Scouting Apt in Provence

Waking up on a Saturday morning and heading over to Apt for the weekly market is a joy. Once there, the sights alone captivate.. flowers, fruits, vegetables, cheeses everywhere; lots of fabrics, leather goods and baskets too. I was able to poke around the village and found "La Brocante".. which is exactly that... pretty much a second hand store... but hey, this is French second-hand stuff! I also had a moment to peek into a lovely design shop. 

looking beyond vegetables I spied this intriguing shop in the background!

the wicker lounger is a little worse for wear, but at 25 euro, quite the bargain too!

great collection of apothecary jars and etc in La Brocante

who doesn't like to poke around in
junk shops.. here you could score a
Ricard pitcher for pennies!

while at the market outside you could buy a bathtub full
of dried rosebuds...

...or the perenially beloved Basque striped fabrics at
a few euros per yard

... or a rosemary tree or watering can....

.. or lavender soaps....

while inside the nearby design shop, this stunning silver metallic
medallions printed onto linen and used as draperies
really caught my eye!

and this rustic lamp with it's rumpled linen shade sits
front of that exquisitely printed Manuel Canovas silk 

two more stunning silk fabrics in this Provençal designer's shop in Apt

and the beautiful work at Atelier du Vieil Apt took my breath away

after all the browsing, we ended up in this little resto a few miles away from the bustle of Apt

Come with us to Provence next time... and 

thanks for stopping by!...  Kit

Chic Provence on Facebook

Misty Morning in Provence

One of our greatest joys in Provence is to follow "le route du petit ecolier"... or the "way of the little schoolboy" who cannot walk home in a straight line! Instead we take to the little car, map in hand, and set out to see what we might see with no particular destination in mind, and start wandering ourselves. 

This time we headed up the Luberon Mountains in the Vaucluse and climbed our way up to the small, very quiet village of Murs (so tiny there is little even on wiki about Murs!). Here we saw the stark beauty of stone buildings against fields of green, and a XV C. castle which was closed to visitors. We were there on a misty early morning in spring, and found ourselves virtually alone in the village... not another soul in sight!

It was an altogether peaceful little wander that morning... restorative and very easy on the eyes! Come with us!

beautifully stark, this plain arched and whitewashed stable door caught my eye

stone buildings in the village include the mayors office,
the dark blue shuttered "town houses" and the light blue
shuttered restored XV C. castle

a shrine to the Blessed Virgin welcomes travelers
to the entrance of the village of Murs in Provence

oh, the difficulty of deciding just which
road to take!

an ancient "borie" also greets visitors
to the village of Murs.. these structures
dot the landscape all over Provence and
once sheltered sheep herders

stunning curved and tiled ancient old roofs of the
homes in Murs, Provence

one of the grander doorways in the village, this
one has an awning covering the opening

it was not easy to find "un cafe et une croissant" in this little village
but we managed 

we stopped in the nearby church to see the
rustic polychrome interior, the statues of
the saints, and the crumbling walls
with ancient decorations

thanks for visiting!... Kit

Vivid Pastel in Provence

May in Provence is a soft time of year. 

The greens are still tender and new, the ochres are gentle, 

the pinks are softly radiant in the still-gentle sunshine. 

all photos Kit Golson's iPhone in Provence

on the Chic Provence Design Tour

Printemps 2012

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thanks for visiting!  ..   Kit

Provence Spring & Tomato-Tapenade Tart with Goat Butter Crust!

Hope your weekend is wonderful.. I'm spending a relaxing day with Chris and Nicky chez nous, having walked already to the local farmers market and planning a springtime feast for a leisurely Sunday lunch, we've been listening to extravagant Italian opera on Sirius all day long. Throughout the day I've been peeking at pictures of Provence, and dreaming about being back there there next month! Who isn't captivated by the beautiful colors and settings in Provence?

stunning use of pink on pink in this beautiful window

lavender growing in the haute Luberon.. magical

magenta, anyone? fearless use of glorious color against
all that stone and stucco

somehow I could easily see whiling away several hours in this very spot.. join me?

could anything be more welcoming than this pretty
entryway with bougainvillea and geraniums, a greenish
door and sparking white trim?

un verre de bandol, svp?

Bandol, the beloved rose colored vin de provence;
best served quite chilled when the temperatures
are soaring!

sophisticated pink plays off the rustic
unfinished and weathered doorway

this "les olivades" table cloth
strikes just the perfectly
artless note for your springtime table

you can just feel the warmth and hear the cigales buzzing in this setting where time slows down and old linen is on all the beds

le cigale.. the beloved  bug of Provence! you
see it everywhere in ceramic figurines, decorative
painting, table linens.. un peu cheesy but really adorable :)

This is the meal I ended up serving friends for dinner... 

what do you think? Would you like to join us 

next time?

Sunday lunch au printemps

Provençal Tapenade-Tomato Tart with Goat Butter Crust *

Pan Seared Lamb Provençal Style with Garlic and Rosemary

Smashed Red Bliss Potatoes

Roasted Asparagus

Spring Garden Salad 

Strawberries Pomegranate

with Pomegranate Chantilly and

Gateau Quatre Quarts 

*gluten free and delicious
tomato-tapenade tart

from the brilliant baker Karen Morgan's

Blackbird Bakery 

cookbook here

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no,  just in case you thought it was, this isn't
me and Chris at the market... it's the
amazing Ben & Jen and they are carrying
my friend Andrea's
French Basketeer 
market basket!
Buy your own at Andrea's site! 

most images above

Pinterest.. of course!

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thanks for visiting...  Kit