Claude Monet's House and Gardens [part two]

As I mentioned in my first post about our visit to Giverny back in October [HERE], this was one of my favorite days on our trip through France and Italy.  Truly a dream come true. Today I want to share an inside peek into Monet's house, where he lived for the latter forty years of his life. This beloved home was his respite away from the nearby busyness of Paris; an oasis where he could enjoy his two loves, painting and gardening.

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The pink and green contrasting colors of the outside of the house are such fun, happy colors that match nicely with the lush greens and vibrants flowers that surround the home. Since it was October, may of the flowers had lost their bloom, but it was easy to still imagine the myriad of colors that surround the house in the spring and early summer.

Alrighty, now that you've seen multiple angles of the outside of the house, it's time for a tour of the inside! Get ready for A LOT OF COLOR.

Upon entering through the main entrance, you are greeted by a splash of blue walls and floral fabrics of the reading room, also known as "the little blue sitting room." Wouldn't it have been lovely to have sat and chatted as a guest of Monet's in this room?

As you continue on, you'll walk right into Monet's first painting studio which he used until 1899. Afterwards, it became an additional sitting room, and a cozy one at that with the plentiful chairs. I doubt I would be able to concentrate on conversation with all of these masterpieces I would rather be gawking at. 

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A staircase leads you up to the private bedrooms, first of which is Monet's. Decorated with reproduced artwork by his fellow impressionist friends like Cézanne, Renoir, and Signac, it boasts a lovely view of the garden. It must have been a perfect place to rest for the artist.

His wife, Alice's room is next. I find it weird how it was customary for husbands and wives to have separate rooms back then. Anyway, it was a cute little room. Alice was his second wife. His first passed away and he later married Alice, who had been a long-time friend of both of theirs (and whose husband deserted her when he went into financial ruin and left her and her children destitute).

And lastly, his step-daughter Blanche's room is on display. 

There are more bedrooms but the tour doesn't allow access, so down we go back to the first level via a different staircase that leads you to the yellow dining room. Along with other rooms, this room is decked with Japanese artwork, which Monet collected. Doesn't this look like a happy place to share a meal?

The last room of the tour is the kitchen. I just could not get my eyes off those copper pots and pans and the blue Rouen tiles on the oven and walls.

If you still want more snooping touring, the house's website offers fun virtual tours HERE . 

I did not take a picture of the gift shop that you walk through on your exit from the complex, but this used to be Monet's second studio where he worked on one of his life's greatest work, the humongous Water Lilies painting that is now displayed in Paris' L'Orangerie Museum. 

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If you ever find yourself in Paris and want a half day escape for some peace, quiet, and beauty, Monet's house in Giverny is the spot! Coming next week, I will be sharing a bit about the adorable village of Giverny.