ESTATE of GRACE

On the heels of her new collection of garden-inspired tableware, Zoë de Givenchy welcomes guests in the warm tradition of Le Jonchet, her family's 16th-century manor house in the French countryside.

- STEPHANIE HUNT

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.