abundance of generous windows and glazed doors, and this light is bounced around by the predominantly white color scheme over much of the space, and by the ice white cabinets in the kitchen area.    

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The Superb SZB House

 This architectural creation entitled the SZB House, is decorated in warm earthy tones, rich woods and creamy ceramics that all work together in perfect harmony to create and cool understated calm amongst the distinctly high spec finishes.

 In the main bathroom, the color story continues seamlessly from the rest of the house, with a two-tone tile choice of black and cream, and rich wooden vanity units with beautiful grain providing texture and interest.

 A shower area is decorated in decadent bronze tiles that compliment the ruddy hue of the floorboards. The overall look is lightened by the clean simplicity of modern white sanitary ware.    

 A gray kitchen island looks onto a generous dining area furnished in light wood tones to keep the atmosphere light and homey, whilst a trio of over-table pendant lights ties the eating area in with the kitchens black glossy worktops and wall cupboards.

The natural décor begins in the hallway with an expanse of wooden storage units built into the staircase to provide spacious cubbies for shoes and other accessories, as well as wall hanging space for jackets and overcoats. A smart seating area is also provided here for perching on whilst lacing up those shoes, or for callers to wait on.    

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