We are in Condecourt, Northwest of Paris, about 35 minutes from the Champs Elysées, 15 minutes from the Palace of Versailles.  The year is 1660. Andre le Notre, the landscape architect for King Louis XIV,  François Mansart  and his nephew Jules Hardouin-Mansart, lead architects at the Court and masons of Versailles themselves, are casting their eyes over the lush woodland. Their gazes are drawn to the landscape that is soon to be transformed into "Le Petit Versailles" or as their commissioner, the Count of Aufflay Jean Dyell II, ambassador to Italy for Louis XIV, will name the imposing masterpiece, Château de Villette. 

The result is a French Manor of unparalleled charm.  185 acres of garden spread out behind the château in the central axis with two rectangular lakes filled with swans, ducks, birds, and fish, as well as a cascade and fountain that resembles the one at Louis XIV's Châteaude Marly, surmounted by Neptune. A marvel to behold, granting passage only to those who are ready to follow with eye and spirit roving freely.  Masqued balls immerse fluttering hearts in the delights of the moment: music, thrills, gauzy fabrics, illusions, and promised dances. 

And yet it isn't until the 18th century that the most historical château in France comes to its heyday. The owners, Sophie de Grouchy, a prominent salon hostess, and her husband, Marquis de Condorcet, invite the leading intellectuals such as Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Paine to Château de Villette. Stone pillars and tall iron gates mark the entrance from the road, a tree-lined avenue set in five hectares of garden and parkland leads to the front door. 

Three centuries fast forward, the estate is sold again, this time to owners who make the monumental decision to completely restore the estate to its former 18th-century glory. They enlist the help of the chief architect to Monuments Historiques, who was also responsible for work and restorations done on Versailles and the Petit Trianon; as well as Jacques Garcia, the interior designer whose work is famous for its heavy attention to detail, and who was also responsible for some of the restoration work at Versailles. The end result of their tireless work is a Château that is fully restored to its romantic heyday, a serene reflection of that moment of perfection that was France during the Enlightenment. 

The extravagant interiors reflect the Louis XV era – furnished with the finest period furniture and objets d’art, a blend of Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI pieces and is not unlike that of a museum. Each item is sourced from Sotheby’s or Christie’s and in some cases is of royal provenance. 

One of the best examples of Villette’s significance is the dining room. Within a froth of rococo embellishments are also inventive developments – such as the two niches with vases from which a supply of pumped water flows. And the cartouches above reflect the new interest in the east. The library, with original boiserie, includes a set of mid-18th-century chairs à la Reine, covered in blue silk brocade, Louis XV sconces and 18th-century allegories of the Arts and Literature. In the bedroom, a lit à la polonaise is hung with bold, blue damask. 

For the restoration, all the fabrics throughout the chateau were specially woven after 18th-century archive documents. And it was during this era that the fashion began to decorate (almost) an entire room in a single fabric. 

The orangery is also fully restored with its classic “Caisse de Versailles” planters,  originally invented by Le Nôtre in the 17th century to hold Louis XIV’s collection of orange trees, which could then more easily be moved inside during the cold winter months. The gardens, below, as seen through the first-floor apartment, were created following Le Nôtre’s principles of symmetry, offering geometric lines leading to the horizon.

Deemed one of the most opulent wedding venues in the world, a sanctuary for many celebrities (John Travolta, Tom Cruise and Lenny Kravitz among them), having become the filming location for "The Da Vinci Code, a host to classic cars, and a Monique Lhuillier fashion shoot, Château de Villette is ultimately the newest, most irresistible dream of France.