House of Ogilvy a ‘modest’ gte

If you ever wondered what paradise looks like, ask David Ogilvy founder of Ogilvy & Mather. His house is doing a passable impersonation.

In the March edition of House and Garden magazine, Ogilvy’s “modest” dwelling, the turreted Chateau de Touffou, features in a six-page spread. But 32 years ago when he was looking to buy a property in France, he thought the chateau was too old. It was built between the 12th and 16th centuries whereas he wanted an 18th century home.

Ogilvy was apparently won over by the 13-bedroom, apricot-coloured chateau’s “lack of pretension”.

That description has definitively cleared up the debate as to whether a lifetime in advertising means losing touch with the common people.