Mosaic Monday with Monet

1700-plus photos taken during our three-week trip mean lots of memories and lots of editing, along with some deleting. I hate to delete photos, always thinking that perhaps there will be some bit of information I might use, or some corner to crop.

Let's revisit Monet's home in Giverny. I showed you bits of the garden in this post. We'll walk through the pathways and arrive at the rose-framed house where the door is standing open. 

It's early in the morning, before the crowds arrive. We wander through sitting rooms and up a narrow stairway.

Most houses of this time favored dark rooms full of dark furniture and lots of wood. As one might expect from Monet, the painter of light, he disregarded the fashion of the day and chose the colours he loved. Light streams through large windows into his bedroom, above, and fills it with airiness.

Monet's step-daughter, Blanche, also loved to paint. Her room is seen above. After Monet's death, his son Michel inherited the house and allowed Blanche to live in the house until her death in 1947. The gardens fell to ruin and restoration was begun in 1966, after Michel died. Here's a link to a site with photos of the house as it was. It's in French, but the photos speak for themselves. 

Several years ago I took a book out of the library - Monet's Table: The Cooking Journals of Claude Monet. He loved cooking (and eating) and planning menus. After reading the book I was inspired to keep a journal of meals I'd cooked and served for special occasions.

I was most curious to see the dining room with its bright yellow walls. I wondered if it would look as inviting in real life as it had in the book. The room exceeded my expectations. 

Those clear yellow walls, red-checked floor and blue accents work so beautifully together. It's daring and masterful. I can just imagine the laughter and clinking of cutlery against plates around the table.

Such a pretty room. Monet had an amazing collection of woodblock prints which are displayed throughout the house. 

A few details from the house - a clock in the sitting room, a dining room chair, and a demure eyelet lace curtained window.

Then, the kitchen. Oh my. Beautiful blue and white tiles on the walls, made in nearby Rouen, add such life to this large room. 

I think that any food would taste delicious and turn out exquisitely if prepared using those gorgeous copper pots and pans. 

One last rose from the garden to close this post. I'm linking to Mosaic Monday, hosted for the first time by Maggie of Normandy Life. Many thanks to Judith for her work in keeping the link up going for several years. There are so many interesting blogs that link there.