Inside: Château du Rivau gardens, photographed by © Jacky Hobbs
Welcome to the November/ December edition of My French Country Home magazine!
Welcome to our holiday edition, filled with inspiration for your end of year festivities! As the air cools and the French prepare their homes for celebrating the season with family and friends, we always look forward to sharing the magic of France during this festive time.
Christmas 2024 in Paris promises to be quite special, as it coincides with the long-awaited re-opening of Notre Dame Cathedral, more than five years after its devastating fire. Our Discovery Guide takes you to the heart of one of Paris’s oldest – and trendiest – neighborhoods: Le Marais. In addition to being one of our favorite shopping quarters, this area is bursting with fascinating museums and galleries, convivial restaurants and cozy hotels.
As for interiors…
As always, we’ve included a few stunning interiors, each capturing the essence of French style. We take a sneak peek inside the stylish Provence home of Joseph Marini, a maestro of entertaining – who also happens to be a European-trained chef. Joseph has also kindly shared some of his most crowd-pleasing winter recipes. As an added bonus, this year we’ve included some tips for adding that special French touch to your holiday gift wrapping and Christmas décor, with ideas proposed from Sharon’s Normandy home.
Winter wonders…
Continuing our celebration of the season’s finer things, we explore the delicate artistry of the Atelier D’Offard, master printers of hand-blocked wallpaper. Our Portfolio, by Hervé Lenain, offers a poignant study of France’s many and varied country churches and chapels. We also whisk you away to the Château de Riveau in the Loire Valley, with its 15 enchanting gardens.
As the year draws to a close, let this issue of our magazine be your guide to a season filled with elegance, joy, and the enchanting spirit of France. Thank you for being a cherished part of our 2024. Happy holidays!
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A Home for the Holidays
Eschewing the traditional Christmas palette, Sharon Santoni’s holiday decorations embrace winter florals, rich berry tones and soft blossom pinks to create a festive spirit with a fresh and romantic twist. Stepping into Sharon’s home this holiday season feels like entering a festive dreamscape, where every detail speaks of luxury, romance and exquisite curation.
Explore the inspiration behind Sharon’s enchanting styling and enjoy her exclusive Christmas gift-wrapping guide for a lavish, unforgettable present experience.
The Perfect Winter Dinner
In the heart of Provence, where the Sorgue River rushes past ancient stone walls, and where waterwheels from a time long gone still churn with their moss-covered paddles, Joseph Marini – author of Mastering the Art of Entertaining – found the place that was destined to become the starting point for his life in France with his partner. For the November/December issue, Joseph shared with us his home in Provence as well as four tried-and-true crowd pleasing recipes that are perfect for the winter holidays.
Sacred Stones
Romanesque. Gothic. Renaissance. Baroque. The plethora of architectural styles found across France’s chapels and churches – not to mention regional variations – are a feast for the eyes, both inside and out. Even the least- elaborate are poignant in their simplicity. Some inspire awe simply from their improbable placement: atop vertiginous cliffs, carved into prehistoric mountainsides and ancient tree trunks, hidden in primordial forests or perched on remote islands, reachable only by intrepid sailors and seabirds. Hervé Lenain has traversed the length and breadth of the hexagone with his camera, capturing breathtaking images of these little-known religious buildings along the way.
2024 Holiday Gift Guide
Surround your Christmas Tree with presents from France this holiday season! Friends, family and loved ones will be delighted to unwrap a thoughtful gift from these sought-after brands. Our annual Holiday Gift Guide includes many of our favorite items for the special people and animals in your life. Plus – for the first time ever – find our picks for fabulous French gifts for les enfants (the kids)!
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We hope this new issue brings holiday inspiration from France to wherever you are in the world!