Inside the Château with Lionel and Claire

Our Chateau Life
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Personal Journals
  • Updated Weekly

Join us as we share the highs, lows, and unforgettable moments of living in a historic French château. From the joys of daily life with our dogs, Mimi and Margaux, to the challenges of restoration projects at Château de La Vergne, we take you behind the scenes of château ownership. Whether you're dreaming of buying a château, curious about French culture, or simply love a good renovation story, this podcast has something for everyone. Expect tips for potential château buyers, tales of navigating life in rural France, and plenty of laughs along the way.

  1. Jul 25

    We’re Not Living in a Museum, Lionel Finally Snapped Over a Light Switch

    This week on Inside the Château, a perfectly innocent viewer question about white sockets sends Lionel into a surprisingly passionate defence of modern electrics, personal taste, and why we have absolutely no intention of turning our home into a museum.We also chat about Monty the mower’s growing personality, whether robots deserve tea breaks, the impossible business of finding curtains, five years of living at the château, why we need to escape the place occasionally to appreciate it properly, and a more personal update from Lionel about his recent type 2 diabetes diagnosis and the changes that now come with it.Warm, wandering, occasionally ranty — exactly as a bi-weekly château podcast should be.Lionel & Claire xxx👉 BUY US A COFFEE (guaranteed video reply!)Prefer a one-off way to support the adventure? BUY US A COFFEE and help fund the glorious chaos, questionable decisions and next chapter at the château.https://buymeacoffee.com/ourchateaulife👉 PATREON If you would like to help keep the lights on, the cameras rolling, and two slightly over-ambitious château owners out of trouble, our PATREON community makes this life possiblehttps://www.patreon.com/cw/OurChateauLife👉 AMAZON WISHLISTMany of you have kindly asked how you can help us here at the château.We’ve added an Amazon Wishlist with a few useful things for the house, garden, dogs and filming. There is never any obligation, but every thoughtful gift is hugely appreciated and genuinely helps.https://ourchateaulife.com/wishlist👉 This isn't really a renovation project. It's a life. Today's episode is just one page of a much bigger story.👉 Leave us a comment. We read them all, and some of our best conversations begin there.👉 Join us again. The château will almost certainly have found a new way to surprise us by then.👉 Follow along so you never miss a chapter in the ongoing adventures of Lionel, Claire, Mimi, Margaux and the rest of the cast.👉 Between episodes, you'll find the bits we couldn't fit into the vlog on INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK and TIKTOK: @ourchateaulife👉 Our website:https://www.ourchateaulife.com

    We’re Not Living in a Museum, Lionel Finally Snapped Over a Light Switch

  2. Jul 6

    Americans Keep Calling Us “Cute”… We Finally Found Out Why

    It turns out that being called “cute” can cause a surprising amount of confusion when you are British.This week, we are under the tree at the château, with the dogs demanding carrots and Margaux attempting to dig her way to China, when we fall into a rather unexpected conversation about the things our American viewers say to us. Apparently, “cute” does not mean quite what Lionel thought it meant… and Claire may have been using “lovely” in ways she should perhaps investigate.From posh voices and proper jobs to pants, thongs and cheeky dogs, we discover just how many innocent British words can become very different conversations across the Atlantic.As ever, it starts with a simple question and ends somewhere completely ridiculous.We hope you enjoy our chats, now go and join Patreon! 😊❤️ Lionel xxx👉 If you would like to help keep the lights on, the cameras rolling, and two slightly over-ambitious château owners out of trouble, our Patreon community makes this life possible: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/OurChateauLife👉 Prefer a one-off way to support the adventure? Buy us a coffee and help fund the glorious chaos, questionable decisions and next chapter at the château:https://buymeacoffee.com/ourchateaulife👉 This isn't really a renovation project. It's a life. Today's episode is just one page of a much bigger story.👉 Leave us a comment. We read them all, and some of our best conversations begin there.👉 Join us again. The château will almost certainly have found a new way to surprise us by then.👉 Follow along so you never miss a chapter in the ongoing adventures of Lionel, Claire, Mimi, Margaux and the rest of the cast.👉 Between episodes, you'll find the bits we couldn't fit into the vlog on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok: @ourchateaulife

    Americans Keep Calling Us “Cute”… We Finally Found Out Why

  3. Jun 22

    Inside the Château: We Asked Viewers To Prove They’re Real

    This week we found ourselves under the tree, in the heat, with a film crew due to arrive, a drinks party to host, a podcast to record, and the familiar realisation that we only seem to function when a deadline is breathing down our necks.Somehow that led us from château chaos to airport panic, from Lionel’s hatred of last-minute travel stress to Claire being accused of smuggling “ancient artefacts” out of Morocco. There’s also Margot interrupting the outdoor studio, marathon runners being sent round the most annoying path in France, the robo mower finally entering the conversation, and a rather lovely thought about all of you watching us from wherever you are.So this week we have a request: send us a photo of yourselves watching Our Château Life. We see numbers on a screen, but it would be wonderful to see the actual people behind them. Unless, of course, you really are monsters. Nice monsters, obviously.Lionel & Claire xxx

    Inside the Château: We Asked Viewers To Prove They’re Real

  4. Jun 5

    Inside the Château: From Twits to Roadblocks

    This week on our podcast inside the château, we’re talking about online “twits,” perspective, and one very unexpected Sunday morning in rural France.Lionel & Claire xxxAfter a lovely community event at the château, the weekend took a turn when a closed road, some raised voices, and a very French misunderstanding made a simple trip to the shop far more dramatic than expected. It’s one of those moments that could only happen in everyday château life.We also reflect on how to deal with unkind comments, the small kindnesses that mean so much, and the strange, funny, frustrating realities of living in the French countryside.Thank you for joining us in the château for another conversation. We’re very glad you’re here.

    Inside the Château: From Twits to Roadblocks

  5. May 24

    Inside the Château: A Small Decision With Big Consequences

    A colour decision shouldn’t feel this big… and yet somehow it really does.In this episode of Inside the Château, we talk about finally choosing the colour for the gates, shutters, windows and doors — one of the first truly visible decisions that feels like our mark on the château. It’s a subtle choice, but one that says so much about how we want this house to feel.We also catch up on life at the château in the summer heat: picking cherries, making cherry vodka, cutting secret paths through the long grass, and enjoying the garden with the dogs and cats. Along the way, we drift into the realities of renovation, the things we miss about the UK, the quirks of French life, and why progress on a project like this rarely happens as quickly as people imagine.This is a quieter, more conversational episode, but full of the small details that make château life what it is.

    Inside the Château: A Small Decision With Big Consequences

  6. May 5

    London, Lost Cats and Château Life

    Tea is poured, notes are out, and it is time for another catch-up at the château. In this episode of Inside the Château, we talk through everything that has been happening lately — our trip to London, a special family surprise, Audrey going missing for over a week, Chateau DIY filming, the mysterious dowser’s visit, ongoing projects around the house, and the general chaos of life in rural France. It is very much one of our sit-down chat episodes: part podcast, part château diary, and a chance to share the smaller stories that do not always fit into the renovation films. There is talk of tools, tractors, television crews, animal adventures, hidden spaces beneath the house, and the everyday realities of restoring an old French château while trying to keep up with normal life. So wherever you are listening from — driving, cooking, folding laundry, or simply taking a quiet moment — thank you for spending some time with us.

  7. Apr 27

    The Château Podcast Returns, and We Have Questions About France

    We’re back with another Inside the Château chat, catching up on life in rural France and everything that comes with it.In this episode, we talk about the strange reality of being stared at in France, local village events coming through the château grounds, daily life behind the scenes, and the comments that made us laugh, think, and occasionally panic.From French administration and visa renewals to marathon runners in the garden, hunting horns at the front gate, Margot’s recovery, robot mower dreams, and the surprising warmth of this community, this is a more personal episode about the rhythms of château life as it really is.It’s less about big reveals and more about the character of this life: the oddness, the humour, the practicalities, and the little moments that make living in an old French château feel both absurd and wonderful.Thank you for being here and for following along with our life at the château.

    The Château Podcast Returns, and We Have Questions About France

  8. 04/10/2025

    From Ghost to Bowie, Baguettes to Boilers – Our Chateau life Podcastle

    Bienvenue to our 10th Podcastle – the audio companion to Our Chateau Life! This week, we introduce ourselves and what this podcast is all about: life in France, living in a château, navigating renovations, and embracing the beautiful (and occasionally baffling) realities of our new life.We dive into our take on château interior design—why stick to one era when you can blend timeless elegance with modern flair? There’s also our fantasy château gig lineup (Claire: Ghost, Muse, Bon Jovi. Lionel: Bowie, Queen, The Rolling Stones… and yes, even Meute).Plus, we reflect on the surprising changes in our tastes since moving to France (we love French bread—but don’t eat it as often as we thought we would!), and, coming soon! the story of Ludovic’s family, who used to play in the château grounds.We also talk about the fallout from being badly let down by a carpenter, and yes… Lionel has a boiler meltdown. Literally.👉 If you enjoy this glimpse into château life, don’t forget to subscribe, like, and tap the notification bell so you never miss an episode.🔗 Stay Connected with UsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/ourchateaulifeFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/ourchateaulifeTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ourchateaulifeWebsite & Blog: https://www.ourchateaulife.comSupport us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ourchateaulife✨ Welcome to Our Chateau LifeJoin us, Lionel and Claire, as we share the real-life joys, challenges, and charm of restoring and living in a historic French château. From renovations and decorating to exploring local traditions, French lifestyle, and beautiful châteaux for sale, our journey is all about finding magic in everyday life.Each week, we bring you new episodes packed with heartwarming moments, stories from our past (including Lionel’s years photographing the British Royal Family), and behind-the-scenes glimpses into our evolving dream.🎥 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe to follow our adventure!#OurChateauLife #ChateauDIY #FrenchChateau #ChateauRenovation #LivingInFrance #LifestyleVlog #BritishRoyalFamily

    From Ghost to Bowie, Baguettes to Boilers – Our Chateau life Podcastle
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Join us as we share the highs, lows, and unforgettable moments of living in a historic French château. From the joys of daily life with our dogs, Mimi and Margaux, to the challenges of restoration projects at Château de La Vergne, we take you behind the scenes of château ownership. Whether you're dreaming of buying a château, curious about French culture, or simply love a good renovation story, this podcast has something for everyone. Expect tips for potential château buyers, tales of navigating life in rural France, and plenty of laughs along the way.

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