Pretty in Provence

All I can think about besides moving is that I can't wait to take a vacation after it's over.  A "sit around and read a book all day" type of vacation that is actually relaxing.  I wish I knew Atlanta based designer Ginny Magher because I am completely in love with her 18th-century farmhouse, Le Mas de Baraquet, in Provence, France, and would beg her to let me stay there  I came across it in an old issue of UK House & Garden magazine that I was cleaning out in preparation for moving.  I'm glad I flipped through it before throwing it away because what really grabbed my attention were the gardens designed by Dominque Lafourcade.  If you really want to be impressed, check out this blog post about the before and after of gardens and interior shots of the house.  Dominique's husband, Bruno Lafourcade, and son, Alexandre, who are both architects restored the farmhouse as well. When I buy a farm in Provence, I'm definitely hiring everyone involved to help me too! 

Fabulous French Wedding

A friend recently asked for wedding site referrals to help his friend plan her wedding in Barcelona.  While I don't think it would be right for Spain, his request did remind me that I never posted photos from this fabulous wedding in France.  I saw it in Veranda magazine and all of the details really caught my eye. What's not to love about a wedding at a Chateau with Laduree macarons and butterflies from Deyrolle?!  To read the entire story and start drooling, click here.

Photos by Mallory Samson

The Chic Catroux

It's interesting how you see some designers all over the place and some nowhere at all.  I wish we could see more work of the interior designer François Catroux.  Maybe staying under the radar and a lack of self promotion is a French thing or a European thing.  It's certainly, as we all know, not an American thing.  I think it's even more interesting since François Catroux's wife Betty was a model and muse of Yves Saint Laurent who was has more than her fair share of publicity.  The scarcity of published projects makes it that much more exciting when you do come across one and especially when it's their own home.  Enjoy!

Betty and Francois Catroux, 1970

Chateau de Groussay: Part Deux

The gardens at Chateau de Groussay are just as amazing as the main house.  Charles de Beistegui was inspired by 18th-century Anglo-Chinese parks and gardens and created many "follies" to surprise and delight his guests. 

The most famous is the Tente Tartare that was built in 1960.  It was inspired by the tent that King Gustav III of Sweden raised in Drottningholm. 

The exterior is painted wood and not really a tent.

 

The interior is completely clad in Delft tiles that must be amazing to behold in person.

The Chinese Pagoda was found in Rome by Emilio Terry in  1968.  The pond and island were created specially for the Pagoda.

Pagoda interior.

All of the follies are just as beautiful inside as out.

The Palladian Bridge was designed by Emilio Terry in 1960.  It recalls the bridge at Wilton Park in England and the Guglie Bridge in Venice where Charles de Beistegui owned his famous Palazzo Labia. 

The Column Observatory was inspired by the Vendome column in Paris and was built in 1962.  You can view the entire countryside from the top.

The Temple of the Labyrinth sits at the center of a small maze and was built in 1967.

Garden photos from Alan Rosenberg