Hey there,
Romane over here, the flower farmer from the New Provincial! You probably joined this newsletter to learn about growing and arranging flowers—or to get a glimpse into starting a productive cut-flower garden from scratch in the French countryside. I hope it’s been inspiring and that you’ve picked up some helpful tips along the way!
In my last newsletter, I shared that I was taking a break from flower farming because my partner and I were buying a historic townhouse in the French Southwest that needed extensive renovations. Now, almost a year later, the house is thriving, the garden is ready for transformation, and I’d love for you to join us on this next chapter of our journey.
Welcome to Restoring la Chartreuse
Restoring la Chartreuse is the passion project my partner Hugo and I embarked on a year ago: renovating a crumbling 19th-century townhouse in Bordeaux, mostly on our own. Our goal was to learn new skills, design a space that truly reflects us, and create a garden overflowing with flowers.
Since getting the keys, we’ve tackled the electricity, insulation, plumbing, and windows, restored the original front door to its former glory, and built our dream kitchen from scratch. Of course, I planted dahlias in the garden before we even had running water—because, priorities!
There’s still plenty to do, and we’d love for you to join us on this journey.
What's coming:
- Transforming the attic into two cozy bedrooms
- Building custom bookcases and wardrobes from scratch
- Restoring lots of secondhand furniture
- And most importantly—growing lots of flowers!
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I’ll share updates here every week, and we’ve already launched a YouTube channel. There are a few videos up already—don’t miss our living room transformation!
About the house
The house was built in the late 19th century, by the first violinist of the Bordeaux orchestra: this is why you'll find a wooden lyre on the front door, a sculpted mandolin on the facade and other symbolic details throughout.
What's a Chartreuse? 🤔
A chartreuse, according to the French dictionary, is "a country house, often elongated and single-storey, typical of southwest France." Jean-Marie Bélingard, co-author of Le Périgord des Chartreuses, describes the Périgordian chartreuse as a single-storey manor house built between 1650 and 1850, featuring distinctive architectural details, refined interiors, and embodying a unique art de vivre.
Originally designed for easy living, chartreuses typically had all main living spaces on the ground floor, often raised with steps leading to the entrance. Service rooms were in the basement, and attics housed servants’ quarters and storage. These homes were usually one room deep, with through-rooms featuring windows or French doors on both sides, creating a bright, airy, and seamless indoor-outdoor feel.
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The house has suffered from neglect over the years, and many original features are gone. We've managed to preserve the original wooden floors in two bedrooms and some sculpted details in the living room. We're working to restore its traditional charm by recreating mouldings and paneling and decorating in a style that suits the house's character.
The garden has so much potential! I plan to transform the front into a semi-formal cottage garden with box hedges, sweet peas, and hydrangeas. The south-facing back garden will be perfect for growing most of the cut flowers for my business.
And the cherry on top? The cellar! We’re turning it into Hugo’s woodworking workshop.
We’ve got big plans, and we can’t wait to share them with you. In the meantime, subscribe to our YouTube channel!
Much love,
