Around Paris there are many examples of interiors by Jacques Garcia. We can design a special day with breakfast, lunch and dinner surrounded by the decor he has created in a series of restaurants (and maybe afternoon tea and cocktails if you are really keen!). Or for the ultimate “Interiors” experience, we will arrange for a private visit of his private château in Normandy. This visual feast is guaranteed to be the highlight of your trip. The opulent style of the château’s truly amazing collection will delight you. In true royal style, the magnificant gardens will take your breath away. We’re convinced that if Louis XIV were alive today, this is where he would be living!
Jacques Garcia is well known to professional interior designers. “Le style Garcia” is easily recognised in a number of fashionable icons around Paris – hotels such as Hotel Costes, Fouquet’s Barrière, l’Hôtel and Odéon Saint-Germain and more than 20 restaurants, cafés and bars.
Franck Ferrand’s fascinating biography “Decorating in the French Style” outlines Jacques Garcia’s personal journey from humble beginnings as the son of a Spanish immigrant to the doyen of “French Style” and owner of the opulent Champ de Bataille.
As a young child, Jacques had already started to create his own “château”, a “wondrous playhouse” in the old kennels on a country property owned by his grandparents where he spent his summer vacations. After visiting a neighbour’s château, even though he was still under ten years of age, he recognised: “This was my world, the world I felt I belonged to”. He started visiting châteaux such as Fontainebleau and Vaux-le-Vicomte with his father, who happily encouraged his son’s interest. He studied descriptions of royal residences and his imagination was fired by the works of Alexandre Dumas as he started to become acquainted with Anne of Austria, Richelieu and d’Artagnan.
However, predictably, it was the creation of Louis XIV which was his pole-star: “Versailles above all, Versailles forever”. The “Grand Siècle” became a “burning passion”. Since the 1970’s he has built up a fabulous collection of royal furnishing and art objects.
Although this was his primary focus, he did not become pigeon-holed as the body of his work reveals. As an example, Hôtel Costes, his first major project seen by the public in Paris, is in the Second Empire Style. M. Garcia was also selected to design the interior of the Musée de la Vie Romantique, with decor in the period between and First and Second Empires.
Logically, it is his private château in Normandy which is the best example of the “full range of his palette”. The château’s magnificent gardens alone are worth the trek from Paris.
A special day spent at this magical private residence is the perfect way to spoil yourself for that special occasion. In the meantime, you can pour over the stunning photographs in the latest edition of Franck Ferrand’s inspirational story of
Contact French Travel Boutique if you would like to arrange a private VIP tour.