Oh, several years ago someone here was doing this! They were actually building their house, and the ultimate goal was to be, I think, a medieval type home. It was in a regular neighborhood lot. Darn, I can’t remember the name of the poster, but it’s where I learned the term ”parti”, as the overriding idea for a plan. I think the thread was lost before construction, I’m not sure what happened.

Alison...not an antique. I built it from scrap wood and flea market items, polyurethane moulding and my own cast ornaments. Thanks for posting.

Woodrose, was that necessary? Many of us have been the same situation on different topics that the OP's in. This IS part of a decor forum if I'm not mistaken, right?

Keith, I did a youtube search and found a lot of ideas. Scroll down to the 4th video where a couple did the same as you're trying to do.

Oops, I thought you meant castle, not Chateau. Do the same search but switch names. lol

Do the same search on the internet and add message boards.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=DIY+medieval+castle+room+decor+ideas

I know what rabbit hole I'll be in today. :)

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=DIY+decor+to+look+like+an+18th+century+French+townhouse+or+chateau

Thank you, Oakley. I do intend to keep looking.

I remember the medieval kitchen. And that's all I'm gonna say about that.

This, however, seems to be an excellent project. I want more photos, and with better lighting. :)

Why thank you @bpath, now I too can parlay parti.

Fori said: I want more photos, and with better lighting. :)"

Here's a couple.

Those are your house?? They are wonderful! It must be fun to do the research, but sourcing materials and labors a labor of love.

Yes this is my house. And cliched though it may be, it very much has been a labor of love. Which is ongoing, I might add. The house is only about 2/3 finished...this project has been much more labor-intensive that I at first imagined. Plus, work got in the way. :) Now that I'm retired, it has become a race against death! Lol. My research began in the mid-1980s, and continues to this day. The internet has been a Godsend as you might imagine. I've done all the work myself. No outside assistance.

How did you acquire the artwork?

Hey, you do you, and the results say you're pretty good at it.

Maybe it's your calling to formalize that small niche for others to locate. Start a subreddit page "r/Louis_XIV_the_OG" or a FB group "Versailles, You Cannot Deny"

Very original!!!

Bpath...the art has come from many different sources. Flea markets...my mother...ebay. Some of them began life as a digital image I found on the internet, which I then photoshopped to clean up the artifacts and correct the color. I'd then enlarge if necessary, and send to Posterburner to print a specific size either on canvas or print paper which I then decoupaged. I built the frames specifically for the "paintings." The large painting above was custom done oil on canvas, in China, in 2005. I sent the outfit pix of myself, my son (then 4 yo) and my two Siamese cats, and described how I wanted them to paint it, using two old paintings of King Louis XV as a guide. They shipped the completed canvas (3/4 life size) to me, and I then built the frame for it and hung it in my living room. If I'd commissioned the painting here in the U.S. it would've cost me something north of $10,000. I paid a very small fraction of that. Thanks for asking.

3onthe tree... That's a great idea. I've actually been thinking about something along those lines. Maybe even a webpage or website. Thanks for posting.

I was gonna ask about that portrait!! It's pretty great.

JDMCCL...I'll take that as a compliment, thank you. Although, in truth, there's not much about it that is truly original. It's mostly all derivative of designs I found in books, magazines, on the internet, youtube, etc. If I find something I like, I'll either try to copy it, or riff on it depending on whether I can reproduce the elements of the design or come close. On a few things I've just made it up on the fly, always keeping an eye on the style and trying to stay consistent with it.

Very cool to have you, your daughter and the cats in a painting. By chance, does she have red curly hair? In the painting, she looks a lot like our oldest granddaughter - who, btw, adopted two Siamese kittens last month.

Allison...I like your granddaughter already! Siamese are my favorites! My current furry son is a Maine Coon/Siamese mix...24 lbs. of furry purry goodness! It's actually my son in the painting. He was four years old at that time. The hair was the style for youngsters at the time. I'm glad you like it. Funny story about the frame. I had built it to just short of the finishing stage, and as I was moving it (by myself, foolishly) I dropped it and damaged two corners. I was so annoyed that I stored it for two years before finishing it and hanging the painting. I know...a childish fit, but sometimes one just has to walk away and come back in a better "frame" of mind. :) Thanks for asking.

Fori...thank you. I've done something similar with my Mom (in assisted living) and my Dad (he died in 2017). But not as big. In fact, I have plans to put us all in one larger pic. If I live long enough. Lol.

I am mightily impressed to see someone develop and execute a vision for his house like this. The amount of research, attention to detail and craftsmanship is awe inspiring. Kudos, Keith.

Keith I definitely meant it as a compliment! I love spaces that have such a personality. Love the big paintings too!

The first time I saw artwork going up the wall…meaning multiple paintings covering the wall was thought to myself. That’s odd. But then my next thought was “I need more paintings!” Lol.

I'm guessing you have a pretty nice woodworking (and gilding, and other stuff) shop somewhere. :)

If you have Photoshop, then you can adjust the color of some of your photos by adjusting the "levels". Here's your first photo withe "Auto Levels" adjustment from Photoshop:

I don't know anyone personally who has done what you are doing, but it reminds me a bit of Randolph Hearst and his castle at San Simeon, although the style is different.

There are a couple of French Chateau houses in Houston, but they are far from middle class;

One for $12 million

One more modest for $8.5 million

I remember hearing in Houston around 1970 that someone (I think it was Mayor Louis Welch) had brought a French chateau from France and had it reassembled, stone by stone, in Houston, but I cannot find evidence of this on the web.

In Los Angeles, the price for a French chateau goes up.

Zalco...thank you for the kind words. My philosophy has always been, "a man's gotta have something to do." :)

JDMCCL...more art (especially Baroque art)=greater happiness. In my book, anyway. :)

Fori...if you can call a 10x12 portable building/workshop "pretty nice!" It all takes place there. (I do have most of the power tools known to man, however.) ; )

Lars...yeah, taking pix taxes the limits of my skillset. ; ) One of my rules for this project was to try to accomplish the goal without breaking the bank. This has forced me to find ways to cut costs while staying true to the vision. Just throwing money at it would defeat my purpose. Thanks for posting.

Oops! My apologies, the "4yo part" stuck in my mind instead of "my son."

Having a project of this magnitude certainly keeps you busy. I hope you will share photos of other areas too.

Yes please more photos!!!

I love this thread. :)

That portrait is amazing. I hope to see more of your house, too.

I think the châteaux of Houston are not the homes of love like yours is, but "Hi, Pierre my decorator, go to France or at least Chairish and get me something French".

More pics and stories, please.

I am in awe of your vision and your talents in carrying it out. I'd love to see your kitchen or the ideas that you have for it.

Thank you to all of you expressing interest in my project. While I really only got on here to gauge whether there might be others doing what I'm doing, I am humbled and gratified by your positive responses and well wishes.

To those asking for more photos, I've got a few below. Please bear in mind that my house is not finished, and there are numerous details lacking in areas that have been only partially decorated. I retired at the end of 2021, and spent the winter and early spring in the yard trying to address issues I've been neglecting there. I have tried to also take time to ramp up, so to speak, on pursuing the decorative activities, furniture/frame building, moulding/casting and finishing aspects of this project.

Sometimes I get overwhelmed by the sheer enormity of detail. So much still left to do. But please know that I will NEVER stop. I've entered the fourth decade of this thing, and I am determined to accomplish as much as I can before I croak. My Mom (88 yo and in assisted living) is always ragging on me to finish, finish, finish, because she's worried she'll die before she sees the end. I always tell her that I'm not gonna hurry it up 'cuz that's how things get screwed up, and that I'm not doing this for her but for me (of course, with a twinkle in my eye).

Here's a wide angle shot of my bathroom. It's fairly small (I built this house when I was single, after all).

A close-up of the trumeau. The frame was bought. The sconces I got at a flea market for pennies, and mounted them as you see.

This is my shower.

This painting of the Coronation of Napoleon hangs in my library. Yes, I built the frame. Please excuse the fuzziness...I have a tremor in my right hand that drives me bats*** crazy.

I built this two-tiered sock drawer after too many years trying to wrangle those suckers.

I mounted my license about 7 years ago after leaving it rolled up in its original cardboard tube for over 30 years. (I whited out my last name, for reasons that should be obvious. Hey...I've got a reputation to protect. ; ))

I love the sock dresser! oh my - let me see - a drawer for my summer running socks, my winter running socks, my rainy day running socks, winter hiking socks, summer hiking socks,.....

Bifenton...I know, right? BTW, thanks for your compliment. As to your question about the kitchen, I confess that I've done very little to it at this point. Mainly because I haven't been able to make up my mind about some of the details. But lately I've been fleshing out some ideas. Something along these lines:

..but I bet you will have better tile....

Or that tile and different cabinet trims?

Now I feel really stupid for giving a pro like yourself such silly googling advice. If it will make you like me, did you know for the past 20 years I've read nothing but French and English history?

Feathers...I do something every day. How 'bout you?

Oakley...my college degrees were History and Economics, and I took every English history course they offered. So you already rate pretty high. : )

Keith, wonderful work, love your BA.

For the K, I would do white slab marble on the BS for sure.

PS FYI, Feathers is posting on every thread, as an anti-gun protest gesture; it is not about your thread per se. Go, Feathers!

Keith, your work is impressive! I think it's wonderful to see the dedication and vision you've needed to achieve this. Also, I love that you've found a style and embraced it and not let current trends or whims dictate your home. Just lovely! Thank you for sharing.