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From Paris to Fontainebleau, they tell their new enchanted life in the countryside

2022-07-03T03:52:00.150Z


Estelle Marandon and Gesa Hansen, journalist and decorator, left Paris for the region of Fontainebleau. From this green getaway and their friendship were born a book entitled Campagne, Pour un nouveau art de vivre and an Instagram account, odes to their new art of living. Like this...


Watching them take cover, shelter from the sun, and rejoice to welcome their friends at brunch time, one could imagine that they have known each other forever.

And yet, the furniture designer and decorator, Gesa Hansen, and the journalist Estelle Marandon, authors of

Campaign, For a new art of living

and duo behind the Countryfication Instagram account, did not meet until 2020.

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They are part of this wave of Parisians who left the capital to live green after confinement.

Roberta Valerio

They are part of this wave of Parisians who left the capital to live green after confinement.

And it is this migration that brought them together.

“I spent confinement with the family, by the sea, explains Estelle Marandon.

And that's when, with my husband, we decided to leave our apartment in the 19th arrondissement for a place not too far from the city, but quieter.

Before starting, however, Estelle wants to talk to someone who has already experienced this life change.

She learns that Gesa Hansen, German like her, has settled near Fontainebleau.

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Take a moment to laugh with Romy and Finn, the children of Gesa, under the loving eye of the dog Racine.

Roberta Valerio

The children of the latter having attended, in Paris, the same school as those of Estelle without them ever having met!

“We bought our house in Courances after the attacks of 2015, says Gesa Hansen.

It was a place to spend a few weekends.

My husband, the children and I finally came there every weekend, we settled there during the first confinement and, in the end, I schooled the children in Fontainebleau and I stayed there.

As I am independent, I telecommute without problem.

Which is also the case for Estelle.

After her conversation with Gesa, Estelle enrolls her children in school in Fontainebleau, visits ten houses in the region in one day, and falls in love with a mill.

The milestone is crossed.

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Estelle Marandon and Gesa Hansen.

Roberta Valerio

Bread and vegetables

“We are part of a social phenomenon, underlines Gesa, hence the idea of ​​the book.

We also realized that we needed to anchor ourselves in this daily life in the countryside by imagining a practical work, testifying with lightness to the evolution of our lifestyles.

Because, both see it, conviviality is greater when there is room to receive.

“In Paris, when there are six of you around a table, you're often cramped, and when there are extra little ones, you don't get along.

Here, it's different, you no longer count the guests!

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The herbs from the small vegetable patch that Gesa Hansen cultivates in her garden, between rosebushes and apple trees, are the additional ingredients that enhance the simple, seasonal dishes served at the brunch table.

Roberta Valerio

And we feel it: in this garden where the scent of roses floats, tribes are welcome and all members can take their place around the long table.

"And when there are too many of us, says Gesa, we have a buffet with wine, cheese platters and large breads."

That day, the cheese and the bread are already in good place, just like an appetizing apricot tart, on the tablecloth, an old linen sheet thrown on the blond wood.

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Zucchini carpaccio, burrata and mint leaves.

Roberta Valerio

It must be said that the bakery, located opposite Gesa's house, gives off a wonderful mouth-watering smell and that the cheese maker in Milly-la-Forêt, a few kilometers away, enjoys a excellent reputation.

“There is also less sophistication in the dishes, they point out.

We cook more simply.”

The Les Jardins de Courances grocery store being very close, Gesa favors prepared vegetables in all forms.

Sunny days are an opportunity to test vegetable recipes twisted by the fresh herbs that grow in your vegetable garden.

Small dishes ideal for brunch that are placed in the middle of the table for everyone to help themselves.

Flea markets and friends

The recipes are presented in a harmony of vintage and contemporary plates, and can be enjoyed with second-hand silverware and Opinel knives.

“Who says more guests, says more dishes to receive.

And that's not a problem, because we have more room to store it,” laughs Estelle.

And, it is true that by exploring the cupboards of Gesa, one is amazed by the old tea and coffee services with obsolete patterns, the pretty carafes, the retro flowery plates, but also by the colored ceramic services of Nicolas Fasano …

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Strawberry toast on a slice of brioche with farmer fromage blanc.

Roberta Valerio

“Living in the countryside, in an old house, is inseparable from antiquing, adds Estelle.

Certainly, we want modern pieces, but associated with others unearthed in flea markets that are in keeping with the spirit of the place.

It adds to the charm.”

Besides, both find that their tastes have changed.

Since their move, they have had an irresistible desire for baskets, are passionate about hiking boots and a more

rural

wardrobe !

But there is no question of skimping on beauty and quality, which can also be found in the choice of their products served for brunch, all seasonal and local.

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They discovered the pleasure of inviting neighbors at the last minute.

Roberta Valerio

They discovered the pleasure of inviting the neighbors at the last minute - moreover, Christine, whose house is adjoining that of Gesa, pushes the door to lend a hand -, of watching the friends take a nap in the grass after the meal, to go for a walk in the forest after the coffee… “In Paris, in one day, you chain an exhibition, a restaurant, shopping.

In the end, you've spent a lot of money and you're stressed.

Here, the walks are free, you have time to devote yourself to others", concludes the pair by finishing cooking a wild asparagus omelet, in a copper pan, a very "

countryfication

" alternative to the traditional scrambled eggs of the brunch.

Country.

For a new art of living,

by Estelle Marandon, Gesa Hansen and Charlotte Huguet, Éditions Flammarion, 208 pages, €24.90.

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2022-07-03

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