You might not be familiar with the niche corner of YouTube that I found myself deep-diving into lately, one where you can follow the journey of people who jump on what seems to be the fairy tale adventure of buying a castle in the French countryside and living happily ever after. Is it as simple as a turn-key purchase and a dream coming true?
British designer Anna Mayrhofer and her Italian filmmaker husband Philipp moved to Normandy in 2019 after the sale of their Parisian apartment which they switched for Chateau Le Fleur Honfleur, a stunning 18th century chateau. All was well and good until they realised the sheer costs of renovations that the property would need, a slight underestimation on their part that would need quick resolution for their bed and breakfast and chateau life to be sustainable. As a result they took on another venture of joining the world of YouTube, posting videos at the end of 2020 thinking it would be good exposure for the property once the gates of their bed and breakfast business re-opened post pandemic. Their channel How To Renovate A Chateau (Without Killing Your Partner) now has 445,000 subscribers and has brought in regular advertising revenue which rather quickly started resembling a real salary.
YouTube was at a gallop competing with the revenues of their B&B, so much so that they as recently as this year threw in the towel in order to go full-time on YouTube and dedicate their energy on editing videos and renovating their space. With both of their very unique skill sets, no wonder this has become a tremendous success story. Anna's incredible eye for interior design and aesthetics (having Balmain on your CV probably explains the sheer talent) has transformed the chateau into a beautiful space that you can tell has been influenced by her English roots. This combined with her husband's very funny and clever editing as well as what seems to be an ease for all things DIY, make for the perfect duo.
The discussion around the sale and purchase of French castles has weirdly been a personal interest of mine for a long time. Having grown up within a French speaking and Francophile circuit, the cost of these properties have always been mentioned and been rather intriguing. We have unfortunately reached a generation where the upkeep of these properties is not only immensely time-consuming but really expensive due to varying factors like the rise in the cost of living and inflation to name a few. Hence why a lot of these French families, some with immense historical attachment to their chateau and who most likely had the privilege of inheriting these amazing properties but don't have the same means as their predecessors, are now forced to sell.
As seen with the enormous success of channel 4's "Escape To The Chateau" series following Dick and Angel Strawbridge renovating their Chateau De La Motte Husson property, it seems the Strawbridges were (at least initially) highly dependent on their wedding venue business and the making of the show to keep the grounds running. In the latest Q&A video filmed by the Mayrhofers with fellow Chateau owners, the heating bill alone whilst running their bed and breakfast was around €10,000 a year. This number has now decreased to €7,000 a year keeping the family of four warm during winter. It is nevertheless bewildering thinking about the totality of annual bills these places must accumulate once all combined. Castles may come at a relatively decent price across the pond compared to the unrealistic costs of purchasing a castle in the UK, but they clearly don't stay cheap once you've hopped over.
Another fellow YouTuber who underestimated the cost of owning a castle is Stephanie Jarvis from The Chateau Diaries channel, which has accumulated another impressive number of 240,000 subscribers from her current YouTube career. According to the BBC, Stephanie purchased her Chateau de Lalande near Limoges back in 2005 after combining resources with a friend by selling both their properties in London. Once again, as many do, the initial plan was to transform the rooms into a working B&B and hire the property out for events. She goes on to explain how 2020 was going to be the first year they would be making a profit on the latter, after nearly 20 years since purchasing it. This of course all had to be cancelled. Having previously been involved in "Escape To The Chateau - DIY", Channel 4's spin-off, she turned to the camera once again to keep people up to date with her latest projects. During lock-down her channel took off, and so did her revenues. Not only has her accumulated following on YouTube been sufficient enough through advertising revenues and viewer donations to keep renovating/restoring her chateau, but it has also enabled her to hire four full-time staff to help with the day-to-day running of the bed and breakfast. She also heavily relies on the goodwill of volunteers that come and go through the chateau in exchange for accommodation. It's like watching an episode of "Friends" with characters coming and going, depending on the season - rather entertaining if you ask me.
Mayrhofer and Jarvis are not the only ones who have jumped on the YouTube wagon for support, there is more than a handful that I've discovered in my search for more chateau content. The Beau Chateau channel featuring the Chateau de Lesigny near Paris is currently being renovated by an American couple, who rents the property and its grounds out to film crews as a source of income. Escape to Rural France is another run by Dan who's taken on Chateau de Chaumont (rumoured to have been one of Coco Chanel's stomping grounds) in central France that unfortunately was left to complete ruins before Dan's intervention. When I say ruins I am referring to the cutting down of trees growing in the entrance and re-building structural floors - quite the project. There is so much out there for those interested. Perhaps this niche corner of YouTube I found myself in was originally triggered by my own recent renovations of our first London flat (on a much much smaller scale of course, London is not generous on square footage). It has been nice escaping to more grandiose projects and more square footage for inspiration and entertainment. For anyone that has ever taken on a renovation project, however big or small, you will understand the stress it can imply. So perhaps it's being part of renovating something without having to think about any bills or receipts that has been the satisfying discovery!
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