Mas du Pradié – Fulfilling a Dream
On the eve of the next series of Escape to the Chateau DIY, it seems appropriate to provide some background on who the Chateau Sisters are and how they came to be on the popular Channel 4 UK show.
To do so we need to go back to 2017 when Chateau Sister Julia decided to put in motion the mechanisms to fulfill her dream of living in France. At the time, Julia and her sisters Sarah and Melissa were living in tropical north Queensland, Australia, while Chateau Sister Jenny lived in London, England. It seemed such a huge adventure – to redirect one’s life in such a momentous way. But also, a fabulous opportunity to combine many loves: a love of history, a love of architecture, and a love of creating beautiful interior spaces. Most importantly, life in a chateau would not only provide a home for Julia, but also a family ‘home away from home’ for her sisters, nieces and nephews living in Australia and England.
So, planning for the move got seriously underway in 2018. Real estate websites were meticulously inspected. Once an itinerary of chateau inspections was arranged, flights were booked and Julia, Melissa and Sarah were off to France – Chateau Shopping! Various ETTCDIY film crews joined the Chateau Sisters at some of the chateau inspections and recorded their visits which were aired in Series 2.
To say that chateau shopping around France, from the Loire Valley to Pau and almost everywhere in between, was the greatest holiday ever would be a gross understatement. Our journey of chateaux discovery introduced us to the beauty and wonder of France, as well as the warmth and generosity of the French people. We fell in love with one chateau after another. Fortunately, our enthusiasm was constrained by the fact that some chateau were bigger bottomless pits of potential than others!
However, the clear winner was Mas du Pradié, a beautiful chateau with five outbuildings and 15 acres situated near Foissac in the Aveyron Department in southern France. Julia says the chateau chose her, and that from the moment she first saw it she was under its spell. It is now 18 months since Julia first took possession of her grand old lady. During that time lots of renovations have occurred with many of them filmed by ETTCDIY and soon to be aired on Channel 4 UK.
Mas du Pradié is again a family home, a forever home, filled with light colour, new friends and lots of cats. Dreams do come true!