Fitting newly built cabinetry into an old room becomes a surprisingly exacting exercise when the walls, windows and mouldings refuse to behave like modern construction. Philip and Benoit’s bookcases may have been carefully built, but installing them requires cutting the side pieces to follow the room’s irregular contours, accommodating electrical cables and making sure the windows can still fully open. That practical problem-solving gives the renovation its most satisfying material.
Much of the early work revolves around a concern viewers apparently raised about sections of the cabinetry protruding into the windows. Rather than simply dismissing it, the installation demonstrates why the pieces were deliberately oversized before being trimmed to the wall. Watching the cabinet gradually become almost flush with the surrounding architecture provides a clear visual payoff, while the joking exchanges about mistakes keep the precision work from feeling overly technical.
The château itself adds an important constraint to the project. Adjustments are repeatedly needed because the existing surfaces are described as wonky, and even apparently straightforward pieces need further cutting before they sit correctly at the top and back. Small mishaps, including damaged areas that will require plaster repair, also remain in the finished edit. Those imperfections make the renovation feel more credible than a transformation presented as effortlessly successful.
A substantial parallel storyline follows Anna to a wallpaper factory near Burnley, where she works on three colors for a new collection. The factory footage is particularly interesting when it concentrates on the physical production process: an original 19th-century surface-printing machine, engraved cylinders, hand-mixed colors and repeated test runs all show how small adjustments affect the finished paper. Watching shades become warmer, greyer or less yellow gives the design decisions a tangible quality that complements the hands-on work back at the château.
There is also a commercial dimension to this factory visit that becomes increasingly prominent. Anna discusses the limited production of 150 rolls per colorway, promotes a waiting list and references the previous collection selling out. The factory representative additionally describes solar panels, recycling of waste wallpaper, water-based inks and the facility being zero-to-landfill. These sustainability points are presented as company statements rather than independently substantiated claims, and the segment would be stronger editorially with more distinction between documenting production and promoting the products being produced.
Pacing is the main weakness. The movement between cabinetry installation, wallpaper production and a lengthy Squarespace sponsorship makes the episode feel more fragmented than the central renovation deserves. Still, the personalities and practical uncertainty carry it effectively, and ending with two major cabinet sections fitted into place provides meaningful progress without pretending the room is complete. Shelves, doors, hinges, painting and wallpaper remain to come, making this an engaging installment in an ongoing restoration rather than an artificially packaged before-and-after reveal.
Pros
- Shows the genuine difficulty of fitting custom cabinetry around irregular walls, mouldings, electrical connections and functioning windows.
- Preserves mistakes, corrections and additional cutting instead of making the installation appear unrealistically effortless.
- Wallpaper-factory footage offers an interesting look at traditional machinery, hand color matching and iterative test printing.
- Lighthearted interaction between the renovation team gives detailed installation work personality without overwhelming the project.
- Ends with substantial visible progress while being clear that the library remains unfinished.
Cons
- Frequent switching between the château installation and wallpaper factory weakens the continuity of the main renovation.
- Product promotion and waiting-list reminders sometimes make the wallpaper storyline feel more commercial than documentary.
- The lengthy Squarespace sponsorship interrupts the cabinetry installation at a point when the project is gaining momentum.
- Sustainability statements about the factory are presented largely through company representatives without additional substantiation.
The combination of awkward historic architecture, bespoke cabinetry and traditional wallpaper production gives this renovation installment more substance than a straightforward decorating update. Its commercial interruptions and split focus dilute the momentum, but the visible craftsmanship, practical problem-solving and willingness to show corrections make the progress rewarding to follow.
