The French Laundry, Her Gardens & Environs in Yountville

You could be forgiven if you momentarily thought you were deep in the heart of France. Hills covered in vineyards, rustic stone houses, outdoor bistro seating under the arbors...we didn't awake from our reverie francaise until we spotted the Thomas Keller nonchalantly crossing Washington Street and realized we were firmly in Yountville, California....not Aix-en-Provence!

Fancy a little lunch at Bouchon? Table's ready!

Here in very close proximity to his legendary The French Laundry, Bouchon Bistro, and bistro Ad Hoc, Mr. Keller would feel quite comfortable as the owner and creator of arguably the best restaurant in this country, if not the world.

Thomas Keller, patron saint of amazing restaurants, strolling down

Washington Street in Yountville, California, one sunny morning

When my daughter Lisa Tomasi (the brilliant and talented founder of Pear & Pepper Fine Catering and Events) and I headed north to the wine country for a little exhalation recently, we had forgotten just how thoroughly this place can take your breath away. Both weary from work and in need of a break, we travelled in our favorite manner, la route du petit ecolier (the way of the little schoolboy.....wandering around as if we had all the time in the world). And if we happened to find some design inspiration, all the better.

The unassuming facade of The French Laundry

After the thrill of spotting Thomas Keller, the second lovely surprise was the potager (kitchen garden) for his restaurant, The French Laundry. If we were looking for interior inspiration, we found it outside in the impeccable and verdant gardens, exquisitely organized and productively composted. We took a stroll through.

Lisa Tomasi in the potager for The French Laundry

Inside the greenhouse for The French Laundry gardens

Is this gorgeous?

This scene makes me want to take up gardening!

That, dear friends, is how composting is done....as a wall!

The view looking across from The French Laundry restaurant

What's this...no, a bakery??

Bouchon Bakery's selection of pains (breads) make an artistic arrangement

No I couldn't possibly! well...maybe just a little bite...! Macaroons

to rival Laduree's on the Champs Elysee!

Pretty tile floor adorning Bouchon Bakery floor

We then found ourselves mysteriously walking into the front door of the Bouchon Bakery....hmmm? After une petite croissant or two and a latte (we were too early for a real meal anywhere else but the bakery...eh bien!), we wandered across the way to Bistro Jeanty and admired her charming facade.

An excellent bistro meal here!

Maybe a spin around the village?

Credentials!

{all photos taken by Kit Golson with my trusty iPhone

you may download with abandon!}

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CONTACT:

Kit Golson Design

for elegant, sustainable and pragmatic

Chic Provence Interior Design

There's Magic Afoot in St. Helena!

In Napa Valley the other day, and I had the good fortune to catch the brilliant and creative Daniel Hale and his wife Christine in their amazing home/studio in St. Helena, nestled among the vineyards west of the village.

If I thought I had seen repurposing before, this is transformative magic. In the hands of this skilled artisinal architect the humblest of old cast off materials is transformed into elegant, spare and chic-in-spite-of-himself details, finishes and furnishings.

A Whimsical Bird Sculpture Stands in Front of

Reclaimed Galvanized Fencing

A Door Made From Cast-Off Wooden Fencing

A Canoe Shaped Chandelier Made From Found Wood

This Charming Clock is Daniel's Design, and Reminds Me

of the Charm of Picasso's Satyr Paintings

Another Door Made From Wood Used

Exactly as it Was Found

The Guest Bedroom; Transluscent Plaster Walls, a Headboard

Made and Decorated by Daniel, Christine's French Linens

The Headboard With Fanciful, Hieroglyphic-like Designs

A Sculpture Made From Found Wood for Pedestal

and An Old Iron Hoop

Christine's Inviting Old French Linens Furnish the Sofa Daniel

Crafted from Crating Material

These Angel's Wings Arrived From a Friend

Who Knew Daniel Could Work Magic With Them!

The Approach to Daniel and Christine's Home in St. Helena, Napa

Trained in architecture on the east coast, Daniel's aesthetic was honed by living two years in St. Remy, in the south of France, where he and Christine moved their brood of three children and set up home. Christine spent time gathering lovely old French linens that she has put to good use as upholstery, pillows and bedding for their home in St. Helena.

The home they are creating for themselves is stunning, spare, modern and completely unique. It's clad in beautifully worked plaster that Daniel insisted be mixed with the local dirt so the color would blend perfectly with the land. Situated at the end of the road in the vineyards, the home is open to the views on both sides; large sliding doors are integral to the design. From the great room you can see vineyards in either direction. The imaginative layout includes a dining room "peninsula" that is open to the air and yet sheltered from the heat and the rain. The guest suite is up a flight of stairs in the style of the "pigeonnier" found in the old bastides in France...vaulted ceiling and lovely, high views.

Every single detail, from the refreshingly scaled and liveable floorplan to the elegant and spare materials, to the artistic and creative detailing is a unique synthesis of his creativity and the salvage he finds. Daniel uses what he finds around him to build his walls, his doors, his windows, his furnishings, his art.

In this magical home you will see life as it is meant to be lived: open to the outdoors visually and literally, a work of love in progress, and a place that supports their life work of creating beautiful living spaces and things out of found objects.

See Daniel's Blog: Serendipity Rising and Website

All Photos (except Bird Sculpture) Taken by Kit Golson

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CONTACT:

Kit Golson Design

for elegant, sustainable and pragmatic

Chic Provence Interior Design

Tadelakt: "Hard as Stone and Soft as Silk"

The first time I saw tadelakt was in St. Tropez, France, several years ago. I was immediately transfixed by the pearlescent, translucent, hand-rubbed-all-the-way-to-glossy, impervious-to-water finish. I had never seen anything like it before, and rarely have since. I had stumbled upon one of the oldest and most treasured plaster finishes in the world. The art of tadelakt is 4,000 years old, and comes from Morocco.

Designers in France are using it today for its silky texture and indescribable patina, which are unmatched by any other plaster finish available. It is absolutely stunning.

Tadelakt functions extremely well in wet areas and can form a seamless, monolithic finish to back splashes, countertops and sinks in kitchen, bathroom, shower and powder room areas. Made from natural hydraulic lime, quartz and marble powder, tadelakt is white in color and can be pigmented using natural earth pigments.

The tadelakt process is deceptively simple. A natural powder paste is applied to the surface, then polished with a smooth stone. This is repeated seven times. Finally, the surface is sealed by rubbing with a black olive oil soap.

To fully appreciate it's allure, it is said that you have to caress it. I couldn't agree more!

Satiny Coral Tadelakt Finish on

Integrated Shelves in

French Kitchen

A Parisian Salle de Bain Finished in

Black and Taupe Tadelakt

Tadelakt Taupe Walls in

Parisian Salle de Bain

Tadelakt Taupe Walls in

Parisian Water Closet

Charcoal Grey Integral Tadelakt Bathtub in

Parisian Bathroom

Tadelakt Red Shower Walls in

Chic Provencal Salle de Bain

Tadelakt Red Sculptural Bowl in

Provence, France

Creme Tadelakt Walls in Parisian Salle de Bain

Gorgeous Tadelakt

Parisian Salle de Bain

Beautiful Tadelakt Red and Gold Backsplash and

Integral Sink in Provence, France

Tadelakt Grey Countertops and

Shelves in Parisian Kitchen

Tadelakt Backsplash, Countertop and Integral Sink in

Provence, France

Tadelakt plaster finish would be gorgeous and luxurious in our American homes. I can see it working beautifully in chic Napa and Sonoma wine country homes.

If you have seen tadelakt installed here, I would love to see pictures!

Resources:

Les Valayans

Paris

Vancouver

Website

Photos Courtesy of Traditions du Maroc
and Maroc Design in
Paris and Avignon, France

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Kit Golson Design

for elegant, sustainable and pragmatic

Chic Provence Interior Design