House Stalking French Style

 

 

I didn’t want to do it. I protested heavily. I came up with all sorts of excuses. In the end, I was forced to do it and… I was happy I did it.

As you know, sometimes I let fear get the best of me and it was roaring its ugly head yesterday.

My husband 99% of the time always lets me make the plans and we always end up doing chick stuff that I like… Flea markets (he likes), walks in the garden (he likes), Sunday sushi (he hates), visits with my friends (he mostly hates), Sunday church candlelighting (he tolerates but I think he secretly likes), museums (he likes because I would not have married him otherwise) and a host of other activities that I always have planned on the weekends.

Yesterday, he had a plan that he wanted to do. Ugh… What is it, David? It turns out he wanted to rent a boat and take it out on the lake. Now, this sounds like a perfectly lovely plan… To take out a boat and cruise around beautiful Lake Annecy in the French Alps on a beautiful summer day. To me, it sounded like pure hell. Before you think I'm a total brat, let’s remember that I have ALS and that includes being totally paralyzed, having a huge breathing machine, a feeding tube and diaphragm pacer that cannot get wet, a wheelchair and last but not least, I am Irish and have very fair skin and I do not think that fact should be overlooked. On top of all of that, my husband is the worst driver on land so I can only imagine what he’s like on water. This little boat ride was not my idea of a relaxing Sunday.

I had a lot of excuses but I think my most valid excuse was, “What if I drown?”

My husband looked at me and quite frankly said, “So what if you drown.”

My answer? I thought about it for a bit and decided, “You’re right, so what if I drown. Let’s go!”

I also knew that I selfishly wanted to look at all of my favorite houses along the lake… The expensive ones. So now, this brings us to today’s blog. I am totally going to pull a Cote de Texas blog (which I love) and go on and on endlessly about houses. So what, it’s fun.

Annecy, in my opinion, is one of the most beautiful and charming villages in France. Situated in the French Alps, near Geneva, Annecy offers “the perfect summer.” The main attraction is obviously the lake… Clear blue, no sharks (yes, a legitimate concern of mine), no snakes, no big yachts (tacky), little restaurants dotting the shore, and from the lake you can see castles, snowcapped mountains and centuries-old churches. Does it get better than that? Yes it does… The old town of Annecy could not be more charming with fairytale buildings, flowers everywhere, waterfront restaurants with swans floating by with their babies, gardens, all different types of cuisine and great shopping. The once a month brocante is one of the best I’ve ever been to (more on that later) and the Sunday’s farmers market would make Julia Child jump for joy. Check out my previous blogs about Annecy HERE and HERE and HERE.

But today, it’s all about the lake houses of Annecy. It might not get much better. 18^th-century houses on the lake. My God! This is why I eventually agreed to go on the boat… Because I needed a lake view of my favorite houses… Here we go…

 

 This first house, at first glance, looks a bit odd in its position because the front of the house is facing the side yard and not the water. But, it actually works because the house gets a broader view of the length of the lake.

 

See?

 



 This is their left facing house towards the garden.

 

 Not too shabby, huh.

And now for the second house, equally amazing... but with a better garden.

  

 

 

A perfectly symmetrical lake house. I would, however, have made the windows larger. I know that they built it this way on purpose to keep the cold out and the heat in during the winter and vice-versa in the summer... But still, it's 2015... retrofit!

 

 

 This is their left side yard with a pergola. A pergola on the lake for God's sake!

 

 

This is still their yard.

 

 

A statue in the pergola.

 

I would, however, remove the right side canopy because it makes the house look like a hotel. Also, I would remove the contemporary "I am from Geneva" flying bird art installation.

 

 

Saving the best for last... My favorite lake house... And here's the best news... It's for sale. If you have €10 million, it's all yours. Here we go...

 



 

I would probably change these floors back to their original state because they look a little Home Depot.

 

 

 

 I love the tartan plaid yellow walls with the yellow print tile floors.

 

 

 

Why do rich people always fuck up a kitchen? Your house is huge... put the washing machine in the cellar, for God's sake. Obviously, this kitchen will have to be gutted. Two words... La Cornue.

 

 

 Even though this room looks old, it is perfect with the vintage wallpaper. I might do a four-poster bed with fabric. 

 

 

This room is perfection including the persimmon colored linen bed spreads.

 

 

 Love this room but I would take out that stupid Edwardian chair and that little desk in front of the door and add a larger gilt mirror (but not fancy) over the chest of drawers.

 

 

I would take out all of the furniture around the upstairs staircase and I would add nearly floor-to-ceiling family photos in all the same picture frames.

 

To see more amazing properties in Annecy click HERE.

 

So, obviously the boat ride was worth it even though my husband nearly hit 3 buoys, 4 kayakers and 3 swimmers. The upside to our adventure is that  I got to see my favorite houses from the vantage point of the water, I got a little sunshine and I got to see my hunky husband in a bathing suit. Winning!

*A little extra news… I decided I’m going to add new items to my shop only once a month. I’m going to do this because I need time to collect everything and it’s more fun for you to have lots of stuff to choose from. I have been scouring flea markets and brocantes for the past month and I am ready to debut everything Monday, July 6. Some really really great pieces at every price point...Paintings, kitchenware, serving pieces, chinoiserie, wine baskets, linens, and some surprise pieces! Everything quintessentially French. I will be giving sneak peaks throughout the week on my Instagram. You can follow me on Instagram HERE! Stay tuned…

Annecy on My Mind

While I am preparing tomorrow’s continuation of The Art of Entertaining, I thought I would let you know what I’ve been doing over the weekend. We are still in Annecy, France for the week. Annecy is a darling town in the French Alps on a crystal-clear lake. It’s about three and half hours outside of Paris by train and about five hours by car. My husband was born and raised here and his parents have lived in the same house on the lake since 1969. The primary reason we are here is because my husband’s mother broke her leg. She is almost 80 years old and she fell down the front porch steps. All the way down, top to bottom. Just for the record, I have been complaining to deaf ears about the dangerous steps for the past eight years. Just saying. Anyway, David’s mother is now recuperating in a physical rehabilitation center in the countryside. The second reason we are here, remember, is because I found a house I would like to rent on the lake. The third reason is that this is the only place that I’ve actually ever seen my husband happy as a clam. So here we are.

 

 

In all honesty though, I used to hate it here. We moved to Annecy directly from Santa Barbara last year and we initially thought it would be great to live with David’s mother. Not a good idea. Note to self: stay in charge of your own life. Enough said. Due to the circumstances, I hated Annecy and could not wait to get to Paris. We have had a beautiful life in Paris the past year but there is just something missing… I think it’s called nature. Like I have said, it turns out that I am more of a country mouse than a city mouse. I need to see the sky, breathe fresh air and have a slower pace. Annecy offers all of that and more. As you know, I’m a bit of a snob when it comes to my surroundings. I make no excuses for the fact that I like to “look at pretty stuff.” Pretty much everything in Annecy is lovely. The architecture, the gardens, the little town, the lake, the wooden motorboats, the restaurants, the weather and the farmers market. What are the people like in Annecy? Lovely, as well. Even if you have a $10 million dollar summer house on the lake, no one would know it. Everyone here seems to be rather modest.  It ain’t nouveau Malibu if you know what I mean. It’s more old school Malibu. I like that. So here we are.

 

Annecy is in my husband’s soul. His life is here, his childhood is here, his memories are here, his children were born here and his father passed away here. His history is here. My husband is not the type of man who wakes up with a big fat smile on his face. He is not easily amused like his happy-go-lucky wife. We are actually not allowed to speak to him for a good 30 minutes after he wakes up. “No talking,” he says as he puts up his hand. I’m not sure if this is because he’s French or just a douche bag. However, when we are in Annecy, David wakes up almost jovial. He wakes up early and goes to the boulangerie to buy his favorite croissants, meringues and pain aux raisin. Whenever we are out and about in the little village, people stop David on the street to say hello. Old friends. It makes him happy. It makes me happy to see my bunny this happy. So here we are.

 

I think sometimes you reach a certain age and a certain situation where you are reminded of what’s important in life. To me, right now it’s tranquility. I don’t care anymore about the hustle and bustle of a city whether it be New York or Paris or Los Angeles. At this point in my life, I care about a garden, the peacefulness of the lake, a big open sky, a farmers market, and the fact that I saw a lady bug, a butterfly and a swallow all in the span of two minutes. But don’t worry, it’s not like I’m in the boondocks. Geneva is 35 minutes away if I need a little pizzazz and one of the perks of living in Europe is that the train will take you to any Spanish, Italian, English, Dutch or French fantasy you have within a few hours. I hope that the little house on the lake that is for rent will work out. The house has been in the owner’s family for over 120 years, five generations. That being said, it needs a little love. This is how I like to find houses. Remember, you can’t buy charm. Charm has to evolve.

So we’ve all been to farmers market. We all love farmers market. But this farmers market in Annecy is special. It starts every Sunday at the crack of dawn in the old town over the bridges, under the arches, surrounded by flowers, watched by swans, loved by all. The cheese is made by the same family for generations, the chicken lovingly roasted by the Algerian man, the apples picked from the orchards of the old-school French family and baby artichokes from sunny Provence. In the winter, the farmers market still reigns, offering piping hot spiced cider and award-winning sausages. And there is not one f*cking Juicy sweatsuit in sight.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Over the weekend, we also went to visit David’s mother at her physical rehabilitation center. After her fall, she had to have surgery and is now required to spend one month recuperating. The rehabilitation center is in a converted 17^th-century church in the French countryside. Swear to God. It is unbelievably charming. I was thrilled to be at the rehabilitation center for two reasons. One, obviously, because it was visual feast and secondly because it was the first time in 2 ½ years that I wasn’t stared at. Let me explain. I am in a wheelchair because I’m completely paralyzed, as you know. Not only can I not move my legs, I cannot move my arms either. I know how weird this may look. I get stared at all day long and not just because I’m so gorgeous. :-) So, being at the rehabilitation center, everyone was in a wheelchair and I blended in! You have no idea how good this made me feel. I was normal. I was one of them. No one cared about me and I loved it. All eyes were off of me and I didn’t feel like a marshmallow ALS victim. For all they knew, my husband could have pushed me down the stairs which was what I was prepared to tell anyone who asked. :-)

Voilà! That is what I’ve been up to… Stay tuned for more of The Art of Entertaining. Hint: Luxury is in the details.

Double Dog Dare Me?

So, I was minding my own business last night working on my computer writing my stupid book when I happened to glance at the TV and saw the movie that was playing and I screamed, “That’s Annecy!” How often does a movie pop on the television that is set in your husband’s tiny hometown in the French Alps? Not often, so I got a little excited. I watched the entire movie in French with no subtitles…because the scenery was stunning and I figured I know enough French to get the gist. I have been going to Annecy for the past eight years with my husband when we visit his parents. They have a house on the lake that they have lived in since 1969! Swear to God. Living in one house for that many years is a completely foreign concept to me. I like to move…about every six months. I won’t even tell you how many different houses in Santa Barbara that I’ve lived in (eight in 10 years). The town of Annecy is situated on the most beautiful lake your eyes have ever seen. I have a love-hate relationship with Annecy. I distinctly remember jumping out of my husband’s car in Annecy telling him I would rather walk back to Santa Barbara than sit in a car with him (don’t worry, we made up). I also distinctly remember swimming in the lake with my husband lovingly holding his hand. I have always loved Annecy, but not loved, loved it… Until I watched that movie.

The movie was called Le Genou de Claire. It was made in 1970 by Eric Rohmer. Roger Ebert reviewed the film in 1971, saying, “Claire's Knee is a movie for people who still read good novels, care about good films, and think occasionally.” I think occasionally, and I thought the movie was a little perverted to tell you the truth, but the scenery was magnifique! You can read the whole review HERE. I found some stills from the movie… Look look look...

 

Who wouldn’t fall in love with that? A fool, that’s who. So what does Ellie do? She immediately starts looking for houses in Annecy on the computer. I know, I know… I’m crazy, but just stay with me. Annecy has everything… The lake, the mountains, close to Geneva, close to the south of France, three hours to Paris by train, great restaurants, farmers markets, sort of near Italy, fresh air, and has beautiful seasons. Look look look.

 

 

So, because I’m a professional house hunter, I found two houses that are amazeballs. Yes, I’ve already called about both of them. Let’s look at the first one…
   

 

 

 

 

And now, the second house…

 

 

 

 

The houses they seem a little rough around the edges but that’s exactly how I like them. I have a tendency to remodel rental houses at my own expense, without the landlord’s approval or knowledge. My husband just loves when I do this. The house with the blue shutters needs to have their “unfortunate” furniture put in storage and replaced with mine. Sorry blue house with shutters, no offense. The second house on the lake just needs a little garden love, some furniture and accessories editing, paint and a little fluffing with all of my “nice stuff.” I feel like these houses are petite diamonds in the rough. Do you want to hear a funny story? My ex-husband and I were looking at this old house in St. Louis with a real estate agent. It was “a bit tired.” He accidentally said, “It has really nice third world charm.” I was like,“Uhh, do you mean “old world charm?” So funny.

Don’t worry, there is a beautiful hotel for all of you to check into when you come to visit me. The hotel is an old monastery that was frequented by Paul Cézanne. We go there for lunch in the summers. It is called Abbaye de Tailloires… Check out their website HERE. You will die. Look look look…

 

 

 

So what do you think of Annecy? Rather charming, non?

I am not even sure if these houses are available year-round, and I don’t even know the price… I just know that I love both of them. Dare me to move to Annecy?

A toute!