Realizing a Great Idea in the Garden

It is fascinating to me to trace the origin of an idea or a thought. It is likely you are noticing more than you realize as you experience the moments in a day. It may take months or even years for an idea to reach full fruition and action. This is the story of how an enchanting hotel garden we frequented seven years ago influenced the way we live today.

The courtyard garden in front of Le Pavillon de la Reine in the Marais District of Paris is a secluded respite from hours immersed in the bustle and endless beauty of the city. We began and ended each day of our visit relaxing in this garden, sketching and writing in our journals while enjoying a cup of tea or a glass of sparkling wine. When the library inside the hotel became crowded with people, even though it was somewhat cool, we pulled on sweaters and took our breakfast out to the garden. It wasn’t long before others joined us.

My photographs of this time include others of walled gardens like this one. There is something about the expanse of a garden within the protection of three surrounding walls that fascinates me.

Here is another; small trees are in place and the beds are filled with soil and delineated by multiple paths.

So, here is when the thought resting begins to emerge…Recently, there was an article by designer and textile dealer Susan Deliss in House and Garden. She wrote of ten textile patterns she couldn’t live without. One was 18^th and 19^th century French toiles.

She included a link to La Mirande Hotel in Avignon where each room is decorated in more than one historic French cotton print. The rooms are designated by the predominate fabric inside and these pictured are but few of the many!

Included in the photos of the hotel is this one of the courtyard garden. Looking at it reminded me of the Le Pavillon de la Reine garden and led me to show the photo to my husband. I reminded him of how we had enjoyed sitting in the courtyard garden and concluded with the thought, “And now we have a courtyard or garden contained inside three walls of our own.” He said, “We could get a table and chairs and sit down there.”

His statement got me thinking further…we actually have a table and chairs in a small private garden outside of our bathroom. We rarely sit there because it is too noisy sitting beside a fountain inside a walled garden. The sound of the fountain is wonderful inside the house and down in the larger garden below. I didn’t even change out of my nightgown before carrying each chair and then the table down to the courtyard and trying out one place and another until finding what seemed to be the perfect placement.

Here is the pedestal table and two chairs hidden in the garden and ready for us!

Here is a photo of the view from the chairs to one side of the sheltered garden!

The private garden now seems more like a garden.  Without the table and chairs it feels more expansive. It had been a space where it felt like something was wrong, but it wasn’t clear to me what to do to improve it. So, as the idea unfurled and came to fruition two areas of our gardens are more satisfying and enjoyable!

When taking the photo of our table and chairs it occurred to me there was a similar garden spot in The Gardens of Arne Maynard. The gardens are dissimilar, but the idea of a small table and chairs embedded in the garden is there. I had looked at that photo many times! How funny to think we have ideas simmering in our minds, just waiting for the right moment to emerge.

Looking forward to sharing a further post about creating and customizing garden spaces!