Domaine de Primard, the new life of a château

Lydia Bacrie | 4/16/24

The seventh address in the Domaines de Fontenille collection, this refuge - once owned by Catherine Deneuve - is immediately appealing... A fairytale château set in 30 hectares of gardens, combining country chic with contemporary conviviality.

The quality of a hotel is ultimately measured by one simple criterion: the pleasure guests derive from visiting it, and their desire to return. The ultimate proof of this? The Domaine de Primard, on the banks of the Eure, just an hour from Paris. Inaugurated in 2021, this sold-out venue is attracting more urbanites than ever, seduced by its magic. A dream castle nestled in an immense park with a rose garden, greenhouses, a vegetable garden and even a farm with animals, a children's paradise .

As soon as you enter the château, the tone is set, with the first floor featuring a succession of lounges decorated with antique woodwork, large fireplaces and plush sofas.There's also a small corner boudoir with floral wallpaper and a pink banquette, ideal for lazing around while reading your novel. Divided between the main building and its outbuildings (the Maison du Lac, the Barn and the Maison du Verger), the 40 rooms and suites reflect the same atmosphere: intimate, refined and full of spirit. Period panelling, pastel hues and antique furnishings unfold with majesty, mixed with a few more modern touches (Pierre Frey fabrics...) and bathrooms equipped with that ultimate luxury, separate shower and bathtub. All open onto the park with a view of the canopy and, for the suites in the Maison du Lac (our favorites), the privilege of small independent living rooms that extend into delightful curated gardens .

The omnipresence of nature can also be found in the kitchens, led by the (very) talented Romain Meder, who creates a singular score that is totally in tune with the spirit of the place. Depending on your mood, you can opt for the Les Chemins table, which offers a daring gastronomic experience with its 5 or 7 "Chemins" menus, emphasizing naturalness (and permaculture-grown produce from the kitchen garden), as well as sustainable French fishing.The Octave restaurant, which extends along the orchard, offers simpler but more delicious cuisine, as does the La Table d'Hôtes room, with its period fireplace, La Cornue stove and ultra-chalming table .

This taste for excellence also infuses the wellness area nestled in the former wood shed at the heart of the park. 400 m2 entirely dedicated to fitness, with a fitness room, sauna, hammam, two Japanese baths, exceptional massages and treatments by Austrian brand Susanne Kaufmann. So rejuvenated, all that's left for you to do is discover one of the great assets of the place: the exceptional park, imagined by Jacques Wirtz as an ode to nature, to be enjoyed here in all its simplicity and majesty.

A garden by Jacques Wirtz

Designed by Jacques Wirtz - one of the great landscape architects of the 20th century, responsible for the Carrousel gardens in Paris - this park is in the style of his time: very orderly structures of hedges and topiaries of boxwood with undulating shapes that underline the nobility of the immense hundred-year-old trees. Over the years, the site has been enriched by some 250 varieties of flowers in the rose garden imagined by Catherine Deneuve; an immense vegetable garden cultivated using permaculture techniques by faithful gardener Gérard Germaine; small teak pontoons along the river for lounging; a pond where ducks frolic and meadows where horses graze. It's a rare place, where you'll also find a magnificent swimming pool heated to 25°C, a precious privilege in the heart of Normandy.

Interview with Alexandre Lafourcade, restoration specialist

You were in charge of restoring this 18th-century château. How did you go about it?

Alexandre Lafourcade: The château was extensively converted into a hotel, but with the same determination to preserve its spirit. Reuse what can be reused, reappropriate it, embellish it and bring it up to date. I kept the existing staircase, but extended it to the top level. I kept the facades intact, but redistributed the interior spaces to match the château's new functions. The challenge was to comply with hotel accessibility standards, while making these constraints invisible to visitors. The contemporary feel is reflected in the choice of furniture, materials (Studio Beauregard cement tiles), colors (water green, pale pink...) and contemporary artworks that cohabit with neoclassical paintings .

How did you go about designing the other spaces, the old farmhouse and the addition of a banqueting hall?

A.L.: My first step was to design the circulation between the different buildings so that it would be obvious, harmonious and pleasant to live in. I recreated the old farmhouse according to the rules of the surrounding rural architecture, while transforming it with a few bedrooms on the second floor. The old wooden hangar was redesigned to house the spa .

The estate is part of the Domaines de Fontenille collection, whose first address, in Lauris, you have already restored. What isthe relationship between these different locations?

A. L.: Domaine de Fontenille is a typical Luberon bastide, while Domaine de Primard is a pure Norman château. What they have in common is that they bear witness to a moment in history, surrounded by ancient gardens from which I have drawn inspiration. Originally, these two properties were strictly private. Frédéric Biousse and Guillaume Foucher (owners of the collection) decided to transform them into living spaces, which quickly became a must. Their rebirth is the result of a desire, which is also mine, to bring them out of obscurity by sharing them with a public in search of authenticity and refinement .