Dazzled.

As you know, I am not easily dazzled.

I hardly ever feature any homes on my blog because even if the house is drop dead gorgeous, there is usually something that is not quite right. Even if I want to show you a house because I think it’s great, a banister or rug can throw me off and I won’t show it to you at all. I can hardly read shelter magazines anymore because usually I am huffing and puffing to myself thinking, “Why is this house even in a magazine?” Too much money, not enough money, overzealous decorators, bad taste, and bad style are my chief complaints but mostly, I feel, no one knows how to leave well enough alone. Let me explain…

I’m talking about old houses. I don’t care about new houses. When someone is fortunate enough to be able to purchase a historical home, 90% of the time they wreck it. They usually immediately rip out the soul of the house. Old kitchens are the first to go. It breaks my heart because usually this is the best part about an old house. The floors are usually next to be massacred. A creak or a squeak is hardly ever appreciated.

For example, when I was helping my friend Diandra Douglas sell her historical villa, La Quinta, in Santa Barbara (check out my blog about her fabulous house HERE), nearly every realtor and prospective buyer who came to the house wanted to implement change. I could overhear them discussing plans to “blow out the kitchen and family room to make a great room.” Ancient terra-cotta flooring “would have to go.” If they even dared questioning the plumbing they would be shown the door because, in our eyes they didn’t deserve this villa (to put it politely).

The typically described “flaws” of an old home are exactly what I love about a house and those “flaws” are what make a house a home. You can’t buy that… Or can you?

Over the weekend, looking for inspiration for my ancient little Provence farmhouse, I was continually clicking on photo after photo on Pinterest of houses and gardens in Provence restored by Lafourcade Architects. After some research, I discovered that these beautiful mas, bastides, châteaux and hotels were restored by the family team of the Lafourcades. Bruno Lafourcade and son, Alexandre restore the structures and Dominique Lafourcade designs the gardens. Dazzled, I am.

A family after my own heart who understands the importance of maintaining the integrity of an old home. Their philosophy is explained in an article in the Robb Report. Bruno Lafourcade explains, “At the universities, architects learn how to use computers. They do not learn taste, they do not learn charm, they do not learn culture. We build with the images we carry in our heads. We must know how the local winds blow, how a tree will protect a home in the summer, and how the mistral will blow off the surrounding hills and winter. Then we must listen to the client is carefully as a doctor making a diagnosis. Do they have dogs? Do they love music? Do they love flowers? You are not merely designing a residence, you are creating a way of life.”

This “way of life” in Provence is mastered by the Lafourcade family. Restoration is a tricky subject. It takes a genius to know how to restore what needs to be restored and keep what needs to be kept. And if something needs to be restored, the artistry comes when one cannot tell what is new and what is old...To create an appearance that a home has been untouched for centuries. And that, my friends, is what the Lafourcades are all about. Take a look…

 

 

The house that broke the Internet or at least Pinterest is definitely the home of Ginny Magher, an Atlanta-based interior designer who bought and restored an ancient farmhouse in Provence with the help of Lafourcade Architects. Take a look…

 

 

 

 

The Lafourcade’s do not stop at just the structure of a home. The brilliant Dominique Lafourcade comes in towards the end of restoration and starts her work on the gardens. This is what pulls the whole house together. She knows just what a Provençal garden needs and deserves and has proven that with her own garden, Les Confines.  Cypress, olive trees in earthenware pots, wisteria and grapevines, lavender, a potager, citrus trees, irises and Russian sage. Old roses, kiwi vines and blackberries have been added because Mme Lafourcade loves the idea of grazing as you walk. “Pleasure for the eye is good, she explains, “but the pleasure of tasting and smelling at the same time, this is fantastic!”

Let’s take a look at some of Mme. Lafourcade’s work…

 

 

 

 

 

So there you have it. Our first foray into the magic of Provence. If you are in need of restoring your Provence home, my suggestion is to put Lafourcade Architects on speed dial.

http://www.architecture-lafourcade.com/

http://www.dominique-lafourcade.com/en/#/Accueil

*Something you don’t know about me? Gracie is currently on the train to come to see moi. I am so excited for her to arrive but I received a text from her today as she was on the train and all I could do was burst out laughing. I thought you would appreciate it as well… (Gracie's words are in white. Mine are in blue.)