Today, we’ll visit the luxury Château de Primard, an adorable French country house by the water that belonged to Oscar-nominated actress Catherine Deneuve. We’ll explore its picturesque ins and outs, Deneuve’s most treasured collections, and feel the taste of country slow life. We’ll wander through the lavish gardens by the famed landscaper Jacques Wirtz, known for sculpting the hedges of the Palais de l’Élysée. Stay with us for a portion of the French aesthetic! In the end, we’ll tell you what has happened to this charming jewel of nature and what it looks like now.
Catherine Deneuve, French actress, producer, style icon, and muse, was named one of the greatest actresses of the 21st century. She has brilliantly played numerous aloof and mysterious beauties and received various accolades throughout her fruitful career. You might have seen her in The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964), The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967), Place Vendôme (1998), and 8 Women (2002).
Catherine Deneuve was asked if she could get used to château life when she starred in the French film “A Matter of Resistance” (1966). The legendary actress replied, “It’s a bit dramatic, but it is nice enough.” She spoke from her own experience. The movie star was the longtime owner of the 18th-century mansion, Chateau de Primard. Deneuve acquired it when she was barely 20, as a retreat for herself and her little son, Christian Vadim, now a prominent French actor. The actress was single then; she married later, in 1965, to photographer David Bailey.
Chateau de Primard was just an hour from Paris in the village of Guainville, which was a significant plus for the ambitious actress. The village, in a quiet corner of Normandy hugging the Eure River, was home to only 300 residencies. She foretasted spending a lovely time in her new bucolic retreat, away from the busy city life.
Deneuve instantly fell in love with the chateau’s stunning exterior and charming atmosphere. She wanted to make it a cozy home to enjoy with the people she loved. An avid collector, she arrived at her new house with a mixed pile of ceramics and a scrap of vintage blue fabric.
Château de Primard quickly became the home Deneuve had been looking for. For decades, the actress has been splitting her time between this one thousand three hundred-square-foot Normandy chateau and her Parisian apartment on Place Saint-Sulpice.
Catherine Deneuve always strived to keep her ‘homes’ out of the public eye as they say too much about her. The movie legend put herself into creating her living environment, enriching it with love and precious memories.
An outstanding four-floor residence was surrounded by outbuildings and a park with 30 hectares of land between forests, hills, and ponds. In the 1960s, the historic 18th-century chateau was converted into a farm but later restored. The exterior looks like something out of a movie, with its numerous buildings, a caretaker’s house, an outdoor pool, and a magnificent garden designed by renowned Belgian landscape gardener Jacques Wirtz.
For more details, please check our video about Catherine Deneuve