Following our recent workspace tour of of the enchanting Chateau de Gudanes in the Midi-Pyrenees with Karina Waters, we also had a lovely chat about the everyday life at the chateau: what it is really like managing the restoration of a Class 1 Historic Monument (equal to that of the Buckingham Palace in the UK), how she tackles the everyday issues, big and small, and Karina’s secrets to getting things done at Chateau de Gudanes.

Since Karina Waters started blogging about her grand restoration of Chateau de Gudanes, the whole world has fallen in love with the French chateau in the Midi-Pyrenees. They have also fallen in love with her dream which she says is bigger than herself: the dream of reawakening the chateau and sharing its beauty with the world.

Every day we all await her updates, photos and discoveries as she digs deeper into the chateau’s past, uncovering treasures that slowly reveal its history and story. Combined with the delicate work of restoring and renovating a beautiful structure while preserving the chateau’s atmosphere and authenticity, it is mammoth task. Every now and then, we ask, how does she do it?

We introduce you to the people (and creatures) behind the project and couldn’t resist sharing more photos of Chateau de Gudanes.

All roads lead to Chateau de Gudanes

What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?

I check the weather! Each morning the Château appears different, depending upon the light and elements. I stay just a few hundred metres away from the Château, in the converted stables and servants quarters, and I love to grab my camera, head outside and capture this. I wake early, just before dawn reaches the valley, and seize the first moment that the sunlight shines on the window panes. Sometimes the Château is obscured – surrounded by low lying cloud or mist. I jump straight out of bed and run outside in worn out Peter Alexanders, barefoot, forgetting my slippers in the rush, and half asleep, to hobble over the grey pebbly stones leading towards the grand avenue and gates. I only have a few minutes to capture something beautiful – it can change in an instant. It’s comforting to know that the French are still sound asleep, with no one out and about capturing me at this time of the morning!

Like entering a magical gate to a world of fairytales