Boże Narodzenie w Chateau de Brives - Andreas von Einsiedel

Small but beautiful chateau which dates from 1824, lies in the heart of Poitou Charente, close to the town of Cognac.? Built by a wealthy Cognac-making landowner with a passion for architecture, it was bought by the current owners, an English antique-dealing couple. At Christmas the candlelit dining room is a magical setting - antique glass and silver gleaming in the firelight, along with the mirrors and gilded ornaments and?objets.?An impressive ten-foot tall Christmas tree greets guests in the lofty semi-circular entrance hall and George always makes a point of cutting a mistletoe branch from one of the trees in the woods to hang above the doorway. ? Double doors lead into the panelled main salon where French windows open onto the terrace. From the entrance hall, a circular staircase rises to the gracious curved landing hung with decorative floral paintings and prints.? Doors at each corner open into the four principle bedrooms, each their own original dressing room, now converted into bathrooms. A fifth bedroom adjoining the main suite, can also be accessed from the landing. Furnished with an array of decorative pieces, the chateau is a welcoming, unpretentious family home.