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France LE JARDIN SECRET
Le Jardin Secret, once featured in the French interior design magazine Résidences and in 2003 included in a book on striking homes in Provence, is situated in Le Hameau des Yves, a small community of a half-dozen or so structures about 3 km from Roussillon, a village known for its ochre cliffs and many galleries and antique shops. The house, as compact as it is charming, is completely undisturbed by noise or neighbors, even though it shares common walls with houses on two sides, It is built of stone and is typically Provençal in many respects, down to the rust-red terra cotta tile roof, pale peach stucco exterior and exposed stone walls of the master bedroom. The structure dates to the early 18th century, but despite its antiquity has a variety of modern amenities that include a tiny "plunge" pool - 3 m X 4 m (10' X 13'), just big enough for dipping - that forms part of a stunning rooftop terrace. While the exterior of Le Jardin Secret is the very image of Provence, the interior is not. The house is decorated in a strikingly contemporary manner that many guests - but perhaps not all - will find unique and pleasing to the eye. The owner is an artist, of some renown in the United States and France, and her works, in media ranging from statuary to three-dimensional ceramic works to murals, are generously represented throughout the house. These works are engaging, in our view in uniformly good taste, and omnipresent. The character of the property and its appeal to visitors is in large part defined by these works. Le Jardin Secret - the secret garden - lives up to its name. A weathered wood door opens to reveal a snapshot of Provence, a little courtyard with flowers everywhere, and a table and chairs under the shade of a fig tree. From a fountain comes the sound of softly running water. Off the courtyard is what the owner's refer to as "the summer dining room," which is an open space, perhaps once part of a wine cellar, with a large table where up to eight guests can dine by candlelight under a vaulted stone ceiling. The first of Le Jardin Secret's four bedrooms is in a separate studio apartment that opens from the courtyard and occupies the entire ground level of the house. The studio, which has two spacious rooms with beautiful stone floors, is especially appropriate for a couple that desires extra privacy, or would prefer not to climb stairs. One living area of the studio has a table for four and an attractively finished kitchen with a four-burner stove, under-counter refrigerator and a washing machine (there are racks for drying). There are illuminated niches with works of art by the owner. The bedroom has a queen-sized bed and, along a wide window that looks onto the courtyard, is a deep shelf that forms an excellent workspace that is ideal for setting up a laptop computer. The pretty tile bath has a shower and a separate WC. From the courtyard a dozen stone stairs lead to the main part of the house, distributed over two levels, where white stone floors, beamed ceilings and alabaster-white walls form an integral statement with the owner's art to set the unique tone of this house. The middle level is comprised of a sitting room with a white sofa and two armchairs, a separate dining room, and a well-equipped kitchen with wooden counters, a four-burner stove and oven, two-door refrigerator, dishwasher and a washing machine (there is no dryer). A wrought-iron fireplace cut into the wall between the sitting and dining room provides light and warmth to both rooms. A wall of shelves in the sitting room contains books in French and English, and a full stereo system with a CD player. The attractive dining room table, illuminated by a chandelier, can seat up to 12 guests. Also on this level, beyond the kitchen and down two steps, is a small bedroom with a 140 cm (55" across) double bed and an armoire. Just outside the bedroom is a bathroom, on the small side, with a stall shower and WC. This bedroom, which has a limited view of the courtyard, can also be reached by a separate stairway from the garage. On the upper level are another guest bedroom, which overlooks the courtyard, and the master bedroom. The guest bedroom has a 140 cm bed and, in a nook concealed by a curtain, a stall shower and basin. An independent WC is accessible from the bedroom. The master bedroom, especially luminous from large windows in the south wall, is dominated by a larger-than-king-sized bed in a frame that elevates it well above the floor. Just outside the bedroom on the stairway landing is a well-appointed bathroom with a tub and hand-held shower, and a separate WC. From the bedroom a screened door opens onto the one of Le Jardin Secret's most endearing features - a flowered rooftop terrace with statuary, waist-high stone walls and fabulous views across the rooftops of the hamlet to the slopes of the Lubéron. The little plunge pool, which has a depth of one meter (a little over three feet), is just outside the master bedroom door, so close that anyone given to sleepwalking should take care to lock the door at night. The terrace is the perfect place to have breakfast in the morning, in the afternoon to bask in the sun with occasional dips in the pool, and in the evening to dine with friends while watching the sunset. The terrace can also be reached directly from the courtyard by a wrought-iron stairway. At the south end of the terrace farthest from the bedroom is a shaded area with a table for up to 10. Guests expecting to entertain during their stay at Le Jardin Secret can begin with a cocktail party on the terrace, followed by dinner in the dining room or vaulted room off the courtyard. Le Jardin Secret is within a 10 to 15-minute drive of several villages, some with weekly open-air markets, that guests will wish to visit during their stay. In addition to Roussillon, there is Saint-Saturnin d'Apt to the northeast, and Bonnieux, Lacoste and Ménerbes to the south. Gordes, with has a handful of outstanding restaurants and is perhaps the most photographed village of Provence, is just to the west. For shopping there are supermarkets and virtually every kind of commerce at the town of Apt, 15 minutes or so to the east in the Lubéron Valley. Apt and its immediate surrounding area also has a number of good restaurants, including Bernard Mathys, consistently well rated in the Michelin Guide Rouge, and the delightful Carré des Sens. Every Saturday morning in Apt there is a colorful market where crowds throng the narrow streets to buy a variety of foods and wares from merchants who come from all over Provence. Le Jardin Secret is in top mechanical condition, and in addition to its fireplace has a fuel-powered central heating system that keeps the house cozy in all seasons. There is a one-car garage, and additional parking just outside the entrance gate. For barbecuing there is a good-sized gas grill in the vaulted summer dining room off the courtyard. In off-season the owners are willing to offer a significant discount for a rental of at least a month or more. They will also consider renting the courtyard-level studio separately for periods of several weeks or more. Guests fortunate enough to visit Le Jardin Secret will leave with memories of its comfort and charm, and its authentic flavor of Provençal living. It is a good choice for couples or a family without young children who simultaneously enjoy a modern living environment, the antiquity of Provence and the often bracing quality of contemporary artistic expression.
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