At Home with Rachel Baker

 

As part of our journal stories we invite thoughtful and inspiring creatives to share stories through the lens of home. From town, to countryside or coast, homes are a reflection of our lives, a source of comfort which connect us to special memories, stories and people. Although every story is different, home is at the heart of each one. 

Our next story brings us to the tiny hilltop village of Bonnieux, Provence where we visit Rachel Baker at her beautiful home, Maison Aumône. Surrounded by ancient cobbled streets, rolling hills, vineyards and olive groves, this provencal home is steeped in history and has been lovingly restored and curated to capture its humble past.

Rachel draws inspiration from nature in both her work and home and has built connections to the outside world by layering in natural materials and elements. Original features including old stone walls and wooden beams combine with local brocante finds and unique furnishings, to create a home which exudes character and warmth. Maison Aumône and its surroundings offer an immersive experience for all the senses, a place to embrace a mindful, slower pace of life and cultivate rest and deep connection.

Rachel’s spaces are simple, rustic and nurturing and we do hope you enjoy her wonderful story of home.

RB in bedroom
RB kitchen

 

1. Tell us a little about yourself and your background.

I am a nutrition and lifestyle practitioner, writer, stylist, recipe creator and food photographer. Drawing inspiration from nature and the changing seasons, I create recipes using plant-powered ingredients, along with an evolving and ever-expanding library of wellness resources that I share via the 3 Sources Membership, an online wellness platform that aims to support others to live more optimally using my mind, body, nutrition philosophy interwoven with seasonal rhythms, rituals, classes, and more. This year I also launched À La Carte Club, an ever-expanding digital library of approachable plant-powered recipes to help inspire others to put nutrient-rich, seasonal food on the table.

 

RB food table
RB garden

 

2. Where do you call home and what is it like?

Originally from Bath, England, I now call a hilltop village in Provence, France, home. Built around the 13th century, the building was once used as a hospice for the poor. Something about its story and history really spoke to my heart and inspired and motivated my vision to preserve its original simplicity. The back of the house is built into the rock with a vaulted stone troglodyte, or cave dwelling, which was transformed into an atelier where I dry herbs and blend preparations for my apothecary and, most recently, an area to dye natural linen with plants and roots foraged from the natural surroundings throughout the changing seasons. I am learning the craft of natural dyeing and what it’s teaching me (besides the final result or the beauty of the colours), is to pay attention to nature, to the seasons changing, to the plants around me, and to their properties and the chemistry behind them. It’s also an exercise in patience that involves washing, fixing, gathering plants, extracting pigments, failing or succeeding, becoming more organised, telling stories, being environmentally responsible, and thinking sustainably.

RB washing line
RB linen

3. What does home mean to you?

For me, home is a place of deep nourishment, re-connection and restoration – a place to recalibrate, rest, and revive – a shelter from the busyness of modern day life.

4. How would you describe your aesthetic and style?

An authentic, natural home is important to me and I am drawn to objects with utility and a story. Earthy colours and textures, inspired by nature, along with fresh and dried botanicals, old pottery, and antique linens form the basis of much of my styling.

RB bedroom table
RB fireplace

 

5. Which is your favourite room in your home and why?

Fondly known as ‘Chambre de Luca’ during the second phase of the renovation, it’s a small room that connects to the main bedroom by a pair of antique doors, partially glazed at the top. In the morning and late afternoon the light changes and the rising and setting of the sun is captured and framed in the tiny window above the bed. When Luca, our grandson, comes to stay, he sleeps in this room, close to us as we sleep. It’s a special room and one I now write in each morning as the light streams in. 

RB daybed
RB bed

 

6. How do you choose what to bring into your home?

By staying true to the story and poetry of the space. It takes time and energy sourcing the right objects and pieces for a home, but staying aligned to the vision of what home truly means and how I want to move within it helps me to stay clear on the choices I make. 

RB living room
RB shelf

 

7. Where do you find inspiration for your home?

Nature is my biggest source of inspiration, but often one object, painting, or textile piece will inspire how a small vignette or a whole room will come together. Living in Provence is a constant source of inspiration from the many brocantes and vide greniers in the area, to the people who choose to live here and embrace a slower, more authentic way of living. 

RB foraging
RB cupboard

 

8. Who do you most admire for their sense of style, ethos and aesthetics?

My great grandmother had a wonderful sense of style and her home was a place of refuge; a wonderful mix of dark wood, sepia photos and post-war make do and mend. As a young girl, I have vivid memories of the greengage trees in the orchard, but most especially the jars of jam lined up in her pantry, each one secured with a circle of waxed paper and a rubber band that could only be reached with the aid of some old wooden steps. I can remember picking up windfallen fruit beneath the tree in the orchard, filling my pockets, and hers. I love how the seasons can root me to a sense of place or a sense of time where I explore memories, nostalgia, and meaning. A sense of place, of time – of a journey – is vital for me and this filters into much of my creative work. 

Rachel’s beautiful hilltop home in Provence is available to hire. Learn more on her website and instagram and subscribe to her newsletter to be notified when new dates are released. 

Photography: Joanna MaclennanJamie Beck

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