Stepping into Blogland

I'm sure you've seen these images many times before. Photographs of La Petite Bastide crop up regularly on home interior / design blogs, and that often makes me smile. Carrying on from my post about favourite spaces with Mats Gustafasson's loft yesterday,  I can but show these few images once more.

Dylan - 2003

We first rented one of the Viard's summer properties back in 2001, and, well, I have to say it was love at first sight! White and grey, polished cement, antique marble sinks, raw metal, wood, linen and beautiful vintage and modern furniture... this house has everything that I love. The owners have a gift for working with space, texture, colour and light. Simplicity is the magic word.

 A younger me with a very porky Savannah (she had a lot of clothes on!)

In terms of lasting impressions, La Petite Bastide and the neighbouring Cabanon (where my three children all learnt to swim!) have definitely both left their mark. Our whole family love it there and we are slowly renovating our own home with many of the properties' features in mind.

And so I smile to myself when I see blog posts and pins of this extraordinary home.

When I look at what to me is a perfect bathroom, the beautiful mirror bought by the owners when they were travelling, the huge wooden door made by Monsieur Viard, the garden taps, which we now have in our own kitchen, I see great 'pinning' material, but I also remember trying to give a chubby baby Savannah a bath in that sink!

Image source:

Scans(from the top) 1,2,4  Côté Sud - June-July 2008 - Photographer: H.Del Olmo

3,5 & 7 - The owners' holiday rental website

Our holiday snaps!

Those of you who like this type of interior may be interested to know that the papier mâché sculpture in the first picture is by the owners' son, Vincent Viard. You will find a very inspiring post about his Parisian apartment over on Méchant Design.