Inside Provence’s Most Extraordinary Home: Le Mas des Poiriers | SIMPLY SLOW TRAVELER

Hello everyone and welcome back to Provence. Hidden away in the countryside just outside Avignon, this is Le Mas des Poiriers, quite possibly one of the most beautiful Provençal homes I have ever stepped inside. As you arrive and drive alongside the pear trees orchard and the long unpad sided with plain trees, you start getting glimpses of this beautiful property that peeks in between the vegetation and inviting you with its Provençal charm. The house feels grand but never overly formal. The main entrance opens into a large hallway with double height ceilings and a very imposing stone staircase. From these hallways, which also features a beautiful fireplace, you have access to a series of corridors and beautiful rooms on the ground floor, from the kitchen to the dining and living rooms or even an office, all with glimpses of the lush garden outside. Le Mas des Poiriers is an 18th century Provençal farmhouse originally built as a working farm. Its original name was actually Grange Neuve but today the estate is known as Le Mas des Poiriers, essentially the farmhouse of the pear trees. The story of the house as we see it today began when its owners, Jeanne of Arvel and her family, rented the property for a summer holiday in 2014. They had been spending their summers in Provence for years but this place felt different, so when the opportunity came they decided to make it their own. What I loved most were all the fine details, the antique furniture, paintings and textiles, the flowers filling almost every room and the collections of old French ceramics. Many of these pieces were collected over time from antique markets in Provence, Paris and even London and I think that is exactly why it feels so much like a real family home. Stepping into the kitchen, I think I can quite confidently say that this is very close to my kitchen. It has that feeling of a proper countryside kitchen where people do gather around and cook together, sharing those loving memories one can only create over delicious food. On the top floor there are a total of 7 bedrooms with another 2 in the cottage that is located just a few feet from the main house. On the bedrooms you will probably notice the abundant use of beautiful patterns. Pierre Frey fabrics appear throughout the bedrooms, from the curtains to the walls and beautiful canopy beds. There are floral stripes and traditional Provençal motifs all layered together in a way that, paradoxically, never feels like too much. For my visit I was presented with a delicious lunch served at The long table here can seat more than 20 people, but even with its scale, the space feels incredibly intimate. There is so much natural light coming in from the gardens and on a warm day in Provence, it gives you the feeling of eating outside while still being protected from the heat. Our lunch was exactly the kind of meal I always associate with summer in Provence, fresh, colorful and beautifully prepared. The house comes with its own culinary team, led by chef Steve Kars, who prepared everything for us that day and I have to say, it was absolutely delicious. Surrounding the house, the gardens, not quite in a French style but still beautifully and quite formally laid out, unfold almost like a series of quiet scenes, each one more charming than the last. And hidden amongst all of this is possibly the sweetest little dollhouse I have ever seen. The owners created Le Mas de Poirier somewhere their children and eventually their grandchildren could continue coming together and I think you feel that throughout the entire property. Tucked away from the main arrival of the house and surrounded by its own enclosed garden, the pool feels like another completely private corner of the property. And after discovering almost every room, garden and hidden corner of Le Mas de Poirier, this felt like the perfect place to end. I really hope you enjoyed discovering this very special Provencal home with me. Thank you so much for watching and I will see you very soon.