the authentic french garden

If the words 'English garden' conjure up images of Gertrude Jekyll, tumbling roses and deep mixed borders, then surely 'French garden' must make us think of topiaries,  parterres and the unavoidable Monsieur André Le Notre.

Versailles was Le Notre's most well known creation, but he signed his name to many other 17th century gardens, and his influence has outlived him by over 300 years.  His intricate swirls and loops, contrasting so deftly with the sharp edges and straight lines of his topiaries, linked into the 17th classicism with its desire for order and need to believe that man could control his destiny.

A landscape gardener came here this week to cast his critical eye over my little patch of green.  He sighed and tutted (not very good for my morale!) and eventually came up with some wonderful and bold ideas.  And I couldn't help but think how much Le Notre still influences the young gardeners of France.

In France today we love to blend the big and colourful mixed border, brought to us by the Romantic movement, with some strict lines and layout, so reminiscent of Le Notre.

So without more ado, here are a few of my favourite  very French gardens,  far too grand in scale for this blogger to imitate, but wonderful to drool and dream over !  And one thing is for sure, this year, I shall be visiting as many  French gardens as I find the time for!

photos: 1 - Versailles; 2-Chateau Champ de Bataille; 3. Château de la Chatonnière   4,5,6-Château la Ballue  7-Marqueyssac; 8- Chateau Gaudon  9- Erignac

authentic french chairs

I have always had a soft spot for a soft chair!  And my favourite French chairs have such delicious names too!    The pretty chair above, dressed in what looks like a beautiful printed linen, is called a 'crapaud'', which literally means toad!

The crapaud is fairly low to the  ground, with a gently reclining back and low arm rests.  A similar design, but without the arm support is called a 'chauffeuse'.

These chairs often have black wooden legs, usually pear wood, and typical of the Napoleon III period, late 19th century.

Chair design is a fairly accurate reflection of social customs.  Today we have large deep armchairs and sofas, designed to give us space to sprawl.  Our seating no longer encourages the user to sit in demure fashion, back straight, legs crossed at the ankles, it is acceptable to put comfort first.

In the 19th century, they liked their chairs to be purpose designed.

The chair below is a fumeuse, or smoking chair.

and this one is a gaming chair, designed for a man to sit on either in a traditional direction or astride with arms leaning on the padded back while facing the card table.

Of course the 18th century Louis XV period also produced some great classics, that are now reproduced worldwide.

This is a bergère cabriolet, a pretty combination of wooden frame and upholstered back and seat.  The reverse of the back support is often upholstered in a contrasting fabric, to great effect.

These old designs look just as good in a traditional brocade or silk as in a humble grain sack or even today in their underwear!!

How about you?   Do you like a chair to sprawl in, or to perch upon?!

authentic tables for a french country kitchen

There is a very traditional piece of French furniture that has found its way from a butchers store to many fashionable kitchens - it is the 'billot de boucher',  (pronounced  bee-o  de booshay)  or the butchers table.

They are prized and expensive pieces to find, generally built from large blocks of oak or hornbeam,  and if they are genuine - and genuinely old  -  their table or counter top will be worn down and rounded away through years of use as a chopping block.

 The photo below has done the rounds on pinterest, so I don't even know where it originated, but it is a reproduction butcher's table, hence the practical and flat counter top.

What is lovely in this copy is that they have gone to the trouble of reproducing the hand carved decorative edge along the body base.

Here in france there are still a couple of places where they make real billots de boucher, like this one made from solid hornbeam in the centre of France.

When we first moved to this village, our butcher used a billot just like this one below, with the steel bar attached to the back splash, a safe and handy way to store knives.   Sadly the health and safety rules were stepped up, and it was no longer considered desirable to have meat cut on a chunk of wood ...... hmmm.

  I'd be hard pushed to find one of these on a country fair, but I should think I could source one or two at the right dealers.  Then I'd just need to find a space for it at home.

all pictures sourced on Google images and pinterest and at Les Billots de Sologne

French windows - where to buy the real thing!

Yesterday I showed you my favourite pictures of the beautiful œil de boeuf windows on the rooftops of France. and  I promised to tell you where they can be found today if you want one in your home.

These window frames look beautiful hung on a wall as they are or used as mirror frames.  The very heavy pieces look great propped up against a wall.

 It is unusual to find œil de boeuf frames for sale in brocante fairs.  The only reason they would be dismounted from their rooftop would be if a house was being pulled down or if the window frame was badly damaged  and in need of repair.

But I do know a good address  ......   Atelier de Campagne is a name known to many in the blogging world.  The team of Trinidad, Martin and Johan work tirelessly to find, restore and supply to their discerning clients all over the world.  Their blog and their facebook page are fun to follow and a good way of keeping up to date with sales.

 I have never had the opportunity to visit them in California, but we have spoken on the phone and  I'm looking forward to meeting them here this summer.

Trinidad and Martin are based in California, taking care of their clients at the Center Street Antiques store and fielding all enquiries.  Johan is Belgian and he does a lot of the sourcing.   We joked on the phone about the joys of getting up WAY too early, or even missing a night's sleep to be sure of finding the best pieces at a fair.

But look well how it pays off!!

They fill a container in Europe and ship it back to California where it is unpacked with care and prepared
for their famous sales.  In fact the next container sale is quite soon; April 7th and 8th.

If you love the authentic French look, and want the real thing, not reproduction then this is the address for you.  Just take a look at the photos of the goodies already on their way back and if you need any details give them a call or drop them a line.  You can also sign up for their newsletter here.

authentic french living

We are lucky here to have many interesting and charming guests come to stay.  They seem to enjoy the valley and the French way of life, and  often  comment on our 'quality of life' or the authentic feel of french living. 

Of course it is very difficult to analyse objectively a lifestyle that just comes naturally, but these conversations make me think about elements of our country life here, that give that authentic french touch to our everyday routine.  And I have to say that it seems to comes down to attitude and atmosphere rather than furniture and paint colour.

Quiet -   The first thing people comment on is the quiet - well yes, we live in a small village, on a very quiet road, in fact as our neighbour has stables, we have more racehorses go past our house than cars! 

Time  -  how can people be busy and active and yet give the impression of taking their time?  For me this is just a question of enjoying the moment.  There are days when I have to run around in the car, but that doesn't stop me slowing down to enjoy the beautiful countryside, or even screeching to a halt to take a picture.

When I have guests in the cottage, there is plenty of other stuff happening too, but taking time to chat  with our guests is up at the top of my list of priorities.

Pleasure  -  Anyone can find pleasure in their everyday life, finding pleasure is  a state of mind, it's not material.  For a start we can banish cynicism and open ourselves up to enjoy what we have to hand

Living well   - This is not about money, this is about simple living. For example eating the right food and taking the time to appreciate.  Eating, seated as a family, talking, sharing.  When our children have friends to stay over here at the weekend, the moment they all like the best is breakfast on Sunday morning, at a big table, laid nicely, the fire lit, fresh bread and home made jam.  None of this is a question of finance, it is just creating the right atmosphere.

If we have friends to lunch or to dinner, everyone expects to chat over a long aperitif and to enjoy a meal that will last for several hours because there is lively conversation,  pauses between dishes and everybody is there to take their time.

If I had to choose one thing that epitomises French living, it would be shopping at the fresh food market.  The contrast between a real farmers market and the supermarket is blatant.  At a supermarket, I tear up and down alleys with piped music in the background, fill up the trolley with the same stuff each time and get out as fast as I can.  

At the farmers market, I forget the list, and instead walk around to see what is on offer.  I bump into people I know, chat, the vendors laugh and joke, the goods are laid out beautifully, it is a sensual experience.  I walk away with a basket full of healthy food and a smile on my face.

So tell me, which bit of your day will you enjoy the most today?

Hope you're heading for a good weekend, thank you for stopping by.

authentic french country style inside the home

Yesterday I put up some ideas for the french country style when it comes to choosing a house.  Today - if you don't mind - I though I'd do the same inside, using pictures from my home and from those of friends near here.

Once again, I don't pretend to be an expert on what is true French country style, I'm just telling it the way it is lived here: never about big, nor impressive, rather living simply and elegantly, using what you have to hand and making the home as comfortable and welcoming as possible.

Now, I'm a big sleeper (that's not a scoop!!) so to me a large comfy bed is really important, you all know about my feelings for old French linen - vital!! - but the bed is important too.  My favourite here is the old 'demi-corbeille' that I restored for our guest cottage.

Besides which I like to place a few flowers -  everyone sleeps better

in a setting that is prepared with care and attention.

We love open fires, we have two downstairs and one in our bedroom.  Real logs, real flames, a little extra work to clean out the ashes, but I certainly don't do that after every fire - life is too short - just now and again.

While we're on the subject of flames, candles are really important here too.  We use real candles in our dining room chandelier, lit most days, although our favourite time in the winter is Sunday morning breakfast:  a fire, candles, fresh croissant, the newspapers ......

when we eat outdoors candles are obligatory, love them!

Furniture is a happy mix here, quite a few old pieces, often found at

brocantes and re-upholstered by yours truly, using a mix of fabrics

in fact fabric plays a big role in giving the French look, and nothing can be more

French than toile de Jouy, see here at my friend Aude's house

Ceilings tend to be high in these  old houses, giving plenty of scope to play with curtains

The true French kitchen is hard to define, and somehow never really fits in to a 'label'.  

Of all the kitchens I know here, my favourite elements are the solid 

pewter sink and chippy chairs in Frederique's château!

Other vital touches include paintings on the walls, 

and propped up behind lamps;

unruly bouquets of flowers from the garden;

and a mix of old china displayed behind wire mesh cabinet doors.

Voila!  Ours is not a designer house, we don't lavish huge sums of money on our interior.

The priorities are comfort, elegance and most of all a warm welcome!

I'd love to hear about your priorities in furnishing and decorating your home

Thank you for stopping by