A Charming Afternoon in the Luberon

This blog is shared with us from our International Sales Manager, Jessica Quittard.

I have now lived in France for a year and have enjoyed every moment! As most of you know, our etúHOME pieces are inspired by our European finds so I’m always on the lookout for stand out items with classic bones that I know others will find as remarkable as I do. During the past year, my husband and I have spent our free weekends exploring the many villages that surround our city, Aix-en-Provence. Just north of us, lies The Luberon, a massif found in the center of Provence, is undeniably my favorite part of France. The perched villages scattered about the hilltops boast the amazing light that inspired Cezanne and Van Gogh and the never ending vineyards offers an escape from the bustling city life. Here, the villages are renowned for their charm, excellent wines and beautiful historic buildings.  

Last weekend, we spent a night in a delightful bastide. A bastide is a country house, principally found in the south of France, that sits among vineyards, orchards and gardens. Now, many of them have been converted into boutique hotels and are elegant estates that have been meticulously maintained. In Provence, most cities, towns and villages alike have these summer retreats and guesthouses dotting the perimeter.

Located in the center of the Luberon, just outside of Menerbes, you come across a wonderful bastide nestled among vineyards and cherry orchards. Being the wine admirer that I am, I was instantly smitten with the property as we drove through the front gate. The bastide looked straight out of a movie with the perfectly aged stone, the whitewashed ambiance and the rose covered pathway leading you to the wine cellar. Seeing how each bottle told it’s own story and has aged in it’s own time, led me to envision products like our vintage inspired wine demijohns. Our etúHOME bottles proudly feature vintages such as Merlot, Chardonnay, Riesling and Pinot Noir on recycled glass demijohns. Each displaying a unique charm similar to the bottles in the cellar.

As we entered the reception, the vintage décor was immediately noted. To my left was a lovely sitting area with blue bergère chairs, reminding me of our new etúHOME beechwood chairs in whitewash and linen. Additionally the area had a beautiful book case filled with antique apothecary bottles, an etúHOME favorite and a 19^th century console bursting with ginger jars and topped with an elegant garden cloche. The center of the room was commanded by a two-story stone fireplace and to the right, double doors opened on to a terrace with a view of the vineyards.

Our corner room was nothing short of spectacular. Rather than numbers, our room was called ‘Le Bleu de Nimes’ which means denim in French. Other rooms were called Vanilla and Rose, which were creamy whites and blushing pinks respectively. The ceiling was supported with large painted wood beams and had magnificent views of the property. In front of one of the windows, there was a wonderful claw foot tub that overlooked the vineyards when the curtain was pulled back.

The patio was full of early 1900s stone and terracotta planters filled with rose bushes, fruit trees and topiaries. The original kitchen of the farmhouse was used for the breakfast service and displayed copper pots by the stove, a sizable galvanized topped farmhouse table and a tall stack of porcelain plates waiting to be served on. The galvanized top on the dark wood of the farm table is reminiscent of etúHOME’s Bordeaux Wine Barrel Lazy Susan, each displaying the contrasting look of mixed metal and wood. Additionally, the property also had double pools that were an amazing light green color, long and rectangle in shape, one overflowing into the next.

The proprietors were lovely and took pride in sharing in their passion for wine making and made our stay even more memorable by showing us the wines we enjoyed. We bought a few bottles to enjoy at home with friends and family and in true etúHOME fashion we enjoyed them while using our Galvi Wine Coasters, the perfect pairing with an exquisite aged wine.