When they were young, my husband, Olivier, and his identical twin brother, James, often spent time here at Le Jonchet with their uncle Hubert and Philippe [Venet], his partner and my husband’s godfather. It’s not far outside of Paris, so after we met, Olivier and I, too, could hop over from London for weekend visits. Now that they’ve both passed, and with Olivier and James deciding to keep the home in the family, we feel so fortunate to have had so many memories here with them. It still feels remarkable to me somehow, and very grown-up, to think we’re now in charge of this spectacular place.
What a delight it’s been to learn the character of this house, its personality, its rhythm throughout the seasons. Everything Hubert did was immaculate, so it’s hard to think one might improve on anything. We’ve kept everything as it was—Hubert’s photographs, his personal objects; nothing has been moved. Well, except maybe in the attic or cellar, where the children film scary movies and play hide-and-seek. They’re in heaven, obviously, and we have such fun creating more memories with them here. Hubert put a great deal of thought into how one should live in this house, cleverly deciding the purpose for rooms based on the light at certain parts of the day. Perhaps that’s why everything feels very intimate, from the cozy drawing room with the enormous stag over the fireplace—Saint Hubert was the patron saint of the hunt—to the garden he designed with his dear friend Bunny Mellon. I grew up gardening with my mother. I would help cut and arrange flowers, so I love working here with Fabrice in the cutting garden, and learning about the footprint Hubert and Bunny laid out. Long walks in the woods with the children are therefore also incredibly special.
In the orangery, there are notes Bunny left, scribbles from her gardeners in the margins of journals with information about certain plants and orange trees she sent from Virginia. Hubert collected baskets on his travels, including many gifted from Bunny, which come in handy not just for gardening but also for afternoon picnics too. I soak the cut flowers in the big sink in the butler’s pantry, a jewel-box of a room with its exquisite blue German tile, which is also where the china is stored. For a girl who loves nothing more than to set a beautiful table, it’s a dream.
More From Veranda
We use the entire house, even the grand salon, where we love to play piano and board games in the evenings.
It’s a heady mix, as you might imagine—this mythical place and the legacy of a great man—the sheer beauty of it, the gardens, the parterre, the park and lake, those golden fields of wheat that stretch over the distant hills. There’s something so comforting about observing the repetition of the seasons in a house with such a long history. I recently found an 18th-century picture of Le Jonchet, looking exactly as it does now, depicting a woman in the courtyard holding the hands of two children and realized, my goodness, that could be me in present day.
This house is allowing me to see the flow of time differently, to appreciate the importance of quality, both in shared experiences with loved ones and in objects. That’s the inspiration behind creating tableware for Z.d.G., this sense of celebrating enduring quality and old-world artisanship, which is what Hubert embraced—elegance, always, with practicality and prudence.
For Hubert this was a family place, and that family includes Ilda, our wonderful cook who grew up here, and the groundskeepers, who live and work here, and his beloved Labradors. It is still very much a family story, which is how we entertain. We love having our siblings, cousins, and close friends here for weekend visits, catching up over long lunches or tea in the orangery when the afternoon light is magical. Though I have always found the word entertaining to be such a contradiction. It implies it’s all for show when actually, it is nothing about show at all. Entertaining is really about authentic human connection, coming together and sharing time and stories with one another. To be together in such a way, in this magical home of ours, is truly a privilege.
—AS TOLD TO STEPHANIE HUNT
Garden Luncheon
For luncheon in the parterre “amid the joyful sounds of birds and sweeping views of the grounds,” Zoë pairs hand-painted plates and linens from her collection with family silver and clipped miniature box hedges.
Tea in the Orangery
The orangery is “the perfect place for tea in the late afternoon light,” says Zoë. The central octagonal table was designed by Hubert, complete with carved wood chairs that cleverly mirror the fruit trees, visible through the door behind. “Everything he did was intended,” says Zoë. “Nothing was an accident.”
Cocktails on the Porch
“This is an unexpectedly wonderful spot for evening drinks, especially with a summer breeze,” says Zoë of the arched terrace adjacent to the courtyard of the château.
Featured in our May/June 2022 issue. Photography by Dylan Thomas; Produced by Rachael Burrow; Styling by Laurence Dougier; Florals by Eric Chauvin.
