Le Barn for le weekend, anyone? The idea behind the resort is to put urbanites “immediately in touch with the changing seasons, the outdoors, and the local wildlife.” Situated in the Île-de-France forest of Rambouillet, 30 minutes by train from Paris, the hotel is set on a 500-acre estate that’s home to an elite equestrian center. Both are owned by Franco-American businessman and horse-lover William Kriegel who teamed up with hotelier Edouard Daehn and Studio Be-Poles to transform the barns into down-home guest quarters of the most glamorous sort. In addition to horseback riding, there’s biking, hiking, fishing, mushrooming, a restaurant set…

Shown: Bob Vila, Steve Thomas, and Kevin O’Connor recently came together for the first time to talk about their experiences as hosts of This Old House. Bob Vila (Seasons 1–10) This Old House’s first on-air host actually started out as its first homeowner. In the never-aired pilot for what eventually became This Old House, Bob and his wife showed a Boston Globe reporter around the circa-1840 Newton, MA, house the couple had restored. One year later, Bob got a call that a totally revamped version of that pilot had been green-lighted. “I was restoring brownstones, and thought it would be…

Shown: Russ Morash, Tom, and Steve Thomas fess up to Sara Ferguson. Something fishy At the Concord Barn, Tom and Charlie Silva decided to prank the coffee-making PA. They rigged a 5-gallon water jug with 6 inches of water and bought “the ugliest fish of the right size” at a pet store. They dropped in the fish, taped the spout shut, and set the bottle in the dispenser. “The fish played its role perfectly and settled in at the bottom,” Tom says. When the PA went to fill her coffeepot and the water wouldn’t flow, “she shook the bottle and…

The challenge: to convert an old farm dwelling in the Loire into a modern, light-filled summer home—with minimal intervention. French firm Septembre Architecture accomplished the brief by executing subtle and discrete interventions: major overhaul not necessary. By matching the delicate color palette found in the original construction materials, the designers masterfully bridge old with new. Photography by Linus Ricard, courtesy of Septembre Architecture. After Above: In the kitchen, new materials are introduced through the light wood cabinets, open shelving, and a concrete floor. (See Remodeling 101: Polished Concrete Floors.) Above: In the living area, by opening up the ceiling to the full height…

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Tom Silva has been joined at the hip with McGuire-Nicholas full-grain leather tool belts for more than 40 years; this is the third one TOH ’s general contractor has owned. Tom says his fondness for this model comes down to two features: its easy-to-adjust, quick-release buckle and its five relatively small pockets. “They’re just the right size for the things I need, and can’t be overloaded with extra stuff.” Here’s what they typically hold https://www.thisoldhouse.com/ideas/old-tool-belt