Sleeping among stories from the past

In our gîte, chambres d’hôtes and bohemian caravan, you don’t simply step into a space. Every corner breathes character, thanks to the vintage treasures we’ve used to dress each place. All of them were gathered with care, curiosity and a great deal of pleasure.

Most of these items come from thrift shops — true treasure troves where, on almost every visit, I stumbled upon something special. Other pieces appeared after long online searches that often led me straight to people’s homes. When you search close to home — and surprisingly often find wonderful things — picking an item up in person is a small effort with a big reward.

All of these objects are special because they’ve already lived a life. Sometimes we know their story. Like the old little cabinet I collected from someone’s home, along with the cherished memory of a beloved parent, given freely with it. Or the coffee and tea set from the 1950s that we use at breakfast. Parts of it I picked it up from someone who, years ago, worked as a freelance journalist for the same client I did. We quickly discovered we knew many of the same people. And when I told him that the set — which had belonged to his mother-in-law — was moving to the Ardèche, he wanted to know everything about Le Petit Moras. Wait a minute, weren’t we close to the ViaRhôna? Maybe he could plan a night with us during the long cycling journey he dreamed of making to visit his sister in Barcelona. I’ll serve you breakfast on this very set, I laughed.

Another decades-old set, decorated with blue flowers, I found at someone’s home in Utrecht, just around the corner from where I had lived for many years. It turned out we already knew each other, and before we knew it, we were chatting away about times gone by.

With thrift-store finds, on the other hand, I happily let my imagination roam free. Who embroidered that beautiful tablecloth? How many hours, stitch by stitch, must have gone into all those tiny flowers? Was it used every day, or only brought out for special occasions? Which mother or grandmother, I wonder, made that wall hanging with its little felt patches — and for whom? In which home did it brighten a wall, perhaps for decades on end?

Buying second-hand is truly a joy. Yes, it takes time. A lot of time, in fact. But it gives so much in return. Those patient searches resulted in a colourful mix of unique finds: nothing sleek or mass-produced, often crafted with skill, sometimes a little crooked or with a chipped corner. And there’s another bonus too — it’s wonderfully sustainable.

We cherish our collection. And we hope you will enjoy it just as much.

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