Château Dreams Are Helping This Vogue Editor Endure Quarantine In an NYC Apartment
This story is part of a series, Past/Present, highlighting images and articles from Vogue that have personal significance to our editors.
I have always loved cities, where you have culture at your fingertips and no need for a car. And I especially love New York, so much so that I’ve spent a full decade living with roommates in a small Manhattan apartment, trading space for easy access to some of the greatest museums, restaurants, bars, studios, salons, and shops in the world. I wouldn’t have it any other way—usually.
Unfortunately, the very reasons why I love New York City–the density of activity, the ease of socializing–are also the reasons why COVID-19 has spread so rapidly across it. As the city went into lockdown, I followed instructions to #stayhome, leaving my apartment only for necessary activities. But now I find myself craving a house with enough extra square feet to put two yoga mats side-by-side, and a backyard where I can sit outside in my own space in peace.
I am deeply grateful to have a job and a place to live during this time, but I can’t help but daydream about gorgeous, expansive interiors that seem even more lust-worthy when stuck in quarantine. Having canceled all my upcoming trips for the indefinite future, I’m diving into Vogue’s archive photos of transfixing destinations abroad to fulfill my wanderlust and to take a break from the stressful news cycle. This reminds me of when I used to escape into the pages of the magazine as a kid in the suburban Midwest; then, Vogue was a symbol of an exciting, unknown world outside my hometown, which I knew like the back of my hand.
Recently I asked myself, Where would I most want to be right now, if I could be anywhere? The answer came to mind immediately. The Château de Gudanes in the south of France, which I first discovered in 2016 when Karina Waters and her husband shared their plans to renovate the property on Vogue’s website. Imagine social-isolating from here–working remotely from that window, preparing dinners in that kitchen, and stretching your legs by wandering the grounds!
