A boat, Japanese bridge and water lilies in Monet’s water gardens. Photo by Carrie Borden on Unsplash
I was away last weekend, visiting Giverny, the wonderful house and garden of impressionist painter Claude Monet. I have been there before, over 25 years ago and was so entranced by it then, that we put the house on the cover of Country Living Magazine and ran a feature about its interior decoration, suggesting readers take the colours and style of the house as inspiration for their own homes. I am happy to say that the house and garden had barely changed at all since my last visit.
In case you have never been, let me describe it: Giverny isn’t a grand place, in the way that stately homes can often be; yes, it’s a sizeable country house (originally a farmhouse) with a big garden, but it isn’t imposing or pretentious in any way. The rooms are of modest size with low ceilings and comfortable furnishings and almost all, most importantly, have views out over the garden. I found it perfectly possible to imagine living in this glorious spot (in my dreams!): getting up in the morning, eating breakfast in the wonderful chrome-yellow dining room or perhaps out on the verandah and then wandering down into the fabulous garden to decide what to write about or paint that day.
The distinctive exterior of the house with its pink walls and green shutters
There are two parts to the garden, the ‘Clos Normand’, the hectare of land where the house and main garden are located and then, across the road, the famous water garden with its much-painted lily pads, which is accessed by an underpass beneath the road. Each has a distinct style and mood and it’s easy to see how they provided Monet with endless subject matter for his paintings in this unique outdoor studio.
It is colour that proliferates everywhere, both indoors and out: my all abiding memory of the garden on my first visit - in late summer, is the rows of tall sunflowers in shades of yellow, orange and burgundy with, at their feet, an edging of nasturtiums that, as they grow, ‘wash’ out onto the path like waves, making it tricky to find space to walk. It was an inspired scheme and seemed to me to conjure up the heat and joie de vivre of a hot French summer.
Colour themed planting in the main garden
The planting throughout the garden is colour-themed, with a base of perennials that are supplemented with seasonal bedding to guarantee colour throughout the year so visitors to the garden - who come from all over the world - are not disappointed. Some of the planting ideas and themes are therefore true to the Monet original, as one can see from black and white photographs in the house but, inevitably, there has been some adaptation, much in same way as there is at Vita Sackville-West’s Sissinghurst.
The house, however, is pretty much as it was when Monet lived here with his family. In his first studio, which he later turned into a drawing room where he entertained guests, his paintings (or at least facsimiles of them) hang exactly as he had the originals hung in his lifetime. His collection of Japanese prints hangs against the blue panelled walls in the salon and, in the dining room, furniture and walls are all painted the bright yellow he chose to bring light into the house. Even the two original dinner services remain - one in yellow and blue for everyday use and another, more valuable Creil one for special occasions when Monet would invite friends, including other artists, to his home. The kitchen with its delightful blue and white Rouen tiles and blue gloss for the woodwork, the old range cooker and battery of copper pans hung on the wall is charming and really hasn’t dated - in many ways it would be completely at home in a country house today.
The dining room with its rustic red and white tiled floor and chrome yellow paintwork
After Giverny, we travelled to Paris and stayed for two nights. I am happy to report that Paris was also comfortingly familiar, with its elegant architecture, broad boulevards, chic boutiques and, of course, its traditional pavement cafes with their familiar woven bistro chairs and Plat du Jour menus. We enjoyed coffee, lunch and drinks at several of them. There is little to beat finding a seat under a shady awning and sipping that first cold beer of the afternoon with all the time in the world to people-watch and idle an hour or two away. Vive La France!!
I always love to hear your thoughts and views, so please feel free to comment and I shall reply
A Quick P.S.
I also wanted to let you know that from here on, for the moment, I shall be publishing my newsletter every fortnight instead of weekly. This is because I have taken on some new work and it is taking up quite a few of my days at the moment. My newsletters are time-consuming to write and I want to craft them properly rather than just bashing them out, so I shall need more time to do that. I hope this doesn’t spoil your enjoyment of them, indeed hopefully it will make them all the more enjoyable when they arrive on every second Sunday.
I received some great suggestions from you the week before last, about subjects you’d like me to write about. Thank you for those - really interesting, and some of them will be covered in the coming weeks. If anyone else hasn’t yet shared their thoughts on subjects they feel strongly about and would like to see me cover, please leave a comment below and I’ll respond.
You brighten up my Sunday mornings for sure
What a beautiful picture you paint. I've always wanted to visit Giverny and your writing made it come alive.