Manoir Du Moulin

07/11/2019

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25/05/2019

If You Can Dream It, You Can Do It

After over 25 years of city living and living the daily work grind, Warren and I decided we would buy a second vacation home in France. One year for Christmas he gave me a ‘Twelve days of Christmas’ gift and took me and wee Jacobi (a one year old at the time) on a journey through France in search of our dream vacation home. Twelve stops and many, many house visits later (and many more subsequent visits to France ) we arrived at 23 Rue du Moulin.

There was something so familiar to me about this house-like I’d lived here before. I somehow knew it and it knew me. It was as if it embraced us the minute we came through the front doors.

The house was above and beyond our budget and pretty much didn’t tick the box for anything on our ‘vacation - weekend getaway summer place’. But somehow this house and I had engaged in a silent dialogue with one another and became instant soulmates.

We went back to Holland and for weeks, I would lie awake in bed thinking about this house.

We’d heard the house sold several months later and I actually remember feeling like I’d just lost a family member. I actually even cried.

Many months later we learned the deal had fallen through and that it was back on the market. Without even thinking we were straight back in, sitting by the fire with the owners drinking wine from their cave, trying to make a deal. Two months later the house was ours. .
It took months for the reality to sink in for me as while we knew we needed to make the house ‘work’ in order to be able to live there, we hadn’t a clue on actually how to do that or how much our lives were about to change. .
Two years later, after an insane renovation and living in a what felt most days, like a train wreck gone wrong, I discovered this drawing.

I made this pen and ink sketch in grade twelve as part of my portfolio submission to art school. I remember at the time thinking to myself, this is the house I know I will live in one day. 27 years later, I’m here. On the back of the drawing I’d labeled it ‘Forgotten Beginnings.’ I’ve spent my entire life visualizing in this way. If you can see it, you really truly can be it. ❤️

25/05/2019

Manoir du Moulin was originally built in 1650-albeit it wasn’t the house it is now. It started out as a one story building and then later the second story was added. Its last major addition was the wing to the right and a conservatory off the back.

From what we understand the house was owned by many generations of the family of the town’s notary. They also owned the house in front of this one, where family, friends and staff lived. This was later parceled off and is now owned by a French family.

A few summers ago, we had an interesting French guest arrive from Paris. Something felt familiar and his heart appeared to be discreetly smiling as he strolled through his little welcome tour. He was kind and very intrigued by the house we could feel. As we opened the door to his suite he smiled with delight and said that he needed to share something with us. He went on to explain that the room we’d taken him to was the room he stayed in as a little boy in the summers and that his grandparents had owned this house! We were so thrilled to meet this gentleman so we could finally learn more about the house and it’s past owners. He too, seemed elated that the house lived on and had been updated and renovated but still retained so much of the character that he remembered as a child.

We wish that he will come back again to visit so we can ask all of the questions we forgot to ask on his first visit. And, we hope that our children one day will come back here as adults to relive the very moments we are creating here right now.

A house like this has a magic, a history and a personality that hangs on to your soul for life.

19/05/2019

As some of you may know, we’re taking a B&B sabbatical this year to focus on our family, our other successfully growing business and to offer the house for events and families to rent.

The past seven years of Manoir du Moulin have been the most joyful, rewarding, motivating and hard-working years of our lives. , our children and I, have made life-long friends and had the luxury of experiencing a new world each time the front door was opened.

Thank you to all who have been part of this discovery and journey with us.

As part of this evolution, our website is being relaunched and we’ve re-renovated parts of the house. More importantly, we’ve been exceptionally fortunate to have a past client (who’s become a dear friend) help us to capture our story by photographing the house and garden in all its glory.

(Matthew Gurr) enlisted his friend and colleague (James Bolton) to spend a weekend with us to style and photograph the house.

What what will follow in the coming weeks are the highlights from his work and the beautiful images he’s created of Manoir du Moulin.

Thank you so much James and Matthew (and ) for helping us to visualize this new chapter in the business and for your inspiring window into our world here in Sainte Hermine.

James, your talent, creativity and professional photos have perfectly captured the beauty and soul of this 17th century home and business. Thank you so much again. 🙏

Let the story begin... 😘

07/10/2018

Happy Thanksgiving to all our North American friends and family!

05/09/2018

Thrilled and honored to have made the Independent's 2018 '10 Best Places to Stop on the Ultimate Self-Drive Getaway' in August 2018! Thank you from the team at Manoir du Moulin!

It’s a long way to the south of France by car, so make the most of a break from the road with these classy layovers

23/04/2018

Nothing says springtime like blossoming peonies! 🌸

06/01/2018

Guess who made it to the Times Best 50 Holidays in France...again this year?! When are you coming for a visit? 😘 Thank you Carolyn Boyd Sainte-Hermine