Feature: the French Château

Long before the apartment in New York, I wanted a château in France. As a kid I would run around linoleum floors that made for marble in powdered wigs fashioned from mops, pretending to be at parties in my provincial palace—sometimes a lord, always a lady.

You might think that châteaux, the historic dominions of the ennobled and self-indulgent, completely contradict the egalitarian ideals forged by this country and, yes, that’s true. But in America we’re born with the privilege of possibility, so it’s practically an act of patriotism wielding $$$ to fulfill your fantasies.

I don’t want anything too extravagant, just a small estate with some history (pre-1793 is optimal), so this place, built in 1790, is absolutely perfect.

On the market for a little over 2.3 million USD, this petit château in France’s Limousin region is a virtual steal. So let them buy up Brentwood and those wooden shacks in Aspen; I’ll have my pleasure à l’ancien régime.