The Maison Elizabeth Guide to French Gardens
Romantic outdoor rooms inspired by the gardens, courtyards, and villages of France — translated for real homes.
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France is a country of gardens—sunlit courtyards in Provence, rose-covered cottages in Normandy, elegant terraces in Paris, and quiet fountains tucked behind ancient stone walls. This laissez-fair of gorgeousness has bewitched so many of us searching to recreate the generational beauty in our own lives — to create, to capture such loveliness and meaning in our own day to day. More than that, to watch what we create mature for generations, a legacy of joy that can continue.
This journal is a growing collection of French-inspired outdoor rooms, each capturing the beauty and spirit of a different region. My hope is that these gardens inspire you to slow down, gather often, and create beautiful places to enjoy the everyday.
Bienvenue
— Elizabeth
Morning in Provence
Morning arrives gently in Provence. Sunlight filters through the branches of an old plane tree, a limestone fountain trickles quietly in the background, and breakfast lingers long after the coffee has been poured. Bougainvillea spills over weathered walls while white roses soften the edges of the courtyard, creating a garden that feels both vibrant and unhurried.
So many of us only imagine Southern France as a bouquet of lavender, olive trees and all that the sparse Mediterranean flavor provides. But there is also softness, romance and the lushness of iceberg roses — the blush of climbing bougainvillea.
This isn't a grand estate or a formal garden. It's a reminder that even a small outdoor corner can become a destination for slow mornings, fresh bread, seasonal fruit, and the simple pleasure of spending time outdoors.
Approximate Investment: $1,500–$3,000
Shop the Look
Recreate the feeling of this Provençal courtyard with these carefully selected pieces.
A word about finding flowers for your garden: You might think to yourself, well that’s all fine and well but it would take years for mature flowers to scale the wall of my house or fence. The answer to this is AU CONTRAIRE! If you live in an area where Facebook Marketplace is available to you, I highly recommend perusing the roses, bougainvillea, lavender — plant of your dreams to see what is available in your local area. For myself, I was in desperate need of tall, mature roses to put against my wooden trellis and voila! Facebook marketplace had gorgeous Eden roses already 3 years old and five feet tall for sale.
French gardens remind us that luxury isn't measured by size, but by the moments we create within them. Sometimes all it takes is one beautiful corner and an invitation to slow down.
