V A is a long standing and recognised digital creative; her voice resonates with many. In the last ten years, the site has developed into an online destination for fashion, beauty and lifestyle advice. Her sense of style, editorial flair and practical counsel offers an inspired and graceful approach to living.

V A is a long standing and recognised digital creative; her voice resonates with many. In the last ten years, the site has developed into an online destination for fashion, beauty and lifestyle advice. Her sense of style, editorial flair and practical counsel offers an inspired and graceful approach to living.

Edit by: Vicki
Jul 03, 2013

A French Country Weekend

Collage Toulouse - Vicki Archer

Deja vu... that feeling that you have been there before… That’s how I felt this past weekend when we visited our friends who have a home about an hour out of Toulouse…

It wasn’t the sensation that I had been there before but more that I had lived their story.

I remember three years ago when they showed us the add for this crumbling but imposing chateau in southern France… Situated high on a hill with views that would make even the most urban of dwellers sigh… gently rolling countryside for as far as the eye can see… 360 degree views of wheat fields, fruit trees and the occasional hill top village… La France profonde

They were brave to tackle such a project… a truly abandoned plot of land with the remnants of what was once an impressive chateau… I’m not aware of the history but I imagine that the location tells of it’s importance in the region. The chateau is an imposing structure, but different to those that we imagine in northern France… Once upon a time this building would have been ‘U’ shaped, now what remains are two independent wings, a pair of carriage style houses on either side of the entrance gates and a very generous barn. Over the past three years they have restored both wings and have future plans for the other outbuildings.

Collage Toulouse - Vicki Arche

Today, their home  is an impressive pair of stone ‘orangeries’ that face each other across a gravelled courtyard and lawn… the building, long gone, that would have connected the two has become a garden and the favoured lunch spot… with magnificent views over the countryside below… One pavilion houses the living quarters… and the other an office, artist’s studio and guest accomodation… The architecture of these structures is bold… fine and regal… the stone, a wonderful mixture of cream and grey that has weathered over the centuries… a soft blue grey treatment on the window and door frames breaks the expanse of greige here and there…

Last weekend was a walk down memory lane for me… I could imagine how they felt about their property… that falling in love with something that is unfamiliar, yet extraordinary… those feelings that make the impossible become a reality… that sense that if you want to make it happen… you can and you will… A need to go forward despite all the obstacles, despite what common sense dictates… that desire to follow the heart, whatever the cost… I know those sentiments only too well… they defy the norm… they challenge what we do in our day to day lives… yet they are strong enough for us to change anything and everything to make it happen.

I kept thinking of the incredible vision they both had to embark on such a project… the patience and the willingness to wait… sheer determination… Something like this requires massive planning and faith… Confidence that what you imagine can become a reality and confidence that others will recognise what you see and work together with you to make it happen…

It was worth it… their home is a triumph and only reinforces to me that a love for France, once it takes hold, is a force to be reckoned with… xv

Edit by: Vicki
In This Post: French Tales , Lifestyle