East Texas Escape: The Sullifarm Chateau

Annemarie Sullivan Transformed a Remodeled Dairy Barn into a Luxury Getaway
Story by Phoebe Warren
Photography by Molly Kendrick & Tiffany Griffin

The Sullifarm Chateau, a charming home and part-time AirBnB, boasts a backstory steeped in simplicity. Annemarie Sullivan, the owner, transformed her grandfather’s old dairy barn into a peaceful retreat set amidst the serene Piney Woods of East Texas. After a decade of dairy farming, James Davis, Annemarie’s grandfather, retired the barn from its agricultural duties, and it sat unused for the next 35 years. Annemarie saw something greater for the barn.

“I have always had a vision for what things have the potential to be and always wanted to do something with the little old cinderblock building,” she said. “In 2020, I was 23 years old and in need of my own space. With the blessing of my grandmother, and the intention to honor my late grandfather, I decided to renovate it into a home.”

Over the next two years, Annemarie went through a rollercoaster of emotions as construction on her building progressed. In the first year, she hired a contractor who “​​greatly underbid the price and timeline of the project and then promptly went out of business, leaving me debt and a far-from-livable home,” she said. Fortunately, Casey Boyette Construction picked up the project and worked with her every step of the way to bring her vision to life. “[Casey’s] talents and unwavering dedication to the project, combined with my stubbornness and vision for what I knew it could be, made for long and hard but beautiful work,” Annemarie said.

“Beautiful work” is certainly one way to describe the completion of this project. “Dreamy” is another. Though the name “Sullifarm Chateau” is a bit tongue-in-cheek considering the relatively humble size of the space, the AirBnB is named for its European design influence. “With my favorite country being France, I took a lot of inspiration from the chateaus, villas, castles, and homes I’ve visited in my travels,” Annemarie explained.

Three original cinder-block exterior walls frame the first-floor living room, and the original concrete slab still exists under a new concrete cap. The remaining existing infrastructure adjacent to the house (originally where the cows came up to be milked) is a mix of concrete and metal. The home includes one loft bedroom and one bathroom.

Out of Annemarie’s desire to use as many locally-sourced materials for the house as possible, an ample amount of the wood used in the Chateau was sourced from The Historic Phillips Forest Products, a family-owned operation in De Kalb, Texas. “Allen Phillip had a pile of reclaimed post oak we used on the bedroom floor and to build the stairs,” Annemarie said. “We left it raw and unfinished, and it’s absolutely beautiful. We also sourced hickory, cedar, and more from them for the kitchen and throughout.” The beautiful rose quartz sink in the bathroom was sourced from Canton, Texas.

The furniture, artwork, and fixtures in the home boast captivating backstories, all thanks to Annemarie’s dedicated treasure hunts in antique shops and estate sales. Among the standout pieces are hefty, solid-brass sconces tipping the scales at over 50 pounds each; a vintage Viking-brand double oven; a pine chest transformed into a stylish vanity; a unique table-and-chair set, crafted from pigskin leather and cedar wood; elegant marble accents in the bathroom; and exquisite vintage crystal glassware. Annemarie aimed to complement the custom features of the home with thoughtfully curated furnishings. “No detail was implemented without consideration, from the peacock towel hooks to the old clay tiles over the door, which I pulled with a friend from a dilapidated older home,” she said. 

Annemarie’s favorite aspect about the space is that it represents her and tells a vivid story. “I know my grandpa would think I was crazy for turning his dairy barn into a house that people pay to come stay in, but my other favorite thing is to think about exactly what he would say if he was still here to see it,” she said. She has worked hard to make this home a clean, peaceful, and well-stocked space that guests fall in love with. 

Annemarie has sought to create a space that she herself would want as a guest. To that end: the towels and sheets are high quality, there are multiple ways to make coffee including an espresso machine, and the kitchen is fully stocked with tools and utensils. An added bonus is that guests may also walk up to the Sullifarm Shop she operates on-site to purchase local eggs, meats, cheese, honey, olives, and more. “I don’t try too hard to make it feel sterile and unused; at the end of the day it is my primary home, when I don’t have guests booked, so there are clothes in the closet and food in the pantry,” she explained. “My guests are aware of that, and I’ve had a really lucky experience with guests who are truly respectful and leave me the kindest notes after their stay.”