Dreaming of the French Countryside: A Special Event at Nell Hill’s

My Stylish French Girlfriends

In my dreams, I live in the French countryside, in a cottage that looks a lot like Sharon Santoni’s. If you don’t know Sharon, than you are in for a treat. The creator of the blog My French Country Home, Sharon is a master at whisking you away from the fray of your daily life and into the gentle countryside of Normandy, France.

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Sharon writes about her life in rural France, her inspiring French girlfriends and her treasure hunts in the flea markets of Paris and the country.  (You can order her finds online, and even vacation at her guest cottage and join her on a brocante shopping spree.)

When I discovered that Sharon was visiting the U.S. to promote her book, My Stylish French Girlfriends, I asked if she would include Nell Hill’s among her stops. To my delight, she said yes! Please join us for this very special event on Wed., June 29, 1:00-3:00pm at Nell Hill’s, when Sharon will spend time with us, talking about her life, her approach to decorating and, of course, the 20 creative women who inspired her book.

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Through the pages of this delicious ode to decorating and friendship, we get to visit her French girlfriends in their grand chateaus, charming country cottages and Parisian apartments, absorbing their joie de vivre. The event is free, and we will be serving libations! To whet your appetite for the book event, Sharon gave me permission to share with you one of my favorites of her blogs and videos:

le chateau de moissac – a video

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My April video has just gone live on You Tube and Vimeo and I am so excited!

Through the MFCH videos my aim is to bring you different experiences of French living, and to take you along with me when I go somewhere wonderful.  I think that today you are in for a treat as I invite you to come to the Chateau de Moissac in the South of France.

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Louis and Marie Christine Cavaglioni are good friends.  I have so much admiration for the way in which they have restored their chateau.  Not only because their eye is sure and their taste faultless, but also because they are so humble and modest about what they have achieved.  Louis often says that they are just the guardians of this amazing property, the current owners in a long line through several centuries.  I believe that he underestimates just what they have achieved.

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When they first saw the chateau, twenty years ago, it had been abandoned for decades.  It was never their intention to purchase  a chateau, but once they had seen Moissac it was hard to get it out of their heads.

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Never mind that it was completely overgrown, that half the roof was missing and that vandals had helped themselves to the windows and doors.  What Marie Christine and Louis saw was the potential to bring it back to life, and recreate the original Provençal beauty.

Ten years later their renovation won awards and drew admirers from far afield.  They now live here full time, welcoming family and friends around their table, and now and again the chateau is also buzzing with activity when it is used by stylists and photographers to style their latest product or for a fashion shoot.

If you would like to know more about the chateau, then just click HERE and read all about it.

I hope you like this latest video, thank you for watching.

 

Please join us to meet Sharon Santoni on Wed., June 29, 1:00-3:00pm at Nell Hill’s! The event is free, and we will be serving prosecco and hors d’oeuvres. Your book purchase will benefit the Global Orphan Project.

Next Week … Summer brings a bright and fresh palette. I’ll share ideas for styling your home with some of my favorite colors for the season.MaryCarol