Château de Malmaison served as a home to Napoléon Bonaparte and his first wife, Josephine de Beauharnais, years before the dictator's rule. It was already an old property when Josephine bought it, so they had to tap architects and decorators Charles Percier and Pierre François Léonard Fontaine to restore the interiors and grounds of the property. Josephine fell in love with its original architecture and the greens that surrounded the house. The ruler gave her the château after their divorce. She stayed in the home until her death five years after their split.
The historical mansion situated a few miles west of Paris now serves as a museum. Josephine's knowledge on interior design could be assumed by the choice of furniture; the house is filled with custom cabinetry and a sophisticated tapestry. Black and white checkered tiles cover the floor of the dining area, and several crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling. There are doors that lead to different rooms like the billiard hall, for ease of reception.
The couple probably loved colorful patterns and prints as these could be seen from their walls to their ceilings. The music room has a pattern of regal colors, like red, dark green and gold. There are several rooms with interesting details like the detailed and printed arched ceilings in the library.
Another designer, Louis-Martin Berthault, worked on more renovations for the house, including the gardens. He followed the dominant red scheme in the other rooms, and designed Josephine's bedroom to appear to have a circular tent like shape.
Surrounding the house are vast greens and flowers, which Josephine was extremely fond of. According to Architectural Digest, her favorite was roses. Because she and Napoleon were not blessed to have children, she spent her time taking care of her gardens passionately. Rare hybrids of roses are still grown in the property in honor of the lady of the house.
