Une Maison des Vacances Sans Fin... La Jolie Grandmere a Cannes

Here's an aerial view of the pool at Jardin des Arbres. Directly behind the banquettes were rows and rows of very fragrant olive trees. She had orange and lemon trees on her property as well. From this vantage you can see how high in the mountains she was. And now you can understand how steep that driveway was and why the need for the turntable! To the bottom right-hand corner of the photograph you will see a set of stamps built into the landscape. Those stairs took one to the "Garden Level" down below where my grandfather kept his office and where I shared a bedroom with my Nanny.

I really wish these photos were not in black and white, but alas they hail from various Maison & Jardin magazines from the late 1960s and early 1970s. This was my bedroom. It was green and white. It was called the "Bamboo Room." (La Jolie Grandmere named all her rooms.) There was an elegant bamboo colored wall paper on all of the walls and into the bathroom. The beds were four poster bamboo beds. (Look closely and you will see.) Next to the Nanny's bed (mine was on the inner wall) were French doors that slid open to a small terrace and a garden of bamboo trees all around. I simply adore bamboo! The bamboo theme was carried into the light and airy bathroom behind. I loved to sit in that tub at the end of the day and soak up all the various wonderful smells that surrounded me in the South of France. There were the wonderful aromas from the outdoors, the smell of my red gelee Bain de Soleil (SPF4!) as well as the lavender or lemon verbena baths I would soak in, followed by the scent of Nivea (then only found in France and we had to ship suitcases of it back to the States!) that was rubbed into my tan little body at the end of the day.

My grandfather's tiny office (and I do mean tiny!) was located directly next to my bedroom. Here he would work on his novels and movie deals. One could hear the clack clack ring of his typewriter throughout the day, even up by the pool. I always found it a soothing sound. Clack clack ring. Clack clack ring!

The pool at night. As spectacular as I remember! One evening my parents my parents were headed out to a black tie gala with my grandparents. I was about a year old and I was running or tripped and ended up in the pool, at the bottom! My father, minutes away from getting into the car, jumped into the pool to my rescue, tux and all! I believe the story is that he was able to borrow and extra one from my grandfather. After that day my grandparents decided that there ought to be a safety covering over the pool. But my grandmother being, well, my grandmother, would stand for nothing offensive or obtrusive. She was not going to ruin her beautiful scenery with an ugly and cumbersome sort of covering. She created her own that resembled a heavy fishing net. It was white and tucked into the outer rim of the pool. It was elegant and completely secure. Typical to the Style of La Jolie Grandmere, even the pool could get dressed up! I have been unable to locate a picture of the pool covered up, but will post one when I do!

This view is from the living room area (see how open it is!) out to the terraced dining area, We ate en plein air toujours! Unless it was positively pouring sideways, we could eat outdoors. My grandmother used the outdoor dining area for entertaining all the time. I always marveled at the elegance of it all... the rows and rows of silver... the elegant glasses all lined up as if ready to dance around the table... And dining outdoors at night was even more spectacular, as you can imagine from the above photo.

Another view of the outdoor dining area...

The indoor dining table was not a table at all, but a creation of her own. My grandmother often used architectural artifacts in her decor. Here two lion pillars (taken from an old building of sorts) are used to form the table's legs. A finished stone slab serves as the table top.

My grandmother's kitchen was custom built for her. It was tiny. All her kitchens were tiny, in fact. I suppose this was because it was easier for her to navigate around in a wheel chair. The counter tops were built to accommodate her level, and were a good bit lower than standard counters. Even though she had Help in the kitchen, my grandmother was a fabulous cook. Her appliances were all imported from the US. You will notice that the dishwasher is the same green as the cabinetry. She painted it that way, of course! (Many years later in England, she would paint her television set pink to match her bedroom!)

The Living Room area. Books would always play a huge roll in my grandmother's decorating. I love the elegance and simplicity of the black and white. I love the black walls. In a room as large as this, with as much natural daylight as this one had, the black worked beautifully. Indeed, much of my sense of style comes from my grandmother. Again, if you look at her coffee table you will see it is not a table at all. Two more architectural pieces, perhaps Greek in influence, gracefully carry a sturdy piece of glass which is used as the table top.

My grandmother's house, that she built all by herself (well, she hired the actual builders to do the building!) is Mediterranean with Greek inspiration. (I need to find a better picture of the exterior as well.) How I would love to go back and bring my children and share with them all my wonderful memories. I am so grateful to have all the wonderful magazines and books that featured my grandmother's beautiful homes. They all evoke such wonderful memories, but none so lovely and magical as the house in Cannes.