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The Lady of the Château

A living court in a 13th-century French château. Oil painting workshops, fantasy photoshoot retreats, and immersive creative weeks in the Charente, France.

For those who feel the call to soften, dream, and create.

06/07/2026

The longer we build Lady of the Château, the more convinced we become that an artistic life has very little to do with making art.

It has everything to do with learning how to pay better attention.

We don’t believe art is the destination.

We believe it is the doorway.

13/06/2026

This summer, we are delighted to welcome Spanish artist Carlos San Millán back to Château de Puy Vidal for Abstract Meditations, an intimate seven-night oil painting workshop in the French countryside.

Carlos’s work lives in the beautiful tension between the figurative and the abstract. Guided by his belief that suggestion is more powerful than description, this week invites artists to loosen their grip on rigid detail and explore a more intuitive, expressive language of painting.

Through daily talks, demonstrations, and individualized guidance, you will experiment with color, light, layering, and mark-making—using brushes, palette knives, scrapers, and unconventional tools to discover new possibilities within your own practice.

There will be long hours in the studio, time to paint independently, a day spent exploring a nearby French village, shared meals, thoughtful conversation, and summer evenings within the walls of a centuries-old château.

This is a retreat for artists seeking fresh perspective: a chance to slow down, challenge familiar habits, and return to the canvas with greater freedom.

Abstract Meditations
Oil Painting Workshop with Carlos San Millán
July 29 – August 5, 2026
Château de Puy Vidal, France

A few places remain. Applications are now open through the link in our bio.

PaintingRetreat ChateauDePuyVidal LadyOfTheChateau

12/06/2026

A glimpse into our first oil painting retreat of the season with the wonderful Lizzie Black. 🎨

Lizzie brings such warmth, generosity, and care to her teaching. Her thoughtful instruction gives each artist the space to rediscover their voice, loosen their approach, and feel supported at every stage of the process. We are so grateful to her for returning to The Lady of the Château for a second year and for guiding another unforgettable week of oil painting.

There are just a few places remaining to join us at the château for an oil painting retreat this summer. Our only remaining dates are with Carlos San Millán at the end of July.

Come paint with us in France. Link in bio. 🇫🇷🎨🖼️

07/06/2026

This is June at Puy Vidal. 🌿🎨🌸

It is one of our favorite times of year to welcome artists to the château.

During our summer painting retreats, the gardens become an extension of the studio. Guests wander out throughout the day to choose a corner of the château, a flower bed, or a quiet view to paint.

There is something especially beautiful about painting a place while it is in bloom. The colors shift with the light. The scent of the garden drifts through the open windows. A fleeting moment becomes a memory on the canvas.

Our final painting retreat of the 2026 season with spaces still available will be led by the wonderful Carlos San Millán - July 29- August 5, 2026.

Discover the retreat through the link in our bio. 🌿

28/05/2026

Julia and I have spent the last 7 months completely immersed in this renovation and new build for the Château Kitchen at Puy Vidal thinking through every little detail, every colour, every decision. We got to know all the artisans and craftspeople along the way, and were there constantly, sometimes multiple times a day, watching everything slowly come together piece by piece.

The West Wing had gone through so many renovations over the years that it no longer felt connected to the soul of the house. So we stripped everything back and started fresh, creating the new Puy Vidal kitchen and surrounding spaces with warmth, intention, and a whole lot of love.

Neither of us had ever taken on a renovation of this scale before, but thankfully the Virgo energy in us both kept things moving…. lots of planning, obsessing over details, and trying to stay organised every step of the way. 😅

Sitting here together now, right in the middle of it all, honestly feels a bit surreal. There were definitely moments where we felt exhausted, overwhelmed, or unsure, but also so many exciting moments seeing the vision slowly come to life. Stay tune as the reveal is coming soon!!

Much Love,
Caroline

26/05/2026

Seven days until the 2026 retreat season begins. 🌸🏰

The new Puy Vidal kitchen is almost finished. The West Wing Salon, soon to be given a name far grander now that it has become a gloriously pink dining room worthy of the château, is inching closer to being ready.

The wall fabric has gone in, and it is every bit as fabulous and beautiful as we dreamed.

And our whole team is here Robert and Maruca. Nikita, Aimee, and Destinee, Genevieve, all of us moving through that familia rhythm of the final days before the season begins.

This is always the chaos before the threshold.

Every year, somehow, the château becomes itself just in time. We have been doing this long enough to know the next seven days will be long ones, full of preparation, nerves, and a little chaos, as we ready every room, every salon, every stretch of the grounds, every threshold, until Puy Vidal is glowing with the beauty, warmth, and spirit of The Lady of the Château.

To everyone who has made this renovation possible: thank you, from all of us at the château.

Our 2026 season opens June 3, and it is going to be an unforgettable one.

Joyful Impressions with Lizzie Black, guests, we cannot wait to welcome you. 🌸

Visit our website to discover the remaining retreats still available this season.

11/03/2026

✨ We are hiring for the upcoming retreat season at Château de Puy Vidal ✨

Over the past few years, we have been quietly building a creative world here in the French countryside — a place where artists travel from around the world to reconnect with their work, their intuition, and themselves.

Each retreat week is carefully staged.
Atmospheres are shaped, spaces are transformed, and behind every beautiful moment there is thoughtful, practical work happening.

We are now looking for a hands-on Retreat Operations & Event Staging Lead to join us on site for the season (approx. April → November).

This is not a desk role.
It is a physical, aesthetic, and deeply practical position at the heart of retreat life — preparing studios and salons, shaping environments, supporting events, coordinating transitions between stays, and helping bring each experience fully to life.

This role may suit someone who loves:
• working with their hands
• creating beautiful, functional spaces
• event production or hospitality environments
• being part of a small international team
• rural living and meaningful work

Fluent French & English and a driving licence are essential.

For the right person, this role may grow into broader retreat operations responsibilities in future seasons.

If this feels aligned — or if someone comes to mind — we would love you to share.

🔗 Learn more & apply via the link in bio

08/03/2026

In honor of International Women’s Day

This mosaic and carousel are a small gesture of gratitude to the many extraordinary women who have made — and continue to make — The Lady of the Château possible. These few slides could never hold the fullness of our world… but within them are glimpses of the women who bring the Lady of the Château universe to life.

Our family.
Our brilliant instructors.
Our devoted team.
Our returning guests who arrive as strangers and leave as part of the living court of the château.

Each of you has crossed our threshold to share your stories, your talents, your laughter, your courage, your curiosity, your lived wisdom. You arrive not only to learn or create, but to witness one another… to share your minds and hearts, and to help weave a space where creativity and belonging can flourish. Thank you ❤️

——-

And to the remarkable women helping us build the future of this place — our women-led building team, Julie, and our design partners at Studio Calista - Marjorie, Camille and Laureline and our interior designer Frédérique — who are bringing an entirely new chapter of Puy Vidal to life through the renovation of the West Wing and the creation of our new kitchen: thank you.

This is the mission of The Lady of the Château:
women gathering in beauty, in thought, in artistry, in friendship.

And though we could never fit every remarkable woman who has passed through our doors into a single post, know that each of you is part of the story we are writing here.

With gratitude,
Caroline
The Lady of the Château ❤️

04/03/2026

Our 2026 Season is coming soon….

Over the past few years, Julia and I have had the privilege of bringing together extraordinary artists and storytellers at Château de Puy Vidal.

Painters. Photographers. Passionate Creators. Multidisciplinary artists who make the world of Lady of the Château richer through their presence.

What we’re building at the Lady of the Château isn’t simply a retreat program. It’s a creative gathering — something that can exist anywhere two or more artists come together to share their work, their passions, and their inner musings in a setting designed for beauty, focus, and inspiration.

Seeing all of these worlds meet inside a 13th-century château continues to feel a little surreal. It also pushes us forward to keep expanding this world beyond our headquarters at Château de Puy Vidal.

The future feels bright for Lady of the Château and now more than ever, we need safe spaces where artists can gather, create, and be in community.

We’re especially grateful for our 2026 artist roster — some returning for a third time, and others joining us for the first time.

Thank you to the incredible Artists who trust us with their passion and their communities:

Haidee-Jo Summers VPROI RSMA, Lizzie Black, Carlos San Millán, Sergiu Ciochina, Rosso Emerald Crimson, Ida von Aves, and Vanessa Bussoletti we can’t wait to welcome you all to Puy Vidal this year.

See you all at the Chateau!

❤️ Caroline

Adresse

Saint-Projet-Saint-Constant

Site Web

https://www.theladyofthechateau.com/

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