Summer days...

Last year, in Mozambique

I live for summer…the perfect dry day, listening to the sounds of the cicadas, forgetting the world and just taking in the sun, the scents of lavender and rosemary. As a child, I spent my summers in Eze Village, a small village overlooking the Mediterranean above Nice. I was  a free, wild child - this was a time when children were safe to run and explore - I would hike down to the beach with my cousins, stop by the local farmer for the taste of a peach. These memories are so vivid that I can still taste the ripe peach, smell the intoxicating thyme, and feel the excitement of running to the beach. I would read  Marcel Pagnol's novels, laying on my blanket and pillows by the shade of the fragrant pine trees. 

Growing up as a teenager, I counted the days to summer, the excitement of going boating on the Atlantic coast of Cap Ferret and Pyla Sur Mer, getting oysters from the local farmers and naps by the sand dunes, listening to  the enchanting sound of the ocean and the exquisite smell  of the pine trees.

During  college summer breaks, I worked in Saint Tropez, a dream job…. showing potential buyers houses to buy or rent. I found out that one actually needs a few hours of sleep … and would dance all night into morning. My vacation from this "stressful" job was to escape to Ibiza with my then boyfriend …now husband of thirty years. In those days, Ibiza was a cool, laid-back island, beautiful white washed houses, hot sandy beaches, clear water and wild nightlife…

These memories of summer are part of who I am and I try to escape to far away places to feel these moments of pure bliss.I, unfortunately, do not live by the beach but summer coming, I work on re- creating the scents, taste, colors and sounds of my childhood. The pool is surrounded by stone walls, white roses, lavender beds, thyme and rosemary. My tented canopy bed is my refuge where I dream, read, nap, think and create interiors for my clients' summer homes. The houses that I design for my clients always have a part of me, as I go back to my perfect childhood days, and  re-create these sensory experiences, the houses of my life's summers. The pictures are in my head and in my heart.

My dream summer houses….

All images from my Pinterest board: http://www.pinterest.com/interieurs/

Happy Summer,

Francine