There is so much to see and do in the area of Vaucluse but a high priority of my upcoming trip to Provence will be to visit La Louve, the house and garden of the late Nicole de Vesian (1916-1996) in Bonnieux.
For decades, Nicole was an internationally acclaimed stylist working mainly in Paris and New York. She had a long career working with Hermes amongst other famous names. At the age of seventy she discovered her talent for garden design when she bought La Louve.
Louisa Jones wrote an excellent and inspiring book about Nicole’s life and work: Nicole de Vesian – Gardens, Modern Design in Provence
To quote from this book: “She belonged to the first wave of women stylists who totally changed our everyday lives. Real pioneers-the word ‘stylist’ was invented for them.” Nicole summed up quite simply: “My job was to give everyday things distinctive style.” Later on, when she had become a gardener, she went further and answered, when journalist Daniel Minassian called her a “stylist”: “No, I am a creator.”
La Louve and other gardens Nicole designed for her famous clients all display her innate sense of style. Elegant simplicity, muted colours that reflect the surrounding landscape. The approach to her work was very ‘hands on’, the palette of materials limited.
I couldn’t agree more with Nicole’s words: “I think every garden should suit its place as well as the uses its owners plan to make of it. You need to observe how people live inside and out, where they want to sit to look at the view, or eat outdoors, invite friends for drinks or a picnic. There are never enough places to sit down and relax in a garden because most of them are made like luxury objects to be displayed, not to be lived in.”
For more photos of this truly inspirational place go to:
http://www.gardendesign.com/places/la-louve?pnid=127834#gallery-content
http://www.ladolcevitacalifornia.com/2012/06/nicole-de-vesian-garden-of-la-louve.html
GARDEN EXPRESSIONS will be closed for holidays from 1.July to 19.July.
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Photos by EmileGarcin.fr
