16 Interiors from Enchanting European Estates

Join us on a jaunt through some of the continent's most lavish palaces, manors and châteaus.

Waddesdon Manor

jamesreginato_p228-229-1

Built by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild between 1874 and 1885, Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire, England, has been open to the public since 1959. The artwork Lafite (2014–15), by Joana Vasconelos, flanks the entrance.

jamesreginato_p236-237

The richly hued Smoking Room in the Bachelors’ Wing of Waddesdon was restored by designer David Mlinaric in 1994.

James Reginato_Book_INTERIOR_FINAL_WITH FINAL TEXT.indd

Tasseled ropes serve as railings on this second floor staircase.

Photos of Waddesdon Manor by Jonathan Becker

Château de Beloeil

The Belgian castle, whose name translates to “beautiful eye,” was built as a medieval fortress in the 13th century, and then converted into a residential palace in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Damask-upholstered bergère chairs and a chaise longue mingle with an intricate rug in this sitting room.

The library features soaring ceilings and herringbone wood floors. It houses 20,000 books and manuscripts.

Photos of Château de Beloeil by Mireille Robaerts

Château de Goujeonnerie

paul raeside

This 22-room home in Vendée, France, was built in 1872 for the local mayor and his family. In 2006, the trio behind the boutique interiors firm L3G Designs and the London restaurant Les Trois Garçons embarked on a five-year project to restore the château to its former glory, while introducing a few modern-day touches.

paul raeside

In the entrance hall, a pair of “unicorns” (or stuffed white horse heads affixed with horns) add a whimsical touch to the fairytale space.

paul raeside

A circa-1914 Josef Hoffmann palm-tree chandelier hangs over the 19th-century French bed in this ballet slipper–pink bedroom.

Photos of Château de Goujeonnerie by Paul Raeside

Château Fourcas

fourcas_48

Paris-based design duo Michael Coorengel and Jean-Pierre Calvagrac spent more than three-and-a-half years renovating the 18th-century home in the Bordeaux wine region.

fourcas_16

The airy dining room features wall murals and Maison Jansen dining chairs that once belonged to 20th-century writer and socialite Daisy Fellowes.

fourcas_05

This stately sitting room is filled with paintings and mirrors in gilded frames and a wall-sized tapestry.

Photos of Château Fourcas by Stephan Julliard

Blenheim Palace

2010.034_The Duchess of Marlborough_CS16_F19 001

Built for the Dukes of Marlborough, the cornerstone of Blenheim Palace was laid in 1705, but due to a skyrocketing budget and other issues the project was not completed until around 1733. Above is a look inside the private sitting room.

2010.034_The Duchess of Marlborough_CS03_F05 001

The Third State Room, one of the palace’s 187 rooms, features ornate gilded moldings. The portrait over the fireplace depicts the first Duke of Malborough with his chief military engineer.

2010.034_The Duchess of Marlborough_CS30_F23 001

Known as the Saloon, the walls of this state room are decorated with murals by Louis Laguerre.

Photos of Blenheim Palace by Jonathan Becker, from the book Great Houses, Modern Aristocrats, courtesy of Rizzoli

Château Pouy Sur Vannes

095-chateau-pouy-sur-vannes-104-xavier-bejot_luc

Chilean-born interior designer Juan Pablo Molyneux purchased this Aube, France, château when it was in bad shape; he then set out to make it majestic again. Above: the Salon des Montgolfières (hot-air balloons), is encased in original woodwork and crowned by a vaulted ceiling. The chairs are 18th-century Italian, and the chandelier is by Diego Giacometti.

082a-chateau-pouy-sur-vannes-25-xavier-bejot_luc

The library’s original wood paneling, which is accented with cordovan leather, serves as a backdrop for dramatic decor like Regency armchairs and the Emilian School painting Victory of the Papal Troops in Castro (1649).

081a-chateau-pouy-sur-vannes-38-2-xavier-bejot_luc

The château’s screening room highlights Molyneux’s passion for big-cat patterns.

Photos of Château Pouy Sur Vannes by Xavier Béjot, from the book Juan Pablo Molyneux: At Home, courtesy of Assouline

Loading more stories …

No more stories to load! Check out Introspective Magazine

No more stories to load! Check out Introspective Magazine