Katja Pargger revives a 19th-century Sologne château, breathing new life into wrought-iron conservatories, UNESCO-recognised tapestries and locally sourced wood.
Pargger, recognised in AD Germany’s AD100, renovated the 19th-century hunting estate in the Loire Valley by restoring the château and its guest house, reusing original furnishings, reinstalling Briare enamel tiles and introducing Bauhaus-inspired interiors that connect the historic property to the present. When she first visited the château Solognot in 2020, the dense surrounding forest struck her: “It was a sleepy, hidden place; there were plants everywhere and animals jumping around. I wanted to make it more elegant, while keeping it in nature.”
The château’s lime-rendered façades, hand-made brickwork, and terracotta roofing reflect classic French flair. Pargger added a pair of black wrought-iron conservatories, creating a seamless transition to grounds redesigned by Louis Benech, the French landscape architect behind the Jardin des Tuileries.
"In my work, every element needs to serve a purpose,” says the designer. Raw wood, stone, lacquer, lime and leather were abundantly used and deliberately left unfinished, embracing the understated, rustic elegance of rural French manors.
In the guest inn, Pargger carefully balances intimacy with openness. She uses large skylights and horizontal windows to bring natural light into the inn, while warm wood panelling and bespoke furnishings create a sense of comfort. She also added a contemporary touch to the place with custom-designed pieces such as parchment bedside lamps, mirrored nightstands, wooden lanterns and velvet headboards. Perhaps the most intriguing addition is a latex kimono displayed on a 19th-century Japanese stand, which is also Pargger's personal favourite. "I love kimonos," she says, " And this piece somehow fits perfectly here. When the light comes on, the latex begins to glow, evoking the souls who lived here before, offering us a beautiful way to honour them."
Although the château dates to the Napoléon III era, Pargger deliberately designed the interiors to span different eras. Checkerboard stone floors lay beside antique tapestries, Briare enamel tiles meet contemporary artworks and custom-woven textiles coexist with rare antiques. "From the beginning, we wanted to create something historical – a rich patina that could do justice to the different generations that had lived in this building," says Pargger. “It was really important for us not to do a tabula rasa and throw all that history away.”
Pargger and her team made a conscious decision to reuse all the furniture they had found on-site. "We also chose to reinstall Briare enamel tiles that had previously been used in the bathrooms to stay true to the soul of the building," she explains. Wood was sourced locally from a father-son duo who had been logging and carefully storing trees from the surrounding forest for more than 20 years.
Throughout the interiors, Aubusson tapestries – recognised by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage – were installed not only because they were typical of a Solognot château but also because they held deep personal meaning for the owner. "In a way, we wanted to tell a story," says Pargger. “The story of the people and the objects that had inhabited the château for more than a century and of those who would live there for years to come.”
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