WHO TO CALL: Community Editor Andrew McCredie Home and Garden Editor Layne Christensen 985-2131 (147) 985-2131 (118) NEWS photo Cindy Goodman ‘GAIL SCHWARZ (left) hopes to one day retire to Les Malagrones, the 19th century French farmhouse she and designer Beverley Newton have lovingly restored over the past several months. pa Automotive...................34 = a Sunshine Girl...............24 | “Jewels Of Spring” | All Season || Long. '@ Options............ sescenneeee BA & TV Listinggs............ sesesereee DO | What's Going On..... : Hummingbirds’ brilliant colors make them the “Jewels of Spring” and you can make them yours all season long. Invite them Co your backyard with a simple mixture af water and sugar in one of the many feeders you'll find at Wild Birds Nature Shop. "Ask us for the simple recipe and tips on attracting the “Jewels” all season long. "Woe Bring Peuple & Nature logether"@ Provencal farmhouse given a facelift HO HASN*T dreamt of escaping the rat race to spend a year in Provence? By Lavue Christensen Community Reporter West Vancouver residents Gail and Peter Schwara made their dream a reality when they purchased a 19th century farmhouse in the Vaneluse region of Provence. On a European jaunt three years ago to visit their kids, who were ona youth orchestra tour, the Schwarzes fell in love with the area. In October 1993 they went back and “made a very rash decision to house hunt. The couple warmed to the first place they looked at ~ a three-storey, [34-year-old stone farmhouse known to villagers as Les Malagrones. Situated on a hectare of land. the property comes complete with olive groves. cherry orchards and a view of the hilltop village Crillon le Brave. It didn’t take fong for the Schwarzes to set about renovating the broken-down structure. An architect was contracted, tradesmen hired — all from the nearby village. West) Van interior designer Beverley: Newton was brought into the fold to help furnish and decorate the interior. Both Newton and Gail Schwarz shuttled) back and forth across: the Atlintic. racking up frequent flyer miles, to supervise renovations. which began fast July. Walls were knocked down, Halian Noor tiles installed. windows added, A scullery was transformed into a bright and airy kitchen equipped for convenience with a coffeemaker und microwave in uddition to top-notch appliances like a chef-worthy French stove with a gas and clectric range. Walls were replastered and deco- rated with period-style hand sten- cilling. Modern-day fixtures were instatled in bathrooms. Schwarz and Newton made day trips to nearby villages to scour the brocante yards and antique shops for Provenge-style furniture and curios. Interesting brocante items (not quite antique, just short of junk) like a Provengal rush-seated chair, rusty light fittings and a birds-nest-filled armoire were scrubbed and painted before being given new life in freshly renovated rooms. Renovations came not without their surprises, notes both Newton and Schwarz. French tradesmen, unaccustomed to the North American sensibility for natural lighting. answered a request for a picture win- dow in the kitchen with a shoe-box- sized hole so high on the wall, you'd have to be 7°2" to took through, recalls Schwarz, with a laugh. Renovations now uearing compte- tion —— an outdoor pool will be installed by May: a fourth-bedroom outfitted by November -—- Schwarz is tooking to fill her rooms with vava- tioners appreciative of the Provenge experience. She wants to make it clear that this isn't one of your run- of-the-mill vacation rental properties. “It's my home.” she explains. “I'm quite content to have just a few people each year.” Still, the house is booked till the end of June and for the month of September. Orders are coming in fast and furious for the summer months — mostly through word of mouth. She's quite content to offer sume- thing different “Is not a budget place. There are plenty of those." But the rates seem quite reasonable, depending on the time of year. If you're travelling in a pack, weekly rates for the entire house are $450 (off-season), $3,000 in August. Singles or couples might want to , take advantage of Bed and Breakfast, offered in summer months, for approximately $100 a night. Phone 922-2449 for more information.