The Reading Nook is a charming, pleasant family home in traditional provencal mas-style, tucked away in the village of Fuveau 15 minutes south of Aix-en-Provence at the foot of Cezanne's mountain Ste. Victoire and 25 minutes from the Mediterranean beaches. Set on 1 acre, it is a comfortable 4 bedrooms, and sleeps 8. The home is full of rustic character - hand carved post, wooden ceiling beams, pine doors, framed picture windows, and simply but tastefully decorated, with French quilts, Sanderson/Laura Ashley soft furnishings, Villeroy and Boch baths, Horus Victorian taps, Porcelanosa tiles. The house is aptly named as it a haven from the modern world, providing a corner for rest, relaxation and reading. It is ideal for couples and retirees, a family with children looking for run-around space, two families sharing or family reunions. With woods, a terraced garden, fruit trees, and a pool to lounge by.
Whether your passions are the arts, history, physical activities, foods and wines, touring or antiquing, Provence has it all. Aix-en-Provence, home of impressionist painter Paul Cezanne and French literary author Emile Zola, hosts the premier summer arts and cultural festivals flocked to by the Parisians. Within an hour's drive is Avignon, home of the Vatican for 400 years, Baux-de-Provence - noted as 'the prettiest (medieval) village' by the French, Nimes and Arles - home to Van Gogh, and chic St. Tropez and Cannes. Nice is 90 minutes away, Italy and skiing are just 2 hours away. Too much activity? Just want to sit still and relax on your vacation? A pool, hammock, barbecue, house stocked with books and videos, large yard for children to run around in and children's playthings, boardgames, the Provencal sun…The Reading Nook.
Further details indoors
The original owner built the Reading Nook, and you will see his handiwork carved on the wooden porch post as you enter the house. The sunken living room and raised dining room are floored in limestone tiles, with French doors that open to the back yard. Both rooms are decorated with rose motif Laura Ashley curtains and the living room is stocked with books, mini-stereo, small TV and DVD player. By the fireplace in the living room there is a marbled hallway which houses all the videos and leads into a separate room that has been set up as a playroom, with its own French doors exiting to the back. The playroom has boardgames and some toys, plus a black iron-framed daybed that can used for separate sleeping facilities, if required. The dining room boasts an unique oak hutch built into the wall, also accessible on the other side in the charming yellow and blue tiled kitchen, which has an exterior door that exits to the outside patio. A mirrored pine door in the kitchen leads to the laundry and storage, with washing machine and dryer. Off the dining room is a powder room decorated in lavender jouy toile wallpaper, and beside it, behind a rustic pine door, a double sized bedroom with sized yellow-cream sleigh bed, covered with a light rose French quilt.The entry hallway, stairwell and upstairs hallway are all in bright happy Provencal yellow. Lavender sprigs from the garden hang from the ceiling beams in the upstairs landing. All bedrooms have wooden ceiling beams and both bathtubs in the bathrooms upstairs boast deep bathtubs and antique Victorian style taps. The main bathroom also has a separate shower. The master bedroom has a queen size bed and an en suite, and is decorated in a rose and blue print. The 2nd bedroom has bunkbeds and is decorated in different shades of deep sky blue and azur blue, depicting the rich dawn and dusk skies of Provence. Fluorescent stars on the walls near the ceiling beams complete the sky theme. The 3rd bedroom is in light lavender and has 2 twin beds covered in floral provencal quilts. Both the 2nd and 3rd bedrooms have bookcases holding a number of children's books for different ages.
Further details outdoors
The yard is rectangular in shape, with the house in the middle. To the left of the house, is a 6 foot dry stone wall overlooking an expanse of pine woods, with a basketball hoop in a clearing. The front of the house has been landscaped, with a low picturesque dry stone wall and graceful steps on the left side. The yard to the right has been terraced at 3 levels, with two 2-foot dry stone walls separating each terrace. The upper terrace has fruit trees. The lower terraces provide good play or lounging about space, as does the back yard. The back patio, set in pretty white stone, offers easy entry into the kitchen and dining area. To the right of the house is a pathway leading to the 5x10 pool and poolhouse that is separate from the house, situated in a private, quiet location surrounded by mature shrubs and accessed only by a large locked wooden gate,.
