Need a Breather? Get Lost in This Mesmerizing Garden in France

ByMyProperty Life

A historic French estate inspired by Claude Monet has been revived as a neo-futurist garden with otherworldly art and breathtaking views.

Jardin Émotions takes inspiration from the first French oyster farm, which was owned by Queen Marie Antoinette, that sits at the foot of the garden in the English Channel. Moon coral inspired the shape of the Buxus sempervirens and Enkianthus japonicas bushes.

Russian landscape architect Alexandre Grivko has transformed a 1905 French estate into Les Jardins D’Étretat—a garden laboratory that combines experimental topiaries with open-air sculptures and UNESCO World Heritage-listed views.

Perched above the alabaster cliffs at Étretat in Northwestern France, the property once belonged to French actress Madame Thébault, who created the garden to reflect the artwork of her friend Claude Monet. In 2017, Grivko updated and expanded the grounds into a world-renowned attraction that has earned a Green Guide Michelin star.

Read another article:Design Trends for Creating a Vacation Vibe at Home

“The idea was to create in Étretat an experimental, avant-garde garden,” says Grivko. “There are many local varieties of plants in the garden, and the topiary’s shape reflects Normandy’s coastline.”

Richard Bloom

“When I found out about an opportunity to buy this piece of land, there was zero doubts,” says Grivko, who had visited the grounds decades prior and recognized the enormous potential of the site.

Read another article:Hot Trends: 20 Best Farmhouse Style Kitchens in White and Wood

“This is a magical location on the rock d’Aumont. It has a breathtaking view on the ancient town and the surrounding cliffs. Claude Monet has said: ‘Such cliffs cannot be found anywhere.’”

This sculpture of Claude Monet made entirely from natural materials is part of the Tree Hugger Project by Agnieszka Gradzik and Wiktor Szostalo.

This sculpture of Claude Monet made entirely from natural materials is part of the Tree Hugger Project by Agnieszka Gradzik and Wiktor Szostalo.

Matteo Carrasale

Read another article:Revamped Small Barcelona Apartment Combines Multiple Styles and Finishes

Drawing inspiration from André Le Nôtre, an 18th-century French landscape architect best known for his work at the Palace of Versailles, Grivko envisioned a new type of garden with large-scale topiaries that merge classic garden styles with contemporary and experimental features. “Les Jardins d’Étretat does not slot into a particular style of a garden, but maybe sets a new neo-futuristic vision,” says Grivko. He notes that Vito di Bari’s 2007 Neo-Futuristic City Manifesto champions a blend of art, technology, ethical values, and nature.

Zigzagging pathways take visitors down the steep slopes of Les Jardins d'Étretat.

Zigzagging pathways take visitors down the steep slopes of Les Jardins d’Étretat.

Richard Bloom

See the full story on Dwell.com: Need a Breather? Get Lost in This Mesmerizing Garden in France
Related stories:

  • How the Quest for Sustainability Fuels Gloster’s Production and Minimalist Modern Designs
  • This Shady Oasis Is a Garden, Garage, and Office All Rolled Into One
  • Flexform Boldly Takes On the Great Outdoors With Launch of Covet-Worthy New Furniture Collection

Similar Posts

  • Cascading House

    The site has the typical challenges of many urban lots in Ho Chi Minh city: abutted by tall neighboring houses, small developable area relative to the clients’ program, and compromised access to daylighting and natural ventilation. Due to the height restriction, the house was pushed 1 level below the ground to accommodate the large program. In an effort to solve as many issues as possible, we proposed a concrete column system hidden inside the north and south concrete wall that face the neighbors, acting as the primary structure for the house and freeing up the space in-between. These concrete walls provide privacy to the clients and their family, and open up the east and west facade for views and outdoor-indoor connection. Because the column system extends continuously from the basement to the roof, the concrete beams spanning in-between can be moved vertically without any structural concerns. This flexibility also meant total discretion to determine the elevations of the upper floors–which we intended to take advantage of. By convention, the program is stacked floor-by-floor to maximize the usable area of a small lot which could result in monotonous and isolated spaces. We wanted to do just the opposite: visually and spatially connecting the different parts of the house together by splitting the floor plates, and then cascading them to create a multi-story atrium. In this space, life unfolds naturally; once a family member steps out of the bedroom, he/she will be in an all-connected “room”, and in the company of another member, whether that person is on the other side of the atrium or 2 levels above. In addition to spatial articulation, this atrium brings daylighting down to the basement, and–working with the 2 sunken gardens which are naturally filled with cool air–aids the stack effect by letting the hot air rises to the top. The temperature of the lower floors, as a result, becomes more comfortable. From the outside, Cascading House looks solid as a rock that provides sturdy shelter. The interior, however, feels as porous as a sponge soaking up natural light and air, and brings family members closer together–the qualities that make this house a home.