What is Provençal?

This week we started some major works at Villa Dæsch. Fixing the roof in the old house where we had some leaks. But I’m very much looking forward to the renovation of the studio. We’re installing a kitchen so it will become a loft space where guests can enjoy Provence. Villa Dæsch has enough possibilities to challenge my skills as an interior designer.

It’s my goal to create an encounter of medieval-built walls and contemporary design. Not the Provençal look that has become fashionable over the last years.

Looking back I learned that the Provence was one of the poorest regions in France. A countryside where peasants tried to survive in hot summers and cold winters, growing vegetables, fruits and olives and rearing some goats.  There was absolutely no chance for those inhabitants to care about interior decorating. For them the house should be a practical place. So blue shutters were installed to scare off the flies.  Small windows created a barrier from the mistral and the burning sun. Lavender was a weapon against scorpions.  Food was cooked on or next to the open fireplace.  My neighbour who landed in this region in the late fifties always refers to the Provençal style as no style at all. However this style seems to appeal to many people.

Knowing this makes me smile when I visit the numerous shops selling ‘Provençal’ decoration. Tourists think they are bringing home the lifestyle of Provence, but what they are actually bringing back is clever marketing! Tourism is a major industry.

So Villa Dæsch tries to bring together comfort and contemporary style within its walls of medieval stone.  Adding pieces of design that could be the antiques of the future.  It’s a décor in which we feel comfortable.  Where an old wash- basin meets Rietveld and Starck and still blends in with the ‘couleur locale’. Last week I bought the lamp Trash Me, made of paper, which will fit perfectly in the new loft.

A bientôt!

www.villadaesch.com