Chateau de Moissac

Don't you just love a beautiful French chateau? Well, I have a real treat for you today! 

Built in a hill-top village, in the early 17th century, the Château de Moissac-Bellevue was originally a residence dedicated to relaxation, owned by a noble family from Provence.

With its monumental entrance, vast drawing-rooms and dining-rooms opening out to the gardens, its imposing kitchen, its bedrooms and bathrooms extending upwards to the attics, this is a magnificent example of  a French chateau. The building was actually rewarded for its exemplary restoration in June 2008 by the "Prix des Vieilles Maisons Françaises".

This chateau boasts a sweeping staircase...

...beautiful fireplaces...

...exquisite lighting...

...original features...

....first class cabinetry...

...attention to detail...

...incredible flooring...

...the finest furniture...

...amazing scale...

...wonderful architectural details...

... a perfect palette...

...fantastic plasterwork...

.... gracious gardens...

...and all of it in such a scenic setting!

What more could you possibly want?

Till next time




Sharon x

Source: here

Monday Musings : Cutlery love

Thank-you so much for your concern and good wishes for my son. He is really making great progress and should be back at school in a week's time. I would also like to extend a warm welcome to the new followers and readers of my blog! It's lovely to meet you.

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Now on to today's post ... I am a collector and a gatherer and have been for many years. I have collected cream jugs and candle holders, bread boards and baskets, tea pots and tureens, and, well,  you get the picture!  When we moved back into our newly renovated house a few years ago, I decided to pare down my belongings and gave away tons of stuff. I have been quite disciplined about not accumulating too much since then. I have not stopped collecting, but I now mostly satisfy my habit by collecting images of the things that I like rather than the objects themselves. It's better for my shelves and surfaces and kinder on my budget. I can also collect things that I could never collect in real life like staircases and water features! 

The virtual collection I am going to show you today is my cutlery collection.

via coty farquhar blog

I am a real sucker for bone handled cutlery and have built up quite a collection over the years. (An actual collection - not a virtual one!) Mostly bought at antique markets or secondhand shops, it's not always in tip top condition, but that adds to its appeal.

Via Willow Decor

Via Tara Dennis

Via Atlanta Bartlett

Antique silver-plated cutlery is just so beautiful, whether it is in the ornate Kings pattern or the plainer Fiddle design, it's patina has so much more appeal than the stainless steel cutlery that abounds today.

Via A Perfect Gray

Via Tumblr

Via Sotto il Monte Vineyards

Via Tumblr

Via Tumblr

Via Dusty Lu

Via Retro Mod Girl

Via Tumblr

Via Tumblr

Via Tumblr

Via Willow Decor

Via peterstone.com

Via The Little Corner

Via A Perfect Gray

And finally, the cutlery draw of my dreams...

Via Casa Decorada

Cutlery is not exclusively used for eating. I have seen the design used on table mats and napkins...

Via Casa Decorada

...cleverly used as plant markers...

Via Tumblr

Via Tumblr

...used as inspiration for art work...

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...or use the actual thing to adorn your walls...

Via Pinterest

.....or even recycled into earrings or a gorgeous bracelet!

Via Google

And finally used to make a unique set of hooks.

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Do any of you have virtual collections or is this habit just peculiar to me? I would love to hear from you.

 

Till next time

Sharon x

Bramasole

In my previous post I said "all is good" after my son's burst appendix saga - well it seems I was a bit premature because my poor boy landed up in hospital for more surgery after complications set in and spent another 5 days in hospital! But he is now back home and well on the road to recovery and I slept in my bed last night for the first time in a while. (Those Lazy Boy chairs they have in hospital need to be redesigned!!) It is a very cold and wet Saturday morning and I am still in bed with my recovering child (and puppies) while my husband has gone off to take the other boys to their various rugby and soccer matches. I am quite happy to have an excuse to stay right where I am!

Moving on ... if you saw the movie "Under the Tuscan Sun" ... the name Bramasole might mean something to you. It was the name of the run down house in the Italian countryside that the author, Frances Mayes, bought and spent most of the movie renovating.

Bramasole lies nestled on a hill outside the ancient town of Cortona. It served as the set for the film in 2002 before its 4 year restoration began in 2006. This is what the property looks like today.

There is both a main villa and a farmhouse of the property, hence the 2 different kitchens you see below.

Every bedroom is uniquely decorated with beautiful original features.

The grounds are beautifully landscaped.

So, what do you think? I think, as lovely as it is, it is missing some of the romance of the house in the movie. Maybe it has been spruced up a bit too much, I would have liked to see some crumbling wall and peeling paint. I also wonder what happened to that beautiful tap that came out of the wall in the middle of nowhere. Do you remember the tap? (or faucet for my American readers).

Till next time

Sharon x

Source:  here