Almost twenty years ago Dominique and I lived in a small wooden chalet by the sea, here in the south of France. It was built in the 50's and was in a pretty much neglected state when we moved in. Three years later is was paradise. We sanded the floors, sanded the doors, added a bathroom, redid some of the plumbing, painted, painted, painted and decorated until it was home. Set in a wild garden with huge oleander bushes, oak cork trees and figs (oh my those figs!), we just had to cross the road to go for our morning and evening swim.
My eldest son Dylan was born here. "Le Vert Clos", as it was called, was a truly magical place.
Years later, when we'd moved to a bigger house, we found out that the landlord had sold the chalet, or rather, had knocked it all down to sell the land, which is so expensive by the sea. It breaks my heart to see the concrete monstrosity that stands in its place now.
We have such good, happy memories of Le Vert Clos though, and kept the house name plate that once hung on the tall wooden gate in the garden. A cherished possession chez nous. That chalet shaped our taste for simple interiors and still inspires us to create a holiday home atmosphere wherever we live now.
A huge thank you to the organisers of The Hive and The Etsy Team for giving me the chance to create this moodboard. I was delighted to win the Ideal Creative Space competition they organised in May.
Enjoy!
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