Chateau Rustique - French (and associated) furniture
Castles, farmhouses, provincial, rustic, regal yet modest – the name ‘Chateau Rustique’ alone excites the imagination to summon up the romance and beauty of France. What Chateau Rustique aims to bring you is a slice of that evocation with an eclectic mix of predominantly French Furniture and Home Decor Accessories, but also combining other furniture and pieces that complement the ethos of the range.
Chateau Rustique is not just a website selling goods. It is unusual in several ways. Each item is unique, chosen for its character or individuality, painstakingly sourced and then either presented as it is with its own charm or worked on in-house to restore and rejuvenate its original glory. A fascinating addition to the website is the section ‘Morsels and Miscellany’. Here, Chateau Rustique aims to bring you a soupçon of intrigue looking into the history of some items in its collection and other unusual pieces it comes across. One of the services offered is exclusive sourcing of items. Although Chateau Rustique cannot promise to prove successful in sourcing items every time, its’ customers are prepared to wait for the right piece to come along. Another string to its bow is the service of refurbishing customers’ own items and advising on and being involved in specific projects. In fact, Chateau Rustique is believed to be unique in its’ own right. You would be hard pushed to find another furniture website with: a shop selling only a few specialised items; offering upholstery, refurbishing and sourcing services; telling stories about unusual or mysterious items; with an almost tailor-made feel to it and with the heart and soul of its’ founders evident on every page.
Those wanting mass produced or already known furniture products will be disappointed. The furniture section of the website is being built up steadily. The reason behind this is that sourcing bespoke pieces takes time. The owners would rather be out sourcing and working on distinct and characteristic pieces. Examples of current stock are a 19th century French Dough Bin, which would look marvellous as a hall table or kitchen sideboard. Or an original woodman’s chair, circa 1890, sourced from France. How about the French larder cupboard with an incredibly unusual design? Or the glorious Chiffonier, otherwise known as a sideboard?
The foundations of Chateau Rustique are firmly rooted in the love of France and all that is French and the love of restoring fine furniture. Thoroughly enjoying everything to do with the company, founders Vanessa Lloyd-Jones and Gail Marsh take delight in facing a day full of sourcing and restoring. “Furniture rejuvenation takes time,” admitted Vanessa, “and we are determined to do every job properly. We use only high quality and natural products where possible and attention to detail is paramount.”
“Sometimes it takes weeks to source what you are looking for, but when you do it is like finding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow,” enthused Gail, “Every day at Chateau Rustique brings new and exciting projects and ideas. Just when you feel you are getting nowhere, there is a breakthrough and your zeal is renewed.”
chateaurustique.co.uk is now live. Why not save it as a favourite and keep an eye on the diversity of its’ range as the weeks come and go.
