Initial Inspiration

I have always been in love with Claude Monet's home with her gardens in Giverny, just North of Paris. I had studied it (as well as the family and art within) in both high school and college, but had never visited it until I met Jack and we decided to take a trip to the North of France, including a couple of days at Giverny.

Always indulging in a pique-nique!

Our photos from that trip show a young couple in love with France, with Monet, and with each other. What happy memories!

Many years later, I was designing a Young Girl's Room (a la francaise, naturally) for the Junior League of Boston's Designer Showhouse fundraiser. The wallpaper I chose was one of my favorite toiles by Pierre Deux, in raspberry on moss green, so naturally many aspects of that room went along with the pink and green color scheme.

Being a long-time lover of dollhouses, I decided to make one for the room, just as a small and relatively insignificant accessory. However, the moment I thought about this in conjuction with the pink and green theme, Giverny popped into my head, and like it or not, I was on a personal path to make a house that was as close to the real thing as it could possibly be. Given the architecture of Giverny, my miniature version had to be much longer and more involved than the little house I'd originally imagined... but what fun it was going to be!

For several months, my evenings were completely taken up with sawing, gluing, nailing, painting... until I finally had the shell of the house complete - just in time for the showhouse grand opening. (Jack was gluing on roof tiles at midnight!)

I never had time to decorate the interior, so that is what I plan to do now. I have collected a number of items to put into the house, and have lots of big - well actually quite petite - ideas, so join me through successive posts, as I complete the interior of Giverny en miniature.