Postcards from France V: French Shabby Chic

I'm in the middle of giving my last vintage shopping tour of the year. Yesterday we were lucky enough to be able to visit this beautiful B&B in Provence, called Villa Saint Louis in Lourmarin. It is run by a charming older lady, Bernadette, who has the most exquisite taste.



I suspect that this décor predates our current shabby chic fad by a few decades. Bernadette's husband was an antique dealer in the south of France since the 1950's, and their home has been decorated in this style since the mid century.

I thought this hutch was nicely done: they've used a sharply contrasting and rich wallpaper to line the shelves and inner walls. The china pops beautifully and it makes a beautiful vignette and something that can be easily reproduced.

Too chilly now to use for the breakfasts, the terrace is still something to stand and admire. I love how she uses sturdy curtains in her exterior - something else that we can do in our own homes.

A bientot!

Postcards from France IV

Up this little driveway lies a chateau in Provence that dates to the XIVth century. This is vintage cubed - well outside the realm of vintage and well into antiques, I thought it would be nice to look at some age old design that may inspire us when we use our vintage pieces in décor.

This is the entrée to the chateau we commoners use. I'll bet there's a grander one elsewhere in the castle.

The use of two empty unglazed terra cotta vessels is so lovely on either side of the door.

I don't think there's much here that we can use in our homes, but I wanted to show you this amazing stone carved staircase.

The yellow painted walls are fantastic with all the rest of the room appointed in earth colors. The big floor vase with the large dried stems in front of the window is a great element, easy to replicate.

Here's another use of a bold splash of color in one part of the room contrasting to subdued colors covering the rest of the space.

This can be easily replicated and is a great look. This is not lit very well, but imagine it with a spot light on it. A vintage religious statue could be placed on a tiny wall shelf or simpy have a hook inserted into the back.

Something else we can't easily replicate - I just wanted to share the lovely silvery gray green hue of the olive trees on the grounds of the chateau.

Voilà, voilà. It's interesting how not that much has fundamentally changed in interior décor in the last several centuries.

If you make it to Provence, have a visit of the Chateau de Lourmarin. There are other terrific rooms to check out including the kitchen and bedrooms.