Between the medieval villages of Seillans and Bargemon in Provence, we find Centifolia. A three-bedroom country cottage surrounded by olive trees, a vegetable garden and the hills of the Var.
But there is more to its name than its Provençal ring. The land was once used by rose farmers connected to the perfume industry of nearby Grasse. Centifolia takes its name from the Centifolia rose, one of the flowers traditionally grown in this part of France for perfumery.
“The history of Centifolia was something we really wanted to preserve. The land was once home to rose farmers supplying the perfume industry, and we loved the idea of letting that past remain part of the house rather than starting with a blank canvas."
Ellen, Centifolia Provence
Today, the cottage sleeps six and is a place for long lunches, market mornings and afternoons by the pool. We picked five details that make it worth bookmarking.
4 details we love about this Getaway
• A kitchen for people who actually cook
Not the usual holiday-home kitchen with three wine glasses and one blunt knife. Centifolia's open kitchen is properly equipped for cooking and baking, with good cookware, chef's knives, appliances and a collection of cookbooks.
There are linen tablecloths, vintage crockery and serving pieces for setting the table. And if you need ingredients, the surrounding Provençal markets are a good place to start.
• The edible garden
Herbs grow close to the kitchen and guests can pick seasonal produce from the vegetable garden. Ancient olive trees provide shade around the property, including the kind of spot that makes lunch stretch well into the afternoon.
The garden also has a 10-metre swimming pool surrounded by grass. On clear days, you can even catch a glimpse of the Mediterranean in the distance.
• The Centifolia rose
The name of the house is a small clue to the history of the land. Roses were once cultivated here for the perfume industry around Grasse, less than an hour away and known for centuries for its perfume production.
It makes the link with Ajen a particularly fitting one. Today, our botanical body care has a place in the bathrooms and kitchen at Centifolia, in refillable bottles.
“When we discovered Ajen, the connection felt very natural: botanical ingredients, beautiful scents and refillable glass bottles all seemed to belong here.”
Ellen, Centifolia Provence
• Provence just beyond the garden gate
Centifolia sits between Seillans and Bargemon, so there is plenty to do when you eventually leave the pool.
Seillans is officially one of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France: a medieval hilltop village with narrow streets, stone houses and shaded squares. Artists Max Ernst and Dorothea Tanning once lived here. Bargemon is nearby for cafés, a local market and antique shops, while the wider area has vineyards, walking trails and brocante markets.
And for a day by the sea, the Mediterranean coast is within reach too.
Centifolia is the kind of place that gives you plenty to explore, but very little reason to rush. Cook with what you find at the market, pick something from the garden, spend the afternoon by the pool and let dinner run late. Exactly what a Provençal getaway should be.
Discover Centifolia Provence.
