Les Couleurs du Soleil & Lavender Madeleines

If you've ever been to Provence, you will always remember the colors of the homes and buildings there. (If you haven't been, you must come with me!) Brilliant roses, pinks, ocres & coral facades complement the tile roofs. Millwork is painted in complementary colors of green, blue, aubergine, yellow and cream.

These are the colors of the Mediterranean coast. You might be surprised to find that the pigments are made from the earth in Provence. In the Vaucluse there is a wonderful place dedicated to the colors of Provence and how they are mined from the earth.

everyone's favorite: the Matisse Museum in Nice

the color is incredible, and the white trim is gorgeous

photo courtesy Matisse Museum

colors for the facade, the roof and the trim

of Provence houses

from Coté Sud 1999

hillside in the Vaucluse where the pigments for the

colors are mined

photo courtesy Mairie de Rousillon

the ochres and tawny shades of Provencal houses

a melange of windows, doors and shutters in all colors

of Provence

more of the hillsides in the Vaucluse

above images from Cahier de Provence, Cote Sud, 1999

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it is easy to understand why Paul Cézanne loved Provence and its colors

self portrait, 1875

The House with Burst Walls, Cézanne, 1893

Jas de Bouffan, 1886, Cézanne

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all these gorgeous colors brought to mind the

Provence Yellow stove from Lacanche,

which then reminded me of baking

Lavender Madeleines!

(recipe below)

lavender madeleines on vintage French cloth

and Minton tea cups

photo my iPhone

for 12 madeleines:

140 g of sugar

130 g of flour

2 egg yolks

3 whole eggs

pinch of salt

5 g yeast

100 g clarified butter

1 TBS olive oil of Haute Provence, fine and soft, with the

aroma of almonds and honey

1/2 TBS dried and chopped lavender buds

* begin by clarifying the butter: warm in a little pan,

removing the foam on the surface with a spoon

* mix the three whole eggs and the egg yolks, the sugar,

the flour, the salt and yeast together in a small bowl

*incorporate without beating the liquid butter, cooled,

the olive old and the lavender flowers

* pour batter into madeleine molds that are buttered and floured;

chill for 30 minutes in the refrigerator; place in 180 degree Celsius oven for 15 minutes

* unmold the madeleines and let them cool on a rack

from “Les meilleures recettes de l’Huile d’Olive”

by Jacques Chibois and Olivier Baussan

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for interior and event design call

Kit Golson Design for

Chic Provence

650-302-6883