Milford chronicle., 1954-09-24
Duchess OF Windsor
Tells of First Home
W Dorothy ROE

published article. which will ap-
pear IN two instaliments in the
October and November issues of
Womans Home Companion.
Her subject Is the remodeling
and decorating Of the first real
home" she and the Duke have
owned since their marriage
quaint old stone mill about an
hours drive from Paris. Describ-
ing step by step the transforms
tiOn Of the mill into a home. the
Duchess writes
After living in rented houses
and with other peoples things for
so lOng-we've gathered together
in this enchanted spot all our most
cherished possessions. Like the
garden we've planted here, we've
put down roots
"This Is the first home the Duke
and have owned since we were
married-in fact It Is the only one
for even our house in Paris is
leased. What endears it to me is
not only that it Is really ours. but
that it is so different from any
house we have lived in before. And
because II Is small and intimate
and informal, have been able to
use the things we love most and
have owned for years"
One Of the problems faced by
the Duchess was making room for
all the priceless collections and
furnishing owned by the man who
once was King of England, and in
blending harmOniOusly the many
styles Of furniture accumulated by
both the Duke and Duchess from
their many previous homes. She
says:
We've used a great deal Of the
furniture that came from Fort
Belvedere, the Dukes home when
he was Prince Of Wales and King.
We also have here some Of the
things we had IN Nassau and the
furniture we had made for the
house we rented at LaCroe-Our
first home after we were married.
i suppose because we haven't
had a house Of our own for so
long, the Duke and I like to sur
round ourselves with familiar
things. Each small object reminds
US Of some event in our lives,
some shared experience, some old
friend or member Of our families.
We both are terrific collectors BY
nature and collections need a place
to stay. OF course you have to add,
too, my passion for fixing up and
decorating houses.
That began years ago when /
was a navy wife. Wherever I liv-
ed, I soon learned that there were
certain tricks which would turn
an tmpersOnal or discOuraging
room into something hOmelilZe and
personal. And this experience has
stood me in good stead since. I've
learned that the things you love
and that mean most to you are the
important furnishings Of a house"
The royal couple discovered
their dream house two years ago,
driving down a winding road from
Paris The old mill, consisting Of
four buildings, had been the resi-
dence Of the painter Drian, who
had done a portrait Of the Duchess
before the war. The Duke had
been talking of buying "a little
place in the country" while the
Duchess was holding out for a
house in Paris But she lost her
heart to the old stone mill. The
Femodeling presented many prob
lens, as she explains:
Stone walls two feet thick and
hand-heWn beams a foot square
aren't easy to alter. We wanted
to make one large hall out Of the
entry and sitting-rOOm on the first
floor Of the mill building. OF
course, plumbing is a problem in
any old house and we had worked
over and over our plans to At into
the tiny space the bathrooms we
After getting a builder started
on the major architectural changes
the Duchess left for New York,
and shopping spree. She writes:
I adore to shop. All my friends
know I'd rather shop than eat
could hardly wait to get to New
York to look for wallpapers and
fabrics for the mill"
In its present finished state, the
house is a charming blend Of the
old and the new, with every room
filled with treasures from the rO-
mantle past Of the famous couple.
The Duchess has gone in for
great deal Of color throughout the
house, but her favorite' room ap-
pears to be her bedroom, which
she describes thus
My bedroom Is long and mar
row with sloping beams, a little
like q tent-so I decided to en-
phasize this by draping the old
beams with striped antique tafeta.
The cOlOrs in the curtains are
repeated IN the harlequin bedcOv-
era present from my husband on
my last birthday. It's pieces are
put together by hand like a patch
work quilt had decided it would
be too expensive but the Duke or
dered It for me anyway as a sur
prise"
Explaining her theory Of deco
ration, the Duchess says:
Il think every house should
have a theme in decoratiOn-even
IL the theme is as simple as the
one ] chose for the mill-fruit and
flowers. Then the decoration be-
comes something like a musical
composition, each room carries the