Above - The country house of the famous French chef Michel Guerard and his wife Christine was featured in a foreign design magazine some time ago. The couple own a Relais and Chateau hotel, Les Prés d’Eugénie, whose rooms are located in over five separate and beautiful dwellings. For more information on their hotel, see HERE. Besides wonderful meals, the hotel offers cooking lessons and has a highly touted spa.
Note: I love the gravel driveway that so many French country houses have – so much better looking than the drab concrete drives we Americans cling to!!! And I love the simple landscaping – using just boxwoods – especially around the house itself.
The bedroom at the Guerards mas with traditional terra cotta tiles and French antique furniture. I love the antique Swedish stove, pictured on the left!
Of course the Guerards would have a fully functional kitchen – that stove – to DIE for!!!!!
Same room, different view: – I love how the inside of the armoire is painted. Makes me want to run home and paint the inside of my armoires. But, Ben would probably have me committed.
Close up of the house, an inspiration for PVE Design.
Because the article is written in French, it was hard for me to completely understand the story. But the pictures were enough to capture the eye and imagination of Patricia van Essche, the author of the blog PVE Design and a long time email friend of mine. Patricia is a noted artist who specializes in hand drawing charming illustrations for her clients – many whom place orders for greeting cards, notecards, or branding logos. Patricia emailed me to say that she had seen a house I would love – and just a few weeks later - I received this article of the Guerards mas, along with an original illustration of the house, framed!!!
Close up of Patricia’s original illustration of the Guerards house, taken from the magazine article. I love how Patricia perfectly captured the landscaping with the sculpted box.
Here’s a picture of Patricia’s illustration of the Guerards house – showing where I hung it in front of my bookcases. Unfortunately the glass picks up the glare in the photographs!!! I was so excited to get such a wonderful gift from Patricia! And, this wasn’t even the first time Patricia had been so generous to me. A few years ago, she created an illustration celebrating my birthday – AND she then made the illustration into notecards which I loved using!!!
Here’s a close up of her charming birthday greeting!! Patricia added so many personal details – the Texas and French flags, the design books, my two dogs, my zebra pillows, sea shells, the Texas armadillo!! – even my flower urn. She has such a great eye for detail.
The beautiful and elegant Patricia van Essche at work. I love this photograph! It looks like a painting itself.
The Giveaway:
Today, we are having a giveaway – generously donated by Patricia, pictured above at her easel. The giveaway will be one of Patricia’s custom illustrations – based on either the winner’s house or pet!!! That’s right – the winner will receive a personal, custom illustration! And the winner picks the subject matter!!!
Here is a Christmas card that Patricia did for a family – featuring six of her drawings.
Here’s another custom watercolor of an estate.
Now, in order to win this giveaway – you only need to visit Patricia’s web site and decide if you would choose either a watercolor of your house or your pet – something else. Look around at all her examples she has created for other clients to get ideas. To visit her web site, click HERE. Then, return here to my blog and leave me a comment telling me which subject you choose! If you are an anonymous poster – be sure you add your email address in case you win!!! Drawing closes this Saturday – so *hurry up!!!!!
As always - GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!