Le Petit Bijou, our village house is up and running… The planning and restoration have taken some time… finally, the doors have opened and we have welcomed some wonderful guests already. I have loved every moment of this project… and although one part of me is sad that the building work is over… I am so happy with the result and excited to show you…
The old door above is no longer in use… but it wasn’t something that we were prepared to part with… the stone surround has been repaired, the walls strengthened and the paintwork touched up a little… the hardware is as we found it..
The entrance to Le Petit Bijou is through the ‘garage’. It is a garage but not used as one… For now it is an entry hall… a place to leave the bikes, the baskets and the shopping caddy… On the left hand wall is a painted iron stand that once graced a florist shop in Paris and above a mirror frame and wall lights that we found in the brocante at L’Isle sur la Sorgue…
The copper pots, with their metal leaves, were handmade in Avignon… the urns are from our garden… We found them in southern France, way back in ’95… shipped them to Australia and then sent them back again when we moved to Europe in 2000… These urns are back where they started…
On the other side of the ‘garage’ is a bench… a place to throw down the hats and baskets… or whatever else needs to stay put at the end of the day… Le Petit Bijou is right in the centre of town… the Wednesday market is a minute away and all the boutiques, food shops, restaurants and cafes are close by… it’s easy to wander on foot, with shopping basket or the rolling caddy to buy whatever you need…
If you are brave enough to bicycle then there are beautiful promenades all around…
Passing through the ‘garage’ there is a tiny entrance hall… with a sweet commode and mirror that we found at the deballage in Avignon…
A visitors book, so that we can have a reminder of all our guests, is coming… For the moment, I have placed a collection of vintage pharmaceutical bottles…
Opposite is the guest powder room… The sunburst mirror and the floral watercolour were both found in the flea market at Villeneuve-les-Avignon.
Collecting the furniture, the paintings and the decorative objects has been the exciting part of this project… and finally unpacking and arranging them… well truthfully, I felt like an over-excited child unwrapping her Christmas presents…
For me, this past year has been all about, what would look pretty at Le Petit Bijou… what would make it feel like a home away from home… what would make it feel welcoming and comfortable… We want our guests to feel as if Le Petit Bijou is their home in Provence for however long they stay…
Walking though the small passageway you arrive at the sitting and dining room… off to the right, through an opening, is the kitchen… All one space… all open plan… The dining table and chairs are at the end of the room and the seating area is to the left as you look through the entryway door… The painted bibliothque, my favourite piece, anchors the room and houses some of my much loved leather bound books and small paintings…
To the left hand side of the dining room table, large ‘orangerie’ style double doors open on to the pedestrian street that leads into the village…
The terracotta tiles, in the entry way and the living area are the same that we used in our farmhouse restoration… Fortunately, we had enough left over to finish the living room, kitchen, entry way and garage.
The kitchen peeking off to the left has panelled cupboards on one side, hiding the refrigerator, freezer and microwave… the pots and the pans… and all the glassware… There is also plenty of space for food shopping… all those mouth watering delectables that French markets are so famous for…
I have always thought that your home should be your ‘castle’… there should be no happier or more comfortable place… and it is the small details that make home feel like home. I like to be surrounded by objects that ‘speak to me’… that feel welcoming… that amuse or enchant me… Le Petit Bijou has not only many of my treasured pieces that I have collected over the years but also newer acquisitions that have now found their place.
Leather bound books… simply for the look and the feel of them… that worn patina and the deliciously musty scent of old paper… Pretty patterned vintage china mixed with sparkling white French porcelain… Touches of ornate gilt and crisp embroidered linen set a pretty table… A beautiful linen ‘thank you’ tag from one of our first guests… already Le Petit Bijou is creating it’s own histoire… The smallest details make me smile…
The kitchen is galley style and the right hand side is where the practical bits live… the dishwasher, oven and the cook top… all housed in panelled cupboards to match the armoire style cupboards behind… The bench top is made from a local stone… the name escapes me and all I remember is that it is unpronounceable… but I liked the grey shades and the markings… The stone has a softness too it despite the strength of colour… The square shaped sink is made from the same stone and the lever handle taps in brushed nickel are the classic French style…
Above the bench top are a couple of shelves that hold the china… the cups and saucers… the dishes and plates… the jugs and serving bowls… The cupboards are painted panels… not exactly as I imagined them but as so often happens, I think they work beautifully and are even better than those I envisaged…
The kitchen is small but efficient and well equipped… although with the choice of cafes and restaurants nearby I don’t know if I would ever cook …. And then there is Christiane, who is managing Le Petit Bijou… the most wonderful Provencal cook and happy to help…
The seating takes up half of the living room and has a sofa, a pair of fauteuils and this tall painted armchair pictured above… The curtains are sheer voile ( the term voile comes from the French word meaning veil) as the outdoor shutters screen the sunlight and provide privacy… I liked the idea of having movement in the curtains… fluttering in the breeze… shadows dancing on the terracotta tiles… ambience…
Le Petit Bijou is painted in shades of greige… colours that are very similar to the Farrow & Ball shade of ‘elephant’s breath’… the woodwork is paler, a colour resembling that of ‘skimming stone’… A neutral palette that allows for some colour on the walls and on the soft furnishings… The dining room chairs are covered in various vintage Toile du Jouy fabrics and the pair of armchairs are upholstered in an aubergine linen with a buttoned back…
Behind the tall armchair are the stairs that lead up to the first floor…
On the large wall opposite the window and the glass doors are a serious of hand-pressed wildflower pictures… each one is slightly different… the variety of flowers and the shape of the bouquets… The pinks and purples of the petals and the foliage add a touch of colour and vibrancy…
We will climb the stairs next week… but in the meantime please email me if you have any questions or an enquiry about Le Petit Bijou… vicki@vickiarcher.com
Have a fabulous Friday… xv
