Choosing the Colour That Could Define the Entire Château

Added: 2026-05-13

[00:00:00]Okay, darling.

[00:00:01]>> Yeah.

[00:00:02]>> Yeah.

[00:00:03]>> Ah. Yes.

[00:00:05]>> We must talk about the color.

[00:00:08]>> Yes.

[00:00:08]>> Of the gates.

[00:00:09]>> Yes. Should we go to the gates?

[00:00:11]>> I think we should talk about it near the gates.

[00:00:13]>> To the gates.

[00:00:14]>> To the gates. Right.

[00:00:21]>> Ah, they're beautiful, aren't they? Look at that.

[00:00:24]>> Look nice, don't they?

[00:00:25]>> They're gorgeous, aren't they?

[00:00:26]>> Yeah. I mean, they actually look really good in whites, but I find I find though like the bright white too stark.

[00:00:38]>> Yeah, it is actually when you think about it is just too bright white. Uh, so Maragold.

[00:00:47]>> Um, >> okay. Right. I'm Okay. Right. I'm going to take Cla back into the house. I'm going to restart her.

[00:00:56]Um, so I guess it's an it's an off-white, isn't it?

[00:00:59]>> Um, for some reason in my head I I remember is it far estate colors.

[00:01:06]>> Yeah.

[00:01:07]>> Is that far? Yeah, >> this is far. Oh, no. This is that's little green national trust colors.

[00:01:12]>> Yeah. Well, there's their equivalent, I suppose.

[00:01:15]>> Or we've got >> neutrals.

[00:01:18]>> Yeah. But they had very specific I'm sure they called it estate colors.

[00:01:25]>> I don't know.

[00:01:27]>> Yeah. But so I'm sort of when it comes to the color I of the G, you know, I know we can paint it one color and then repaint it. I know I know we can do all of that, but I'm so >> not wanting to I want to do it once.

[00:01:45]Yeah, >> that's it. Yeah. you know, and um and the trouble is is that actually the color we do here will dictate what we do on on a 100 shutters.

[00:01:57]>> Yeah.

[00:01:58]>> And a front door and a back door and all the other woodwork in this place eventually.

[00:02:03]>> Yeah.

[00:02:04]>> Um so >> no pressure.

[00:02:10]>> You see this is you see this on a lot of shadows actually. you see this sort of uh really bright white uh painted on the woodwork. But what happens is is the moment that you don't uh repaint it on a regular basis, it starts looking absolutely appalling.

[00:02:31]Um so that's my problem.

[00:02:35]>> Yeah. I don't know if I mentioned, but I've been to quite a few like royal palaces and country estates in my lifetime.

[00:02:43]that when you were a paparazzi.

[00:02:49]>> CLA knows I don't find that very funny at all.

[00:02:52]>> He occasionally gets accused of being a paparazzi, which is couldn't be further from the truth.

[00:02:57]>> Well, because I mean there are people who equate a raw photographer with paparazzi and that's it.

[00:03:02]>> Yes. I don't think the paparazzi were invited into the White House.

[00:03:07]>> To wander around the royal estates, were they?

[00:03:09]>> No. Um >> anyway, so >> anyway, long story, but what what I remember is that don't ask me why I remember it, but this stuff goes in, doesn't it? Is that over all the years seeing all the sort of like the the color of the woodwork on royal estates and not just royal estates, but yeah, other estates as well.

[00:03:30]>> National trust.

[00:03:31]>> National Trust. Yeah, exactly. I like they really thought about it and and the color um uh blends beautifully with the surrounding greenery and wood and lawns and flowers and somehow it it just works beautifully.

[00:03:52]>> It's not just white white, is it?

[00:03:54]>> It's definitely not just stark white.

[00:03:58]Again, I just I just find it too stark.

[00:04:02]Um, the white I I find it um I don't mean this in a snobbish way. I just find it unsophisticated as uh in the sense of a color. I find it unsophisticated.

[00:04:15]>> Um so that's why it'd be really nice to find something that is, you know, is not blah in your face. Um but that works beautifully. Actually, that's another thing you need to take into account is that the color needs to work well with uh the color of the stone of the building. Ah, didn't think of that.

[00:04:36]Yeah. I mean, you know, lots of them are nice, you know. I think it it it to me it's um it's not warm warm. It could almost be, you know, heading towards slightly gray.

[00:04:50]>> Oh. Oh.

[00:04:53]I was going to I was going to completely say absolutely not a gray cold. It's got to be warm.

[00:04:58]>> Not gray cold, gray warm because you can get, you know, like gray warm, can't you?

[00:05:03]>> Woodash.

[00:05:04]>> Yeah. You see that's beautiful cuz that's got a bit of green.

[00:05:09]Well, it did have green in it.

[00:05:11]>> Play filter.

[00:05:12]>> I know. I know. I know. I know. I know.

[00:05:13]I know. The tr seees off and look at that one.

[00:05:18]>> No, that's No, that's too too creamy for me.

[00:05:25]See, I like that look. Rolling fog.

[00:05:28]>> Yeah.

[00:05:29]>> Pale.

[00:05:30]>> Yeah.

[00:05:30]>> Um I got like Portland stone.

[00:05:33]>> Yeah.

[00:05:35]>> So I just had a realization, darling.

[00:05:37]>> Yeah. Um, so I was while you were doing your thing, I was talking about the uh my dislike of the colors that they use >> and I find them >> the colors to be unsophisticated when it comes to putting a color on shutters, woodwork >> on really old buildings.

[00:05:58]>> Yeah.

[00:05:58]>> Uh, and then I looked around and I was talking about about the shadow and how it's going to be really important to find something that works. And then suddenly I realized the color has to work with the color of the building.

[00:06:11]>> Yeah. Because the building is quite creamy.

[00:06:14]>> Yeah. So you want it to stand out from that. So we should go and >> I think we should go and um choose color against the stone of the building as well.

[00:06:25]>> That's true.

[00:06:26]>> So yeah, I mean it's basically pin the tail on a donkey, isn't it? It's like which one do you like?

[00:06:32]>> I mean it is.

[00:06:34]So I quite liked what was it? This one whitening which out here and actually compared to the stone is very similar to the stone color. I like that one.

[00:06:46]>> This is probably too similar.

[00:06:47]>> Yeah.

[00:06:48]>> So you want a bit of contrast, don't you?

[00:06:49]>> Yeah, you do. You took the words right out of my mouth.

[00:06:52]>> Yeah. I mean that that would match the stone would match the walls too much.

[00:06:56]>> Yeah. And then everything would disappear.

[00:06:58]>> So that one that I liked is actually the same color as the stone.

[00:07:01]>> Oh, it is. Yeah. which is too similar.

[00:07:04]>> But yeah, I'm I'm imagine that's problematic, right?

[00:07:08]>> Well, yeah, because they're not going to stand out enough. They're going to look >> Yeah, >> they would blend in too much. Would look weird.

[00:07:14]>> And they have to contrast, don't they, to to its surrounded area.

[00:07:20]>> So, where's the color? Oh, it's here on >> that one.

[00:07:24]>> Was it that one? Little green.

[00:07:26]>> Yeah.

[00:07:27]>> Was I looking at little green?

[00:07:28]>> Yeah.

[00:07:29]>> Was I? I thought I was looking at Faren Boy.

[00:07:32]>> Was it that clay that you liked? China clay.

[00:07:34]>> Uh clay. No, it was actually the other one. The rolling fog.

[00:07:38]>> Rolling. There's rolling fog.

[00:07:43]>> 12:00 yourselves.

[00:07:46]>> So anyway, Lyla, what have you had for breakfast this morning?

[00:07:50]>> Rolling. Oh, again. Very similar.

[00:07:51]>> Oh, that's very similar.

[00:07:54]>> Yeah.

[00:07:55]>> Oh god, what a yawn. Yeah, that is like even more similar, isn't it?

[00:08:01]>> Oh. Oh, okay.

[00:08:03]>> That doesn't work.

[00:08:04]>> Well, then what what do you do? You then that forces you into going for a stronger color, isn't it?

[00:08:09]>> A whiter white.

[00:08:10]>> So, you you initially you start by approaching and go touchy touchy feely. I've got to be careful.

[00:08:17]>> And then you go, oh no, stuff it >> like that white.

[00:08:20]>> Oh, that's terrific.

[00:08:21]>> Yeah, it's too cold, isn't it?

[00:08:22]>> What's that one called?

[00:08:24]>> Loft white. Loft white.

[00:08:28]>> I've got more whites. Hang on.

[00:08:34]>> More whites in Cla's pocket.

[00:08:36]>> Yeah.

[00:08:39]>> Oh. Uh, what do I like? Do I don't white? James White, what have we used before? Oh, we What was that? Uh, dark. Was it dark and white? Black. White.

[00:08:55]>> Blackened. We >> black and white. I like black and white.

[00:08:58]>> Yeah, >> we used that in Peekom, didn't we?

[00:09:01]>> Yeah, we had it in the hallway. It was nice.

[00:09:03]>> Did that?

[00:09:04]>> It was nice.

[00:09:05]>> It was nice, wasn't it?

[00:09:06]>> Okay, there you go. That's >> Oh, it looks really green. Does it look green?

[00:09:14]>> Yeah, >> does.

[00:09:15]>> Oh, what's happening to my eyesight, darling?

[00:09:19]>> It's difficult. I thought this was going to be an easy job this morning cuz that looks very mucky against the stone.

[00:09:27]>> I remember actually I remember in Oh, I remember Impeek thinking that it looks like a dirty color.

[00:09:36]>> Yeah, >> it's almost like it looks like Yes.

[00:09:39]blackened by the soot from the fireplace.

[00:09:41]>> Yes. Yeah, exactly. Like Yeah. I've had a bit of an accident somewhere and it's >> Margo, what are you doing?

[00:09:52]I I heard that we got some followers in Australia. So, I'm digging I'm aiming I'm aiming for Australia.

[00:10:01]>> Do you want to go see your cousins in Australia?

[00:10:03]>> Yes.

[00:10:05]That well-known breed called Australian Cocka Spaniels.

[00:10:12]There she wants to go and see Billy, Patty, and Ernie.

[00:10:15]>> Oh, yeah. I've heard about them.

[00:10:18]And there was one color that we did re I think really successfully on uh the house in Peekom which was a Regency style villa and we used a Faren ball color that they don't do anymore.

[00:10:37]>> Yeah.

[00:10:38]>> Called black blue.

[00:10:39]>> Yeah. It looked really nice >> and it was what it said on the tin. It was black but with like it was like a very dark navy blue, wasn't it?

[00:10:49]>> Yeah. I mean, we thought about doing that for the shutters or just the windows here. It's quite a departure. I think you I think I think you there's a problem with that because you know you you you can sort of like I don't know why but you can get away with it in the UK because there are quite a lot of uh Georgian straight regency houses that had that color on their woodwork.

[00:11:14]>> Um and um so I think you can but you go and you look at every single shadow.

[00:11:21]>> Yeah.

[00:11:21]>> And it's always it's always in white.

[00:11:23]They also have rules around here, don't they, about what colors you're allowed to paint your shutters.

[00:11:27]>> Some Yeah. Some places do. Yeah. Uh I mean, we don't.

[00:11:32]>> Well, we're in the middle of nowhere.

[00:11:33]We're not in >> Yeah. Exactly. So, we're not going to, you know, >> but also the blue and we've seen it used on sort of government buildings here.

[00:11:39]The sort of official French blue.

[00:11:41]>> Yeah.

[00:11:41]>> Looks really nice, but it probably Yeah.

[00:11:43]Here it means official building.

[00:11:45]>> Yeah. And then you're going to start looking like, you know, like the tax office. Yeah, >> can't imagine anything worse, frankly.

[00:11:54]Um, try and avoid that office at all cost.

[00:11:58]>> Um, so, you know, you could go for a darker color, but I just don't I don't think it will work in this country somehow.

[00:12:07]>> I don't think it will work. And the sort of like provinile blue is not right for here at all.

[00:12:12]>> It's fine for further south where it's hot a lot of the year that works. But um and we've seen that sort of provinile blue up here doesn't work at all. I don't think >> I just remembered the the green that we saw at um >> Yeah, I know what you mean. Uh we saw at >> at the posh building um the really nice monastery that was done up. Oh, what's it called?

[00:12:37]>> Really nice monastery that was done up.

[00:12:39]>> Yeah. Where we went for the music.

[00:12:43]Oh. Uh, the the where we the >> font. Yeah.

[00:12:48]>> Yeah. And they had posh green on their shutters and that looked >> I've saved that posh green somewhere.

[00:12:54]But I'm not that crazy about that much.

[00:12:56]>> I like the posh green.

[00:12:57]>> No, I like I like the posh green but I don't know about here.

[00:13:00]>> Yeah, >> cuz then you got to paint it everywhere.

[00:13:02]Haven't you?

[00:13:02]>> Yeah.

[00:13:05]>> So this was at Fontivo at the abbey.

[00:13:09]It's a rubbish picture, but you can see it's like that posh green and they had it on the shutters and on the woodwork as well.

[00:13:15]>> And they had it everywhere and we remember both had conversation said that does look really nice. We should which is why I took a photo. We should save it for here.

[00:13:22]>> Well, we need to go back to font, don't we?

[00:13:25]>> Oh, I'd love to >> to remind ourselves.

[00:13:26]>> Yeah, it's such a nice place.

[00:13:27]>> Yeah. Um, so I've got an app on my phone called Adobe Capture and every time I see a color, it allows me to take a photograph and capture it and save it as a color. And over the years, I've saved a few. So So like this one, >> I can't really see. What's that?

[00:13:44]>> No, you can't really see it.

[00:13:46]>> Yeah, >> but it's nice curtains in Bordeaux Hotel.

[00:13:51]Uh, and this one is Green Door in which is a town near us. Uh, and oh, salon blue apparently.

[00:14:02]And so, oh yeah, and then that's a shutter color in >> font.

[00:14:10]You can't see that at all.

[00:14:11]>> You can't see it. It doesn't really work. Um, >> oh no. Is this going to turn >> outside shutters in Bordeaux?

[00:14:21]>> Yeah. This is going to turn into more of a job, isn't it? With some test pots.

[00:14:24]>> It's always a job. It's never ever easy.

[00:14:28]It's always, you know, especially if you, you know, if you want to make the right decision >> that you can stand by and you don't go back a year later and go, "Oh god, wish I had done that. It was horrific." Yeah.

[00:14:40]And that and that's that's why it's really important to if you come to a decision then you come to a decision you either do a test but then you walk away from it >> and or and you put it somewhere where you can look at it every day.

[00:14:56]>> Yeah.

[00:14:57]>> Um in different lighting conditions and then you go >> no either no or yes.

[00:15:02]>> Yeah. I mean we could do one of those test boards I've got and just leave it out here.

[00:15:06]>> Yeah.

[00:15:07]>> Leave it next to the window.

[00:15:10]Okay, better go to the paint shop then.

[00:15:13]>> Yeah, let's do it. Mhm.

[00:15:15]>> So, I don't know if you remember, but the gates um sit literally under this glorious couple of trees. Need to find out what they are actually.

[00:15:25]>> Yeah.

[00:15:26]>> Um so, when when they're installed by now, you will see the color of the the gates.

[00:15:35]They'll be here right in front of you.

[00:15:37]>> A white. They'll really stand out.

[00:15:39]>> Yeah.

[00:15:42]>> Such a beautiful um entrance. I'd love this to be our main entrance.

[00:15:48]>> Yeah. And really lovely. So, they're going to be right here.

[00:15:53]>> It's dark in here.

[00:15:55]>> Yeah. Yeah.

[00:16:00]>> Yeah. It's I think it is. I think because it's in the shade like this, a lighter color is better.

[00:16:08]>> Yeah.

[00:16:09]>> Because if you did like the the dark green, then they would literally disappear.

[00:16:13]>> They just disappear. Yeah.

[00:16:15]>> And you I Yeah. We want them to sort of be a feature, don't we?

[00:16:20]>> Yes. Cuz it's going to look beautiful in pictures. If you take a photo from there, >> you're going to have the gates sort of like like this >> with the avenue there framing the shadow. It's really beautiful.

[00:16:31]>> Yeah.

[00:16:32]>> If we just trim the trees a tiny bit.

[00:16:34]>> I mean, are we stuck on the idea that the gate has to match the shutters?

[00:16:39]>> Um um uh uh for me, yes.

[00:16:48]>> Okay.

[00:16:49]>> But I mean, you know, what what kind of color are you thinking?

[00:16:56]Well, no. Either it's that sort of greeny or creamy.

[00:17:00]>> Yeah.

[00:17:05]>> Oh, >> too much choice. We're rubbish at choosing.

[00:17:09]>> No. Yeah. But we're we're good in the sense that generally we get it right.

[00:17:14]>> Yeah. Just takes us about six months.

[00:17:21]>> Yeah.

[00:17:24]M >> may maybe come back another day.

[00:17:27]>> Yeah. Yeah, we'll we'll just carry on with it. Like get yourself a cup of tea or something. I mean, we'll >> Oh, hello. We're in trouble. Hello, Margo.

[00:17:38]>> Are you going to help us choose a color?

[00:17:40]>> Yes. I thought I think I think >> You think Margo colored?

[00:17:44]>> Think sardine colored?

[00:17:47]>> Um, so you like this Ferdinand?

[00:17:50]>> No, no, no, no. I don't like Ferdinand.

[00:17:52]Okay. No, no. I like uh >> the rolling fog.

[00:17:56]>> Rolling fog is I like rolling fog.

[00:17:59]>> I think it's too similar to the color of the shuttle there, isn't it?

[00:18:04]>> It's not >> I feel Well, oh, look, they've got You see, look, you've got rolling fog pale.

[00:18:08]You got rolling Oh, that's the one.

[00:18:10]>> Yeah, >> rolling fog light for me.

[00:18:12]>> Rolling fog light.

[00:18:14]>> What do you think? Be honest.

[00:18:16]>> I'd like to do a couple of mock-ups and see what the green would look like. Uh Uh oh. What? The posh green.

[00:18:23]>> Yeah. So try.

[00:18:25]>> But are we actually We don't know which green that is though, do we?

[00:18:31]>> We can figure it out from the pictures that we've got.

[00:18:33]>> Okay.

[00:18:36]Um, so I've just been reading up a little bit about the various colors that are used and interestingly um it's uh very much a sort of like regional choice which is really interesting which I didn't well we did sort of know that didn't we because pace is the pale blue >> is the blue which would look weird here because it's not proven. Yeah. Um so apparently um yeah so southwest is sort of like torp and green and creams and stuff like that which is pretty much what you know what we were deciding on doing wasn't it?

[00:19:10]>> Yeah >> but there's um but there are some rules which I think are really interesting. So France, the base is light, warm and mineral.

[00:19:20]Woodwork soft color, blue, green, beige.

[00:19:24]Um, always slightly faded.

[00:19:26]>> Uh, UK base stone or neutral. Woodwork cream or deep green, stronger hierarchy, less variation. But the universal rule is what gets me is avoid pure white, which is exactly what we were saying, right? is too stark, >> too bright.

[00:19:42]>> Avoid saturated color, which we would anyway. You wouldn't put a bright dark, you know.

[00:19:48]>> Uh, but the last one is great. Aim for age, restraint, and context, which I feel is what Claire has done in the choice of her husband.

[00:20:02]>> Restraint.

[00:20:05]I know. What do you mean?

[00:20:14]Right, darling. Um, so this first one is rolling fog >> light.

[00:20:22]>> Light.

[00:20:22]>> Okay.

[00:20:23]>> What do you think?

[00:20:25]>> I think it makes the house look naked.

[00:20:28]Look at it. It looks sort of like Yeah, it looks bare.

[00:20:32]>> Yeah. It's not It's not great. It's not enough contrast, is there?

[00:20:36]>> It's too similar. Yeah. Um, so this one is velvet.

[00:20:40]>> Yeah.

[00:20:40]>> Translated to worm.

[00:20:42]>> I like this one.

[00:20:44]>> Yeah, I like this one. I like this one a lot.

[00:20:46]>> This is a posh green.

[00:20:48]>> I think it's really smart.

[00:20:50]>> That's very nice, isn't it?

[00:20:52]>> Very nice inde.

[00:20:53]>> Oh, that's gorgeous, isn't it?

[00:20:55]>> The door as well.

[00:20:59]>> And this one. Ah, this is the rolling fog dark darker version. That is quite nice actually.

[00:21:06]>> Which is really nice. It's beautiful.

[00:21:10]>> It's a bit brown.

[00:21:12]>> Yeah. But it's beautiful though, isn't it?

[00:21:16]>> No, it is beautiful. It does look smart.

[00:21:18]Looks very smart.

[00:21:20]>> Um, it look it looks posh as well.

[00:21:22]>> Look posh.

[00:21:23]>> It's not It's not like French green though. That could be Could that be a problem, do you think?

[00:21:28]>> No, I think that's okay. I think this is still within the >> the realms of >> the realms of posh stately home colors.

[00:21:36]>> Okay. I I'm inclined to agree. I like >> Okay. So, we don't >> Okay. Well, no. I I have a suggestion.

[00:21:43]>> Yeah.

[00:21:44]>> Okay. So, what I'd like to do is I'd like you to write down which color you want.

[00:21:51]>> Okay.

[00:21:51]>> And then I'm going to write down which color I want.

[00:21:54]>> I think this is quite obvious, but Okay.

[00:22:01]Oh, it's quite obvious actually. We really don't need to go through this pain.

[00:22:06]>> Okay.

[00:22:06]>> Do we? Then fold it up.

[00:22:09]Right. And don't look.

[00:22:12]>> Not looking. Got my eyes closed. Can't tell. Oh, that's quite difficult folding whilst not looking.

[00:22:19]>> Right. And fold.

[00:22:21]>> Yeah.

[00:22:21]>> Like that.

[00:22:22]>> And then >> like that.

[00:22:24]>> And then like that.

[00:22:25]>> Like that. And I've got one of my prized fezes that we bought in Morocco >> in Fez.

[00:22:32]>> In in Fez.

[00:22:33]>> Yeah.

[00:22:34]>> Yeah.

[00:22:36]>> Just like that. All All the Brits will understand that.

[00:22:41]Like that. Shake it all up a bit.

[00:22:47]>> Shake it more and then I won't look.

[00:22:49]>> Okay.

[00:22:52]>> Okay. No.

[00:22:56]Okay. No, that's me. You prune.

[00:22:58]>> Okay. Got one.

[00:22:59]>> Okay. And the winner is