It’s very late as I type this, and the whole house is hushed. I’m one of those humans who thrives with a good measure of silence. For me, there is always the promise of healing there. These images evoke a sense of quiet as well.
Weathered Walls & Déshabillé Lovely? There is something so enchanting about déshabillé walls (“undressed” walls), and whenever I spy an interior with them, I have to spend time with it. The age, the layers the incarnations, the mystique, the history, the decay, the texture, and the tumbledown lovely of it all. I remember my friend Greet posting inspiring examples of beautiful weathered walls years ago in this article on Belgian Pearls, including the photo below taken by her at Axel Vervoordt’s castle.
![Weathered Walls & Déshabillé Lovely](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2Fx-Yf-Exzc/ViAC90WbCoI/AAAAAAAAhWo/xdIqcBRRKo4/14_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800)
Photo: Greet Lefevre. Orangerie at Axel Vervoordt’s Castle of ‘s-Gravenwezel in Belgium.
(Her photo also makes me feel better about my living room’s windows which look very much like Vervoordt’s above!)
You may recall seeing beautiful weathered walls of the rundown Chateau Gudanes on this blog and all over Instagram. It’s a remarkable estate which is being gently restored. I am anxious to see how much of the decay remains at the Chateau!
These crumbling walls with their peely paint and mottled variation have me musing about unconventional beauty. Do they stir you as well?
How can something so ravaged by time, the elements, neglect, and abandonment somehow cast a lovely reflection? What does it mean to bear the soot, stains, and scars of yesterdays in such a vulnerable raw state today? Might the master Creator see and cherish the déshabillé layers of my human frailty in the same spirit as my admiration of these walls? Might we learn to better see beautiful layers and stories in each other? THESE WALLS HAVE BEEN TALKING TO MY SOUL, ALRIGHT. Perhaps, they speak to you too.
I hope you will find a few minutes to slow down, let your mind fall into your heart, and allow your soul to open up to something pure.
![French windows open in a decaying room of Chateau Gudanes. Weathered Walls & Déshabillé Lovely. #walls #distressed #chateaugudanes #windows #oldworld](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gwBQ7jU3How/WIKyivm_tEI/AAAAAAAAnQQ/poW4PRdI5d8pHd6dQniWfb1li4yyVofTgCLcB/s1600/00001%2B2%2B12.jpg)
![Pema Chodron quote: Things falling apart is also a kind of healing. #quote #pemachodron #healing](https://i.pinimg.com/564x/d9/97/08/d99708b4837d3caff6b82bfa54735bc2.jpg)
![Weathered Walls & Déshabillé Lovely. A distressed wall in lovely shades of stone, putty, and wam grey. #walls #distressed #mottled #elegant #oldworld](https://i.pinimg.com/564x/59/2f/ea/592fea756cc44236828aaf176da16169.jpg)
![Mustard wall color in stairway of French Chateau de Gudanes. Weathered Walls & Déshabillé Lovely. #walls #distressed #staircase #chateau #French #oldworld](https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pc5cxQ3ZbWc/WIKya8BXrjI/AAAAAAAAnQM/Kz8MZQMq-eMgtAo5xmKsQUkblRrNrF9vwCLcB/s1600/00001%2B2%2B12.jpg)
![Quote about the soul. Souls tend to go back to who feels like home. N. R. Hart.](https://i.pinimg.com/564x/48/0a/0a/480a0a4bfe222ba241b0a7ef9b347958.jpg)
![A gorgeously weathered old door becomes a partition in a bedroom. Weathered Walls & Déshabillé Lovely. #NordicFrench #shabbychic #Scandinavian #farmhouse #weathered #doors #whitedecor](https://i.pinimg.com/564x/84/19/cc/8419cc3fce10f272ee5cb5151536d346.jpg)
![Chateau Gudanes weathered walls, door, and clawfoot tub in a state of distressed beauty. Weathered Walls & Déshabillé Lovely.#walls #distressed #weathered #oldworld #chateau #frenchchateau](https://i.pinimg.com/564x/ef/17/41/ef17417f479c51eb066b679b616403e4.jpg)
!["Be kinder to yourself and let your kindness flood the world" #quote #pemachodron #kindness](https://i.pinimg.com/564x/b9/04/47/b904472949dbbe4ba2b0108b8ecfc049.jpg)
![Long hallway shot and room with stipped wallpaper and beautifully weathered walls in a state of distress in Chateau Gudanes. .Weathered Walls & Déshabillé Lovely. #chateau #walls #distressed #weathered #oldworld #French](https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZkwYLYqTLhs/WIKzCfc6cSI/AAAAAAAAnQc/bNcEZ3oxy2c3aLY_DD9LKiOW9Uu4mgbLACLcB/s1600/00001%2B2%2B12.jpg)
![Inspiring quote about how everything belongs. Gloriousness and wretchedness need each other. Pema Chodron](https://i.pinimg.com/564x/00/8d/4b/008d4b74219aec9087f305117abc2465.jpg)
![Stripped wallpaper and weathered walls of magnificent staircase of decaying Chateau de Gudanes. Weathered Walls & Déshabillé Lovely. #staircase #walls #distressed #oldworld #chateau #french](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QJH8pQ8PRIk/WIKyJEqyd0I/AAAAAAAAnQE/8OIb5tOeM1kMS8XKGPFmIl1d2_quJqiWgCLcB/s1600/00001%2B2%2B12.jpg)
![Pema Chodron quote. You are the sky. Everything else - it's just the weather. #quote #pemachodron](https://i.pinimg.com/564x/94/5a/60/945a60394b7591ecc62d6be012ac2d2f.jpg)
![Pema Chodron quote. You must face annihilation over and over again to find what is indestructible in yourself.](https://i.pinimg.com/564x/48/8c/b8/488cb8563445dc012ad2a471a58cc485.jpg)
![Romantic French chateau with crumbling, distressed, weathered walls of paneling and exquisite architecture. Photography by Carla Coulson for Harper's Bazaar. Weathered Walls & Déshabillé Lovely. #French #chateau #oldworld #distressed #walls #weathered #decay #restoration](https://i.pinimg.com/564x/7b/d5/98/7bd59829be29a22e18b020bb05476544.jpg)
![Pema Chodron quote. Never be afraid to fall apart because it is an opportunity to rebuild yourself...](https://i.pinimg.com/564x/af/ab/8b/afab8ba7d5db62cbe0d7c8541dde9088.jpg)
![Bold yellow and green in the crumbling distressed condition of Chateau de Gudanes. Weathered Walls & Déshabillé Lovely. #French #chateau #walls #distressed #weathered #yellow](https://i.pinimg.com/564x/07/19/c5/0719c540e7fa4375249093d20c8a1619.jpg)
![Pale and magnificent, these decaying weathered walls within Chateau de Gudanes have a distinctive shabby beauty all their own. Weathered Walls & Déshabillé Lovely. #French #chateau #walls #distress #weathered #grey](https://i.pinimg.com/564x/d8/cd/4e/d8cd4e98fd13120cc363bfa829426aa9.jpg)
![Mottled distressed and weathered walls in an Old World vignette with crystal chandelier, vintage vintner's baskets, and old books. Weathered Walls & Déshabillé Lovely. #oldworld #walls #mottled #distress #crystalchandelier #vintnerbasket #European #eloquence](https://i.pinimg.com/564x/51/09/91/510991f82df4dcba2e3e00cb39cb8361.jpg)
![Crumbling staircase in Chateau Gudanes with crystal chandelier and decaying, weathered walls. Weathered Walls & Déshabillé Lovely. #French #chateau #staircase #chandelier #walls #weathered #oldworld](https://i.pinimg.com/564x/f8/80/08/f88008f608bdec40ba82bced43dfadb9.jpg)
![Decaying walls and distress in a bathroom at Chateau de Gudanes. Weathered Walls & Déshabillé Lovely. #French #chateau #renovation #walls #weathered #distress #windows](https://i.pinimg.com/564x/19/b1/0e/19b10e33aabee070c4a0efd7794d9bb3.jpg)
![Blush pink inspiration flows from this weathered wall mural with a gorgeous feminine pale pink lower section. Weathered Walls & Déshabillé Lovely. #mural #walls #weathered #distressed #blushpink #oldworld #mottled #twotone](https://i.pinimg.com/564x/57/d9/0f/57d90f79bd25c22abf906def51efd1e6.jpg)
![Old world doors and magnificent stripped wallpaper and decaying walls within Chateau de Gudanes. Weathered Walls & Déshabillé Lovely. #French #chateau #doors #paneled #walls #distress #weathered #oldworld #wallpaper](https://i.pinimg.com/564x/52/bf/9e/52bf9e646d383be9984c6a2c681897cf.jpg)
![Rumi quote. You've seen my descent. Now watch my rising.](https://i.pinimg.com/564x/0c/40/f7/0c40f7dc6bdb1de4df91755af0209cdd.jpg)
![Inside the decaying Chateau de Gudanes are these moments of weathered bliss! Old world windows and French doors, distressed mottled walls and magnificent architecture with South of France countryside bliss right outdoors. Weathered Walls & Déshabillé Lovely. #chateau #French #decay #walls #weathered #windows #oldworld](https://i.pinimg.com/564x/de/46/e6/de46e698400f1e28e50f3f37d2be8474.jpg)
![Chateau de Gudanes. Weathered Walls & Déshabillé Lovely. #French #yellow #walls #distressed](https://i.pinimg.com/564x/5b/c6/06/5bc6068c8e2f475d8b862bc3dcee1d6c.jpg)
![Beautifully aged and decaying walls within the French Chateau Gudanes. Weathered Walls & Déshabillé Lovely. #French #chateau #walls #weathered #serene](https://i.pinimg.com/564x/8e/f2/9f/8ef29f37dd1c6eac2ed3866e707315be.jpg)
Sending you hope and wings for whatever state of transformation you find yourself…the best is yet to come!
p.s. see more weathered walls here.
I independently selected products in this post—if you buy from one of my links, I may earn a commission.
Peace to you right where you are.
-michele
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beautiful…would never repaint those walls and the sayings are so true.
Author
Thank you for adding to the beauty right here with your truth. Peace to you.
What a life these walls could share….just the perfect visual treat on this Memorial Day weekend! Wishing you a beautiful day lovely friend and thank you for sharing such gorgeousness.
Author
We need a weekend to get away and together take photos of crumbling walls and such beautiful decay, yes? While such walls are not related to “utility,” surely they are blessed with a certain “sophistication,” yes? xox
Beautiful …. peaceful.
Thanks
Author
Thanks for reading, friend. Peace to you this day. 🙂
Happy to see some of my walls on your site!!! One of the favorite rooms I have done! xo
Author
Your work is a continuing inspiration to us, and the walls you touch glow with much more than a beautiful finish. To my eyes, the walls become fine art, elevating the everyday and enriching the formation of memories. What a gem you are, Leslie. xox
Author
p.s. I am crediting the images now and recognize one of these toward top of post as your work but need help identifying any others! It was late last night when I was posting so I couldn’t get all the details in place. Please forgive! 🙂
Michele I can’t begin to tell you how deeply beautiful I found this post. Your writing, the photos, and the quotes. No need to add my words. Thank you!
Author
Thank you for blessing me with such kindness. What an honor to share lovely. 🙂
These peeling, blistering, patina’d walls are so gorgeous! Thanks for sharing! As an artist, don’t you just want to paint something like that right now?
Author
Yes! They are abstract art for sure! I’m so inspired by the mainly neutral color palette! 🙂