MONET INSPIRATIONS

      Monet is known by most for his fabulous impressionist paintings.  But for French farmhouse style enthusiasts and gardeners, Monet also is known for Giverny, his French country house about 47 miles northwest of Paris.

     This post will focus on the house interiors; I will leave his gardens for another day.

                                               
Giverny.org

     Monet's house is the essence of French farmhouse style.  His kitchen, above, illustrates many elements.  Like his art, he used light and color when decorating his house interiors.
     Monet wanted a blue kitchen to harmonize with his yellow dining room.   Here, he used blue and white Rouen tiles to create the backdrop for his color palette.  There are many tiles made today to invoke that same style. 



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     Country Floors has a really good selection in their Chez Monet tiles, above.  They most certainly would give the Monet look.

                                             The French Farmhouse photo

     Above, my own collection of antique tiles (these are many centuries old and probably Portuguese)--just waiting for that special project.

     A fabulous stove can also evoke the French country feeling.  La Cornue is the best!  If money is no object, the Chateau 120, below, would be the focal point of any kitchen.  It also evokes a similar feeling to the one in Monet's kitchen.  There are also smaller, less pricy models available from this company.  It comes in many colors, but this blue is my favorite.

                  

                                            Above, La Cornue Chateau 120
                     

     Copper pots go beautifully with a French blue and white theme.  Monet hung pans decoratively on the wall, as well as displaying them on shelves.  I have done the same.

                                          The French Farmhouse photos


     Williams-Sonoma (where I bought my copper pans and pots, above) carry a line of very good quality French ones.

     Monet also used sunny bright colors in his house, as illustrated by his yellow dining room.



Giverny.org

     The yellow of the dining room walls enhanced the blues in the dishes he used.  Monet used French creil faience everyday, with its designs of Japanese-inspired fans and cherry blossoms.  This was mixed with odd pieces of Meissen and Sevres in hard-paste porcelain.  Blue and white porcelain was also used throughout his house in umbrella stands and bowls that he filled with fruit.



Monet's Creil Faience

     There are many blue and white Japanese-style patterns available to give the same look.

                                             The French Farmhouse photo

     I use Blue Canton by Mottahedeh, above, for special occasions.  The blue in these pieces is especially brilliant.

     Monet also had a passion for Japanese woodblock prints, and collected them as early as 1864 from the best of the Japanese artists, including Hokusai, Hiroshige, and Utamaro.  He covered his dining room walls with these prints (see his yellow dining room, above).  The bold use of colors and landscapes inspired him in both his paintings and in his own gardens.

     Antique Japanese woodblock prints can still be found today that are just as beautiful as the ones in Monet's collection.   Below are some from my own collection.

                        Munihiro, left, circa 1850;  Hirosada, right,circa 1850
                                            The French Farmhouse photo

                                   Artist unknown, circa 1840-1860, series
                                             The French Farmhouse photo

                                                    Kunikazu, circa 1850
                                               The French Farmhouse photo


      Giverny is open to the public from March 29 through November 1, 2013.