LIFE BEYOND FIRST CLASS
DESIGN & ARCHTIECTURE
REVIVING
CHÂTEAU DE MONTVILLARGENNE
Château de Montvillargenne’s revival by interior architect Chantal Peyrat fuses Belle Époque elegance with playful modernity, creating a château-hotel that feels both timeless and utterly livable.
CHANTELLE GRACE
PHOTOGRAPHY: ROMAIN RICARD
In the heart of Chantilly, where forests seem to murmur with forgotten stories, a grand revival is underway. Château de Montvillargenne, built in 1914 by Baroness Jeanne de Rothschild, has long held the title of the largest château-hotel in France. But titles alone don’t tell the whole story—what matters here is how history has been delicately dusted off and brought vividly back to life.
The château’s latest incarnation, now known as Jeanne & the Forest, is the work of 369° Hotels et Maisons in collaboration with interior architect Chantal Peyrat. Her approach feels more like a dialogue with the past than a redesign. “This isn’t just a hotel,” Peyrat notes. “It’s a living memory. My role was to listen, to coax out its character without letting it feel like a museum.”
Step through the doors, and her philosophy is palpable. Original parquet floors and ornate fireplaces have been lovingly restored, their age celebrated rather than hidden. Layers of velvet, brocade, and brass dance alongside Belle Époque patterns, while playful twists—striped Art Deco bathrooms, whimsical wallpaper, and vintage lights turned into dramatic headboards—infuse the space with modern charisma. There’s a sense of ease here, as though every piece has always belonged, even as the past and present mingle in the most unexpected ways.
In her signature manner, Peyrat uses color and texture as storytellers. Deep forest greens, soft golds, and floral motifs evoke the château’s wooded surroundings and Jeanne de Rothschild’s own passion for gardens. Yet nothing feels fussy. “The château had to breathe,” she explains. “I wanted it to feel elegant, yes—but also joyful, a place where people feel they can really live.”
That lived-in feeling carries throughout the estate. In the Social Club dining room, towering ceilings, dark woods, and plush seating create a space that feels both grand and intimate. The Social Bar, with its walls clad in old book pages, channels the casual sophistication of a beloved private library, while La Table, the château’s restaurant, is a showstopper—bold, layered, and utterly unapologetic, with its checkerboard marble floors and blooming wallpaper.
Even the château’s more contemporary wings hum with this thoughtful energy. In a Brutalist-style annex from the 1970s, Peyrat leans into the industrial bones of the space, transforming it into a series of sleek “Pro Work” rooms and lounges designed for the new era of remote work and extended stays. Here, it’s all clean lines, warm woods, and flexibility—proof that function need not sacrifice beauty.
Yet it’s perhaps in the quieter moments that Peyrat’s magic is most apparent. A sun-drenched window seat overlooking the gardens, a velvet chaise tucked near a crackling fireplace—these are the details that linger, the spaces that seem to beckon you to stay just a little longer.
Jeanne & the Forest is not simply a restoration; it’s a celebration. A place where beauty is everywhere, yet never too precious. Where history is honored, but the atmosphere remains effortlessly current. And where, thanks to the vision of an interior designer who understands that great design is as much about emotion as aesthetics, every detail feels like it was meant to be discovered, slowly and delightfully.
