Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights Laurie Werner is a New York-based writer covering travel and food.Follow AuthorSep 23 12:59pm EDTShareSaveComment@font-face{font-family: "Schnyder"; src: url("https://i.forbesimg.com/assets/fonts/schnyders/schnyders-bold-webfont.woff2") format("woff2") url("https://i.forbesimg.com/assets/fonts/schnyders/schnyders/schnyders-bold-webfont.woff") format("woff"); font-weight: 700; font-style: normal;} @font-face{font-family: "Merriweather"; src: url("https://i.forbesimg.com/assets/fonts/merriweather/merriweather-bold-webfont.woff2") format("woff2") url("https://i.forbesimg.com/assets/fonts/merriweather/merriweather-bold-webfont.woff") format("woff"); font-weight: 700; font-style: normal;} @font-face{font-family: "Euclid"; src: url("https://i.forbesimg.com/assets/fonts/euclidcircularb/euclidcircularb-bold-webfont.woff2") format("woff2") url("https://i.forbesimg.com/assets/fonts/euclidcircularb/euclidcircularb-bold-webfont.woff") format("woff"); 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the rest of the property opened in mid-September The layout of the new country retreat Abbaye des Vaux-de-Cernay centered around a 12th century abbey De Castellane’s designs were influenced by the history of the estate including its restoration and layout plan by Baroness Charlotte de Rothschild She also found it full of secrets (one secret: during the wartime German occupation the statues from Versailles were hidden in the forest surrounding the estate) The grand rooms were designed to frame their grandeur without making them too fussy; the 145 rooms and suites located in the abbey the former stable yard and three individual pavilions are individually decorated in an overall scheme of traditional but fresh country charm The terrace of the gourmet restaurant Les Chasses the section that opened two weeks ago in a secluded densely wooded section of the estate a five-minute drive or 15 minute walk away from the main building is a compound of four buildings containing 39 rooms in a similar style of bucolic charm is prime for an exclusive takeover with five bedrooms a terra cotta tiled kitchen and dining room All guests of La Ferme have access to the facilities of the abbey and a shuttle is available to transport them back and forth The outdoor pool at Abbaye des Vaux-de-Cernay Since the property is designed as a four-season hideaway there are activities for each part of the year among them fishing or pedal boating on the lake in the warmer months yoga and a visit with the animals on the farm Wellness activities include group coaching sound meditations and a range of facial and body treatments in the seven treatment rooms of the spa There’s also a comprehensive kids’ club for ages 5-12 (Plus a spa treatment menu tailored for those ages.) the culinary aspect of the estate is highly developed located in the former Rothschild hunting lodge features dishes such as langoustines with savoy cabbage in a sabayon sauce beef filet with foie gras jus and summer truffles and an elite cheese selection; Le Réfectoire des Moines serves an elaborate breakfast and brunch in the vast wood paneled refectory; L’Auberge is a relaxed casual country bistro open from Friday-Monday for dinner and Sunday and Monday for lunch featuring dishes such as roasted free range chicken and grilled tuna with sauce Vierge La Trattoria di Bambini located in La Ferme with a menu composed of antipasti pizzas and a few main courses also open for lunch on the weekends and dinner from Thursday to Sunday La Suite de la Baronne named for one of the estate's previous owners Baroness Charlotte de Rothschild There are also two bars and each includes a nod to history James’ Bar is named for Baroness Charlotte de Rothschild’s brother; Betty’s Bar in La Ferme is named for her mother a friend of artists known for entertaining But Charlotte also gets her due throughout the estate including her namesake suite La Suite de la Baronne the estate’s most prestigious with Baroque moldings wood paneling and a panoramic view: the sweep of the property from the lake to the church as the Baroness would have seen it France’s great and good are flocking to a recently renovated medieval country estate just outside of Paris The French like to keep the English at arm’s length Our use of unregulated longbows in 1415 has led to a vehement rejection of the English language (the Académie Française continue to lead a fierce assault on the integrity of French) cooking à l'anglaise — leathery meat and soggy puddings — is considered a crime against humanity and let’s face it the naming of the English Channel is enough to encourage even the most diplomatic of satirists to depict us as boorish misshapen rosbifs we have an ace buried in our hand of English eccentricities: the tradition of the country-house weekend; a private party in a grand — often crumbling — country pile surrounded by the very essence of English decoration a style described by Ben Pentreath as being ‘endlessly obsessed by class at the same time as utterly professing not to be’ (‘A sense of place and time’ The straightforward shooting weekend so very favoured by Edward VII the chic set of the 16th arrondissement — the ‘Belgravia’ of Paris — escaped the city by decamping to Versailles (bien sûr) the Loire Valley or to the coastal communities of Normandy only a 45-minute drive from Gare du Nord or 30-minute TER railway ride from Montparnasse this 12th-century Cistercian abbey endured until the French Revolution after which the religious community was dissolved in 1791 the ruin was purchased by Baroness Charlotte de Rothschild Baron Nathaniel — settled in Paris after her husband was left half-paralysed following a riding accident on the hunting field (Image credit: Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay)(Image credit: Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay)(Image credit: Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay)(Image credit: Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay)(Image credit: Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay)A prolific patron of the arts and an accomplished watercolourist in her own right the Baroness stabilised the ruins and commissioned the Rothschild family architect Félix Langlais to restore the 17th-century building with interiors emulating the chapterhouse and adding a stable block to the estate to house a string of fine thoroughbreds Classified as monument historique in 1926 and fully protected in 1994 the thick stone walls of this monastic palace whisper with tales of the past — from the sacred St Thibault fountain the waters of which are said to have helped Margaret of Provence and King Louis IX conceive 11 children — to the secret passageways that concealed (yet to be found) treasures taken from the Palace of Versailles during the German occupation of the Second World War Exuding both Arcadian tranquillity and a wealth of cultural richness L’Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay was an irresistible acquisition in 2020 for high-octane luxury hospitality group After two and a half years of sensitive refurbishment this time to a new cult of worshippers that include Jacquemus Eva Longoria and fashion house Louis Vuitton among its congregation the Paris Society’s director of hotel projects explains that the Abbaye sits at the level of historic significance and preservation requirements just below that of Versailles Working with a historical monument was certainly ‘challenging’ but necessary to ‘preserve the patrimony of L’Abbaye’ admitting the building will endure ‘longer than any of us’ (Image credit: Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay)(Image credit: Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay)(Image credit: Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay)(Image credit: Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay)(Image credit: Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay)The appeal of L’Abbaye lies in the way that its unrestrained French Rothschild intensity of decoration and furnishing has been enhanced by an enthusiastic arbiter of le style Anglais: Dior Maison’s creative director bold floral wallpapers and cutesy chintz are complemented by exquisite dark-wood panelling marble fireplaces and rattan furniture; tartan plaid and Chesterfield sofas are offset by leopard-print carpets; Pierre Frey toile de Jouy and William Morris wallpaper vie for attention amid the objets d’art volumes of coffee-table tomes and sumptuous floor-length curtains Reassuringly expensive Penhaligon’s scent — on my visit grapefruit and sandalwood blend of ‘Halfeti’ — wafts through the corridors and permeates from the plentiful supply of toiletries provided No two rooms are alike and the integrity of the building pleasingly overrides the convenience of the guest — some rooms don’t have showers and there’s certainly no air conditioning — but this only adds to the old world l’art de vivre and undoubtedly ensures a European sort of clientele Breakfast is taken in the Le Réfectoire des Moines — a magnificent Hogwarts-esque dining hall with soaring vaulted ceilings and chandeliers; L’Auberge is the spot for a relaxed farm-to-fork French dining; and beneath the mediaeval arches of James’s Bar The pièce de résistance is Les Chasses — once the Rothschild’s trophy room and now a riot of plush velvet Bernardaud porcelain and brass hunting horns — which serves game and seafood in a style not dissimilar to Wiltons and most recently featured in an episode of Emily in Paris activities range from boating and bicycling Agnes Stamp travelled by Eurostar from St Pancras International to Gare du Nord The latest addition to the estate is la Ferme — a bucolic 38-room rambling farmyard residence ideal for families (and anyone who wants to embody their inner Marie Antoinette and cosplay as a shepherdess among the chickens elevated and the first of its kind — the Gallic equivalent of Estelle Manor meets Soho Farmhouse — L’Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay is a majestic weekend retreat that is auspiciously English in feel do as the French do — make a pilgrimage to L’Abbaye Rooms at L’Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay start from €300. Agnes StampAgnes has worked for Country Life in various guises — across print digital and specialist editorial projects — before finally finding her spiritual home on the Features Desk Martins College of Art & Design she has worked on luxury titles including GQ and Wallpaper* and has written for Condé Nast Contract Publishing She is currently writing a book about dogs due to be published by Rizzoli New York in September 2025 Posted in Projects on 7 November From a 12th-century Cistercian abbey to a Rothschild summer mansion, this storied estate has seen it all. Now, under the vision of Paris’ most stylish hospitality group, it steps boldly into its golden era. Paris Society is the creative force behind some of the most fashionable venues in Paris Renowned for cultivating an atmosphere of understated sophistication paired with exceptional cuisine in iconic settings envisioned by the industry’s leading designers it’s little surprise that their spaces have become favoured haunts of Hollywood’s elite and the ultimate destinations for Fashion Week afterparties With over 70 celebrated locations for dining this hospitality group has seemingly mastered the art of entertaining with the full backing of Accor following its acquisition of the group in 2022 and Paris Society continues to proliferate making its mark both in Paris and internationally Paris Society made its hotel debut with the Philippe Starck-designed Villa M near Gare de Paris-Montparnasse featuring an eye-catching eight-storey living façade Then there’s also Le Refuge de Solaise in Val d’Isere boasts one of Europe’s highest-altitude hotels alongside a Gigi restaurant outpost As if these impressive ventures were just an amuse-bouche Paris Society founder Laurent de Gourcuff – who was a pioneer in organising parties in his younger days and was just 22 years old when he opened his first nightclub near the Champs-Elysees in 2008 – set his sights on what he recalls would be “without doubt the most ambitious project I’ve ever tackled.” Following a €60million four-year restoration of the second most important listed historic monument in France after Le Chateau de Versailles L’Abbaye des Vaux-de-Cernay opened its doors as a Paris Society hotel before 2023 was up L’Abbaye des Vaux-de-Cernay was originally founded as a 12th century Cistercian abbey Nestled within the Chevreuse Regional Natural Park just a 45-minute drive from central Paris (or a short two hours more from London by Eurostar) this historic landmark-turned-hotel has been many places for many people Originally founded as a 12th century Cistercian abbey it came to life with a devout community and was even rumoured to have welcomed royalty drawn to its reputedly fertile springs nearly falling to ruin by the late 19th century before being salvaged by the illustrious Charlotte de Rothschild – whose romantic vision enlivened the property with some of its most cherished and beautifully preserved features today Slightly less glamourous than serving as the summer mansion of a Baroness the venue also bears a brief history as a hiding place for statues from the Palace of Versailles during the German occupation in World War II albeit one that adopted a more traditional approach to transforming a historic site into a hospitality venue – resembling a museum more than a welcoming retreat having long fantasised about creating a French country hotel inspired by the joy that visits to his own country house brought him a 13th century farmhouse an hour from Paris on the banks of the Eure that gave me the desire to make an XXL version of it I immediately knew that this was where this project would come to life It had been my dream to offer our customers the most beautiful country hotel less than an hour from Paris allowing them to extend the Paris Society experience right down to the hotel.” L’Abbaye des Vaux-de-Cernay possesses a unique gravitas somewhat best described as ‘Soho Farmhouse meets Hogwarts meets Gleneagles.’ It’s a millennial’s dream escape with a certain je ne sais quoi that any British equivalent might struggle to emulate Perhaps that elusive charm comes courtesy of Cordélia de Castellane – Artistic Director of Baby Dior and Dior Maison – who envisioned the abbey’s transformation into its latest “The Abbaye des Vaux-de-Cernay is one of the most beautiful things I have seen in my life,” de Castellane says This is what I wanted to convey through the decoration and artistic direction of the project.” Throughout and animal prints collide against a backdrop of neogothic architecture creating a contemporary twist on classic country-house style that honours the abbey’s medieval heritage de Castellane reveals her love of layered motifs imbuing the spaces with a refined elegance and inviting intimacy Drawing inspiration from the site’s rich history you can endlessly wander from one space to another The eclectic mix of pattern creates a visual feast telling stories of the past while weaving new narratives The presence of French craftsmanship is evident at every turn with collaborations from some of the world’s most renowned Maisons Maison Pierre Frey for fabrics and wallpaper De Castellane also lent her artistic touch hand-sketching designs for fabrics and wallpapers adorned with woodland animals in the charming toile de Jouy style The heart of the hotel undoubtedly resides in the abbey’s manor house where a series of lounges beneath grand vaulted ceilings unfold on the ground floor you can ask for French fries without fear of judgement – instead they’ll arrive in Paris Society style presented with all the ceremony of a wedding cake Les Chasses celebrates the finest seasonal produce offering traditional and elegant cuisine as an ode to the Rothschild family’s hunting heritage surrounded by decor reminiscent of a stylish stately manor house earning its Hogwarts comparisons with soaring architecture and medieval grandeur guests can enjoy breakfast banquets and indulgent brunches and gingham tablecloths set the scene for a rustic dinners alive with the buzz of boisterous conversation Upstairs at the manor house lie the grandest 55 of the estate’s 146 guestrooms and suites each brimming with unique character and charm antique boiserie with fabric-wrapped panels and vast windows offering sublime views across the estate you’ll find classic light switches – no smart control panels in sight La suite de la Baronne is the fairest of them all – said to have been Charlotte de Rothschild’s personal wing it has the most exquisite wood panelling and baroque cornices that follow through to the boudoir and marble bathroom beyond bikes provided) across the drive brings you to Les Haras – the Rothschild-era stud-farm stables now transformed to house 47 guestrooms and suites along with the estate’s spa and wellness facilities in partnership with Tata Harper With their turrets and central feature fountain these stables exude more fairytale than farmyard the gabled roofs offer a cosier sleeping experience than the abbey’s manor house and at a more accessible price point for those keen to take in everything the estate has to offer Restaurants offer traditional and elegant cuisine as an ode to the Rothschild family’s hunting heritage La Ferme is the latest addition and a highlight of L’Abbaye des Vaux-de-Cernay Situated a little further along the estate past the boating lake and through a charming woodland one might easily mistake it for a hidden hamlet The flint stone buildings of La Ferme house the last 38 rooms La Trattoria – a down-to-earth Italian restaurant and Betty’s Bar – a cosy retreat for fireside gatherings and quiet moments of comfort all set against a charming animal farm where goats vie for attention and chickens roam freely Having previously designed CoCo at the Opera Garnier for Paris Society Corinne Sachot was once again enlisted to imbue La Ferme with its own distinct character featuring elegant hangings by Colefax and Fowler and exquisite wickerwork from the Gard region crafted by the VIME workshop L’Abbaye des Vaux-de-Cernay is now a haven where Paris’s bright young things – little families in tow – come to play Thanks to the ever-so-chic Kids Club (crafted in collaboration with Tartine et Chocolat) seeming to only surface for their daily dose of chocolat chaud at le goûter – the French version of afternoon tea It’s not every day a hotel opens that offers everything a guest could ever want without spreading itself too thin Even rarer is a retreat like L’Abbaye des Vaux-de-Cernay promising a fresh experience and a new tale from its eventful 900-year history with each visit where else can you stay in a former Rothschild mansion secure a reservation at one of Paris Society’s acclaimed restaurants and frolic in a setting reimagined by one of Dior’s artistic directors – all at the same time in the middle of a former farm converted into a disconnected hotel boasts large bay windows and a pretty terrace ideal for lunch in the sun or letting the kids run around with hanging wicker baskets and lampshades providing a cosy atmosphere in the evening The light-filled dining room features a fireplace an old-fashioned counter and a bread oven where wood-fired pizzas are prepared the restaurant features authentic Italian cuisine with a focus on sharing and simplicity tomato-mozzarella arancini and vitello tonnato Pasta lovers will delight in mafaldine with truffle or trofie with pistachio pesto From the classic Margherita to the Tartufo with truffle cream Neapolitan doughnuts and homemade gelati bring the meal to a sweet close with a dedicated menu including pizza or rigatoni accompanied by chocolate doughnuts or ice cream the atmosphere is enhanced by the presence of a guitarist adding a musical touch to the culinary experience In short, if you're looking for an Italian restaurant in the Yvelines, in a natural and historic setting, Trattoria di Bambini at theAbbaye des Vaux-de-Cernay could well appeal to you We're on the higher end of the price scale here Although we weren't completely convinced by the pasta the pizza was really delicious and the tiramisu very tasty This test was conducted as part of a professional invitation Refer your establishment, click herePromote your event, click here FranceChevron Ile-de-FranceChevron An enchanting escape an hour south of Paris mixing medieval and Neo-Gothic French architecture and enough indoor and outdoor activities to keep singles and families entertained for days This former Cistercian abbey from the 12th century has been transformed into a luxury hotel-spa, inspired by Gleneagles in Scotland and Soho Farmhouse in the Cotswolds It also helps that the property has all the activities you could want in one place guests can even request a tutor to help children with their homework and pick up fresh produce from a local fruit and vegetable truck that operates each Sunday the property has already found a loyal fan base among young well-heeled families from the region (furry friends included) and European couples in search of a romantic hideaway Cozy up on a plush sofa or in one of the club armchairs in the Nathaniel salon decked out with a leopard-print carpet and tartan walls and you’ll cross paths with multi-generational households playing backgammon and thirty-something newlyweds sipping tea or wine with their noses stuck in a book The legend of the estate itself is responsible for much of the property’s appeal (and explains the storytelling guests hear firsthand from staff on-site) founded in 1147 and abandoned during the French Revolution was acquired by Baroness Charlotte de Rothschild at the end of the 19th century who revived the sleeping beauty and made it her summer home It’s thanks to her that the main door of the abbey dwelling and later her grandson Baron Henri de Rothschild who inherited and modernized the estate can be credited for the series of vast neogothic salons under vaulted ceilings that honor a medieval past Among the 12th century vestiges that give the property its character are ruins from the abbey’s church façade and the chapter house next to the main 17th-century manor house Among the striking features that remain from the Rothschild-era are the stud-farm stables the property was occupied by the Germans and changed hands numerous times before Laurent de Gourcuff founder and President of the Paris Society hospitality group—known for its nightclubs and slick and sceney restaurants—happened on the site in 2019 and invested nearly $65 million to revive it That required restoring the buildings themselves and interior decorator and the artistic director of Baby Dior and Dior Maison whose penchant for mixed motifs and English style is clear in every corner of the property It’s equal parts French-British country manor meets Downton Abbey with elements of Hogwarts thrown in—all to harmonious and inviting effect such as grand hallways and salons (and there are many to choose from) and the more than 100 guest rooms and suites divided among the manor house (which they call L’Abbaye) and former stables de Castellane played up 19th century country style You’ll find floral and toiles de Jouy fabrics from Pierre Frey and antique furnishings and decorative details (as well as those that are only antique-appearing) None are identically designed and some come equipped with bathtubs instead of showers But each feature only a few contemporary elements like flat screen TVs book the standalone Pagode perched above the lake that accommodates two (Two other private pavilions like the Pagode are currently in the works) set up in a farmhouse currently under renovation.Food and drink This has long been The Paris Society’s bread and butter—enjoyable but largely unchallenging food that can appeal to a wide audience with multiple options on-site at various price points an elegant restaurant housed in the Rothschild’s former trophy room that’s billed as a more upscale option and is great for a more intimate meal; L’Auberge where diners sit elbow-to-elbow and the volume rises long before the live music kicks off after 11 p.m.; and the James Bar where guests can access a short menu of bar snacks (like a Croque Monsieur and a mountainous platter of crispy fries) Guests also get access to the daily goûter which takes over a huge wooden farm table in one of the lounges that is covered with tea cakes But the most photo-worthy and experiential space is the soaring Hogwarts-hall looking chapter house where breakfast is served daily for guests and a massive brunch buffet fit for royalty is run on Saturdays and Sundays (For an extra fee; this experience is also open to non-hotel clients) the spa features treatments with Tata Harper skincare and a heated outdoor pool that must be reserved in advance in one-hour time slots If the pool seems curiously small given the grounds keep in mind that the landmarked status of the estate meant that no new structures could be built Whether at reception, along the lake, or in restaurants, staff here are attentive and warm. The James Bar staff can easily become overwhelmed at mealtime but they are kind and accommodating. For families It’s hard to find a property in the entire Paris region better suited for families, given the abundance of outdoor options and kid-focused activities. Even dogs are welcome (although not in Les Chasses or L’Auberge restaurants). There are elevators, accessible rooms, and motorized vehicles for guests who need assistance accessing various parts of the estate. Electricity may have been rewired throughout the property but understandably, that did not include the addition of air conditioning. European travelers are unlikely to be bothered by this but AC-loving American visitors should take particular note. Fans and mosquito-repellant sprays for guest rooms are in the works for the summer season, but if a freezing room is a non-negotiable for you as you travel, you may want to reconsider staying here. All listings featured on Condé Nast Traveler are independently selected by our editors. If you book something through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission. up-to-the-minute voice in all things travel Condé Nast Traveler is the global citizen’s bible and muse We understand that time is the greatest luxury which is why Condé Nast Traveler mines its network of experts and influencers so that you never waste a meal or a hotel stay wherever you are in the world In this feature, first published in 2015, David Jenkins questioned if peace had finally come to Jamie Blandford…and what sort of man he is Rupert Everett's conversation and prose is as seductive as his stage presence. And the show goes on, with a new book, film and role in Emily in Paris. Delilah Khomo catches up with the greatest wit of our time Founded by monks in 1118, the abbey was rescued from ruin by Baroness Charlotte de Rothschild in 1874, before its reinvention as a hotel In the former stables, a Chambre Cosy is decorated with toile de Jouy fabrics In the May 2019 issue of Tatler, David Jenkins wrote about the 365 days that had passed since Meghan Markle’s marriage to Prince Harry. Now, many of the anecdotes of courtier gossip and fall outs with friends ring resoundingly true He's Time's Person of the Year and the next President of the United States. She is a former small-time Slovenian fashion model who rose to wear the mantle of First Lady. On the eve of the US presidential election back in 2020, friends, DC insiders and Melania herself gave Ben Judah the inside track… Find inner peace in the spa with sound baths and the signature Mythique massage Saving the best for last is the monks’ refectory, an 80-metre-long room with Hogwartian gothic vaulting lit by flickering candelabras, which elevates breakfast to a whole new level. If only Henry VIII hadn’t dissolved so many of our sceptred isle’s ecclesiastical wonders, hospitality titan Sharan Pasricha may very well have been able to create an Estelle Abbey. This feature was first published in full in the September 2024 issue of Tatler The TimesYou can’t put a price on true love but When friends ask me to recommend somewhere for a weekend away to celebrate a landmark anniversary their upper limit is £500 a night usually with the menacing rider that the hotel had better be “really These romantic fools clearly only have eyes for their beloved because they can’t have studied hotel rates recently properties that only just scrape into the “sort of special” category often charge north of £500 and that’s not including breakfast It’s getting tricky to suggest anywhere in such classic sweetheart destinations as Paris or Venice that would meet that budget and not result in bitter disappointment and me cited in the divorce papers So as my car sweeps down the drive of L’Abbaye des Vaux-de-Cernay France’s sizzling-hot new country estate an hour southwest of Paris In this sleepy hollow of the Chevreuse Valley have I found the foolproof answer when next faced with this question A misty ridge of ancient oak and pine in the untamed Rambouillet National Forest provides a suitably come-hither backdrop I scarcely take in this luscious landscape before being distracted by the honey-stoned façade of L’Abbaye Originally a 12th-century Cistercian monastery romantic gable roofs and swathes of pea-green parkland which it wears like an heiress might an Hermès shawl L’Abbaye’s mint-hued boating lake is an idyllic spot for couplesRatcheting up the feelgood factor L’Abbaye is dramatically bookended on one side by the ivy-clad ruins of the medieval church after which it is named which has a rose window to rival York Minster’s and on the other by the minty waters of its boating lake which ripple invitingly as I watch couples row And if you read “row” as “argue” rather than the thing you do with oars don’t wait for your anniversary — you need to get here immediately to save your relationship I run through what I know about the estate Once an important place of pilgrimage and now a historic monument the monastery was wrecked during the French Revolution then rescued in the 1870s by Baroness Charlotte de Rothschild The socialite sensitively restored and extended the property as a summer residence in which to entertain the likes of Édouard Manet and Georges Bizet Fast forward to the present day and the estate has abandoned the holy trinity in favour of a hedonistic triumvirate headed by Laurent de Gourcuff De Gourcuff is the French capital’s king of “eatertainment” including the recent revamp of the legendary Maxim’s Since Soho Farmhouse opened in the Cotswolds in 2015 de Gourcuff has been on a mission to create a French version of this A-lister country playground His hunt for the perfect site came to an end in 2020 when he bought this 185-acre estate and set about plotting its transformation with the help of Cordelia de Castellane artistic director of Dior Maison and Baby Dior the group behind the brilliant reinvention of Gleneagles Some 185 acres of parkland and forest surround the estateThe estate has two hotels: L’Abbaye which opened last autumn and instantly became the weekend escape for well-heeled residents of the 7th arrondissement I don’t get further than L’Abbaye’s reception before I know this place is going to be as jaw-droppingly fabulous as it should be given the power players involved over the centuries • 10 new reasons to visit the French Riviera I send up thanks to the monks for the hotel’s gothic glamour Almost every ceiling is vaulted and every inch adorned with exquisite ecclesiastical stone carvings And chapeau off to the de Rothschilds for the conversion of the abbot’s quarters into a series of delightful sitting rooms and the addition of a super-cute courtyard stables now converted into a spa heated outdoor pool and accommodation wing But mainly I’m in awe of de Castellane’s joyful maximalist mood board She has conjured a kaleidoscope of clashing colours and styles into witty interiors that are undeniably French yet inveigled with English eccentricity Thoroughly British William Morris wallpapers square up to furnishings by the luxury French house Pierre Frey leopard-print carpets take on oriental rugs perky ikat textiles wrestle with sombre tartans and antique sofas in flirty florals and vampish velvets go head to head with clubby chestnut leather chesterfields Each of the hotel’s 55 bedrooms have been individually designedNot only has de Castellane individually and immaculately decorated L’Abbaye’s 55 bedrooms –comprising the 47 in Les Haras (The Stables) and three self-contained cottages sleeping up to six –she has also given every nook cranny and corridor its own Instagrammable personality too The Music Room’s elaborate fireplace looks like the hunker-down spot for wintry afternoons or idle evenings tickling the ivories of its grand piano a nod to the baroness who was an accomplished musician (mind you if I’d had Chopin as my teacher … just saying) James’ Bar has a flamboyant feather-boa chandelier and French windows leading onto a dreamy terrace for spring and summer drinks overlooking the old church’s skeletal remains Decked out in tartan (someone’s geography teacher wasn’t so good then) and embellished wooden dados it has the best seat in the house as de Castellane has repositioned the renovated organ in a gilded alcove with snuggle-up sofas It’s a soulful hideaway for my wickedly rich lunchtime croque jambon et truffe (£21) A scene from the hit show Emily in Paris filmed at the retreatSTEPHANIE BRANCHU/NETFLIXI have a fine time people-watching chic Parisiennes many of whom barely weigh more than their Birkin bags and snake-hipped young men who’ve adopted Hugh Grant’s much-missed floppy fringe I can’t decide which is the bigger fashionista endorsement the fact that both Chanel and LVMH are holding corporate jollies during my stay (though no handbags-at-dawn scenarios or that it was hastily written into the latest season of the hit Netflix rom-com Emily in Paris nestling in beside landmark locations such as Sacré-Coeur and Claude Monet’s Giverny home L’Abbaye’s restaurant Les Chasses appears in series four when Camille takes Gabriel here for a heart-to-heart The dining room makes an appropriately theatrical stage set for this over-the-top show It was formerly the de Rothschilds’ hunting room and the trophies have been replaced by mounted French horns exuberant floral displays and an intimate forest-green colour palette every element is layered with cute touches slides out a ledge built into the seat of my antique chair on which to rest my handbag My gazpacho with hazelnuts and burrata (£21) and the ensuing chicken drizzled with summer truffle and yellow wine sauce (£34) Camille and Gabriel don’t stay; thankfully I do and am treated to my most memorable hotel breakfast ever It is held in an extraordinary Hogwarts of a hall curved salmon pink banquette and enthusiastically sample the generous buffet of croissants an equally epic invitation to develop diabetes with a huge spread that includes dainty madeleines glistening fruit tarts and even a waffle cart an amazing gaming arcade and a 47-seat cinema are also complimentary The dining room is appropriately theatricalBreakfast is included in the room rateIf my friends’ heads haven’t popped up Rooms in the stables are from £210 B&B and include that awesome afternoon tea albeit for the admittedly accurately named Tiny category but these midget gems are lavishly decorated with toile de Jouy fabrics and floral tapestries with even fancier fabrics and original features even if the bathrooms are on the poky side my massage was a little underwhelming and service • 13 of the best things to do in France If there are three or more of you in the relationship although I suspect families will prefer the informality of the estate’s latest opening It is a collection of characterful agricultural buildings about a 20-minute walk or five-minute buggy shuttle from the main house La Ferme guests have the same complimentary access to activities as well as sharing a super-sweet kids’ club and adventure playground with the L’Abbaye This new property has a more laid-back homespun look by the in-demand interior designer Corinne Sachot given gravitas by their wormy exposed beams and warming open fires There’s a small games room and a jolly trattoria decorated with wicker baskets and old-fashioned earthenware Its two-course children’s menus include pizza or pasta My aubergine parmigiana (£13.50) and bowl of rigatoni with tomato and stracciatella cheese (£17) were welcomely autumnal though some grown-ups may be puzzled that there are only Italian wines with charming Colefax and Fowler’s artichoke fabric wall coverings jaunty striped curtains and botanical prints there’s a petting farm for youngsters to get up close and personal with goats as children can collect eggs from the coop is that August is low season because the Parisians flee south to roast on the French Riviera then So when friends come to me for some divine inspiration for their next holiday Susan d’Arcy was a guest of L’Abbaye des Vaux-de-Cernay which has B&B doubles from £185 at La Ferme and £210 at La’Abbaye including afternoon tea (abbayedesvauxdecernay.com) Keep an eye out for deer on the hiking trailsALAMY1 Ramble in the RambouilletA favourite day out for sporty Parisians the Rambouillet National Forest has 34,500 acres of oak and pine woods The area is crisscrossed with hiking trails and horse riding routes where visitors might spot fallow Long before Bolero was a twinkle in Torvill and Dean’s eye this one-movement orchestral work was delighting the good folk of Montfort-l’Amaury and the place where Maurice Ravel composed his most famous piece is now a museum and looks much as it did when he died in 1937 (£9; montfortlamaury.fr) The Palace of Versailles is another unmissable 30-minute foray from Cernay Built as a wildly over-the-top monument to the power and prestige of the Sun King its opulent state rooms and gardens make it one of France’s top tourist attractions (from £17; chateauversailles.fr) Become a subscriber and along with unlimited digital access to The Times and The Sunday Times you can enjoy a collection of travel offers and competitions curated by our trusted travel partners Sign up for our Times Travel newsletter and follow us on Instagram and X nestled in the grounds of this historic estate Since the reopening of the Abbaye in October 2023 this place steeped in history has never ceased to surprise the experience continues with a confidential address designed for families and lovers of peace and nature We swap the hustle and bustle of Paris for country-style rooms with a rustic soul gourmet meals and encounters with animals in a setting inspired by country houses The decor by Corinne Sachot - who also designed CoCo at the Opéra Garnier - transforms each building into a poetic refuge We marvel at the English wall hangings by Colefax and Fowler or the vintage earthenware that adorns the walls as if in childhood memories and the decor makes us feel at home in the family residence all you want to do is explore the estate and its occupants What really makes this address so great is the back-to-the-farm feel and children and grown-ups alike run to pet the little goats cross paths with the donkeys and wander among the free-range chickens that peck away at their eggs allow us to reconnect with what's essential is the place to enjoy generous Italian cuisine we share pasta and pizzas made by hand under a giant wicker basket chandelier Please note that each reservation includes a gourmet breakfast It also includes a buffet snack served in the Trattoria (except on Thursdays welcomes you all day long in three lounges for a piano aperitif or a drink by the fire you can also opt for the huge open-air terrace in the heart of the farmhouse a cosy games room adds a playful touch to the experience table soccer and board games await young and old in a woodsy perfect for prolonging evenings with family or friends And since a stay at the farm also gives you access to the entire Domaine de l'Abbaye You can borrow one of the bicycles provided take a walk in the shade of the forest to reach the Abbey This address is aimed at a more affluent clientele or those looking for an exceptional experience to mark the occasion Prices vary according to the day and month Join our VIP Club for exclusive giveaways and members only events MONDRIAN GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA You are likely familiar with the Mondrian brand – the group has hotels in London Mondrian is bringing its world-class architecture experiences and service to Australia in early 2025 Located on the Gold Coast’s Burleigh Beach it will put a new spin on beachfront hospitality From coastal Italian cuisine and surf-to-plate seafood to classic bites at the property’s lively pool club its two bars and restaurants are hoping to offer the best of Burleigh’s dining scene And what Mondrian hotel is complete without a new-age spa modern aesthetic and muted palette nodding to life by the sea LA FERME, ABBAYE DES VAUX-DE-CERNAY, FRANCE Abbaye des Vaux-de-Cernay – a storied 12th-century Cistercian abbey which overlooks a large park on the banks of the Eure – reopened as a country house hotel the €60 million (AU$97 million) restoration marries the spirit of a rural British estate with the refined Gallic elegance typical of its owners Busy wallpapers adorn much of the interiors of the 147 rooms and its restaurants Located just 45 minutes outside of Paris (and a 20-minute drive from Rambouillet train station) in the short time it’s been operating Abbaye des Vaux-de-Cernay has become known as the ideal country escape the bucolic estate enlisted Corinne Sachot – whose work includes the iconic CoCo at the Opéra Garnier – and opened La Ferme a new accommodation offering hidden in the Abbaye’s 75 acres Inspired by generations of Rothschilds who once called the Domaine home La Ferme boasts 38 bedrooms and encourages its guests to help care for the chickens goats and donkeys that populate the surrounding meadows and fields While it’s a world away from anything really the cosy little farmhouses are just a five-minute buggy ride to the main property we suggest visiting the ever festive L’Auberge restaurant which touts live music on weekends and offers a country bistro menu homemade fries and a delectable vanilla crème brûlée for dessert A woodlands hideaway never sounded so luxe CONRAD SINGAPORE ORCHARD, SOUTH EAST ASIA At the new Conrad Singapore Orchard – a redux of the city-state’s old regent property – a ‘Sleep To Wake Ritual’ is on the menu Transforming the traditional turndown service into one that goes beyond a pair of slippers beside the bed the offering invites guests to immerse themselves in an in-room guided sound bath and attend a morning intention session by the pool It’s one of many guest experiences which anchor the property’s objective of building an oasis of mindful living Conrad Singapore Orchard is enormous and is located smack bang in the middle of the bustling entertainment and retail district of Orchard Road The hotel recently underwent a transformation with biophilia at the core of the design ethos conscientiously drawing the surrounding nature into the atrium hotel floor-to-ceiling windows attract natural light into the rooms the hotel is accented by potted tropical trees and prints of native flora by Singaporean artists are seen throughout Singapore’s prime minister vowed to turn his metropolis into a ‘garden city’ almost half of Singapore’s land is covered in green space – and a lot of hotels and restaurants have adopted this nature-inspired-living approach While Singapore is a popular layover destination for many Australians Conrad Singapore Orchard might entice you to stay longer than 24 hours Did we mention the ‘Edible Garden Walk’ at the nearby botanical gardens which was lauded among the world’s best bars The latter might not be part of the ‘Sleep To Wake Ritual’ but maybe you could skip it just one night OKU ANDALUSIA, SPAIN OKU Andalusia is the first of OKU Hotels’ new ‘family collection’ Taking the brand’s signature style – think modern minimalist bohemian design coupled with a beachside flair – and translating it for families the property will focus on looking after the kids Located on a sandy strip of beach with views to Gibraltar and North Africa the chic kids’ club will cater for babies though to 12 years old with a range of holistic activities plus tennis camps There’s even a separate space for teenagers by the beach and an adults-only beach club for when you’re not relaxing by your own pool in your villa or suite including the Mediterranean-inspired To Kima OKU Andalusia will be a paradise for wellness enthusiasts housing a serene 200-square-metre hillside spa which will include an indoor swimming pool While OKU’s Ibiza and Kos locations are incredible Andalusia – with its three beautiful infinity pools terraced on the hillside wine and brandy – is the one travel insiders are talking about SIX SENSES LONDON, UK The highly anticipated opening of Six Senses London promises 109 guest rooms and suites various dining destinations and a mind-blowing Six Senses Spa the brand will also debut a private member’s club called Six Senses Place a restaurant and wellness and treatment rooms in a space reminiscent of an old-fashioned London Underground station the Six Senses Spa journey will mirror the different energies of city life from the sensory stimulation and movement of the street to the stillness and calm of a quiet café or park no Six Senses hotel would be complete without a strong wellness offering a 20-metre indoor swimming pool and a relaxation room with vaulted ceilings UMANA BALI, INDONESIA Umana Bali, the newly opened five-star Hilton-managed resort is perched on the island’s southernmost tip and boasts some of the destination’s most stunning ocean views With 72 luxuriously curated villas with private infinity pools the resort is laid out in cascading terraces atop limestone cliffs It’s this exclusive positioning that puts the property on the top of our must-stay list Always mindful of the environment and the people within it the resort sourced local materials like Javanese marble and rattan and developed eco-friendly amenities including vanity kits made from recycled banana-leaf paper and natural slippers woven from pandan and mendong fibres boasts a stunning Mediterranean cuisine (dress code: resort elegance) the property has some excellent culinary experiences on offer Try the Balinese cooking class at a local’s home be sure to ask for the signature authentic Indonesian massage It uses energies from gemstones to revitalise the body &BEYOND SUYIAN LODGE, KENYA Renowned for its luxurious experiences and commitment to conservation &Beyond will expand its presence in Kenya in July 2025 the company announced it had secured an Exclusive Tourism Concession over the sprawling 18,000-hectare Suyian Conservancy in Kenya In partnership with global conservation charity Space for Giants the multi-decade lease gives &Beyond exclusive access to the land with the company pledging to use its extensive lodge-operating experience to build and develop the finest lodge sky beds and mobile camping experience in the country The aim is to offer guests unparalleled access to Kenya’s natural wonders while safeguarding the region’s wildlife and habitats The thriving wildlife population at Suyian includes elephants as well as rarities such as the melanistic (black) leopard and African wild dog as well as northern Kenyan species like Grévy’s zebra NIHI ROTE, INDONESIA NIHI Rote is situated on a secluded corner of Rote Island in Indonesia’s West Timor As one of the southernmost properties in all of Asia – and accessed via a two-hour flight from Bali or Jakarta – NIHI Rote is remote With 22 thatched pool villas and world-class surfing at Bo’a beach NIHI Rote is the new sister resort to NIHI Sumba which won Travel + Leisure’s ‘Best Hotel in the World’ award for two consecutive years and is regularly frequented by celebrities like Heidi Klum NIHI’s arrival on Rote island will also see the permanent launch of the NIHI Rote Hospitality Academy and will operate as a training ground for local residents helping them build skills that will ensure NIHI Rote not only thrives but also uplifts the island’s people ROMAZZINO, ITALY Adding to Belmond’s leading luxury Italian offering is Romazzino a stunning hotel in Costa Smeralda in Sardinia Conceived by Aga Khan in the 1960s and designed by renowned architect Michele Busiri Vici the whitewashed building’s arched windows and undulating lines have framed the Spiaggia Del Romazzino beach for many decades Romazzino played a defining role in shaping Costa Smeralda’s culture it quickly became popular among Costa Smeralda’s fashionable clientele Italian and international socialites came to stay and meeting friends who would moor their yachts off Romazzino or nearby Porto Cervo It was known as Sardinia’s original beach hotel the hotel toes the line between leaning into the allure of its retro era and embracing the modern day Guests are invited to live the ‘villeggiatura’ lifestyle – the Italian concept of long And with two stunning swimming pools with views over the inimitable emerald waters of the Mediterranean coast “the 2025 hotel menu” was first PUBLISHED IN THE 20TH EDITION OF GRAZIA INTERNATIONAL. ORDER YOUR COPY HERE. Alice Cavanagh selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter In a valley in the Chevreuse Regional Natural Park past the clogged-up Boulevard Périphérique and through low-lying industrial areas there has for centuries been a hidden arcadia known as the Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay with sprawling parklands and a large lake hedged by woodlands It was first a 12th-century Cistercian abbey and religious community it was reborn as the summer home of the illustrious salonnière Baroness Charlotte de Rothschild an accomplished watercolourist who counted Honoré de Balzac Henri Rousseau and Édouard Manet among her friends and in the 19th century became the summer home of Baroness Charlotte de Rothschild © Matthieu SalvaingAn original chandelier and fabrics by Cordélia de Castellane in the entrance gallery © Matthieu SalvaingBriefly occupied by the Germans during the second world war the site – a unique blend of medieval relics and neo-gothic halls – stands today as a registered historic monument But its halcyon days had waned in recent years: until recently the property served as a tired-looking three-star hotel That was its status when Laurent de Gourcuff, founder of the Paris Society hospitality group he had been looking to open a countryside hotel a self-contained escape from Paris designed in the spirit of Soho Farmhouse the Cotswolds getaway owned by Soho House group that serves its London members His search had grown long due to its strict criteria: he wanted history but not a palace; water for boating and promenades; and it had to be within an hour of Paris who has spearheaded the restoration of Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay © Matthieu Salvaing“We have nothing close to the city that is like a home away from home whereas London has at least 20 properties,” de Gourcuff explains during an end-of-summer day we spend together at the Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay He recalls arriving there and walking the length of the drive through the parklands He saw the buildings: the skeletal ruin of a medieval church with its crumbling gritstone walls and quatrefoil window a foursquare building with two angular wings and chimney-dotted gable roofs but not a palace; water for boating and promenades; and it had to be within an hour of Paris The Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay is the Paris Society’s 79th venue and its most ambitious hotel project to date The group is known for a raft of trendy nightclubs and restaurants Rapid growth has encompassed the roll-out of repeat concepts in St Tropez and Courchevel It’s a bit formulaic – eye-catching design good vibes – but it has been working: Accor acquired full ownership of the group last year William Morris wallpaper and Pierre Frey fabrics in the music living room of Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay © Matthieu SalvaingThe abbey has proven to be de Gourcuff’s most remarkable feat: a €60mn restoration project of significant public interest replacing windows and rewiring all the electricity there were also elements from the two Rothschild eras to preserve Charlotte de Rothschild had rescued the property from the ruins it had been in since the order abandoned it during the French Revolution the 17th-century building was renovated with vast halls and carved vaulted ceilings that imitated those of the 12th-century chapterhouse on site – one of the largest still-intact such houses in France The reception area © Matthieu SalvaingThe renovated original organ flanked by Cordélia de Castellane sofas © Matthieu SalvaingThe Abbaye estate then passed on to Charlotte’s grandson who landscaped the parklands and completed further conservation work on the medieval church ruins He also updated the first-floor private apartments and modernised the powder rooms with the help of the famous British royal plumbing firm George Jennings Henri converted his grandmother’s stud-farm stables into a garage as well as remnants of Charlotte’s Cordoba wallpapers and Henri’s wall-to-floor antique boiserie as does the neo-gothic oratory with its original ornate organ in one of the grand salons who designed the hotel’s interiors © Matthieu SalvaingTo temper the medieval mood de Gourcuff enlisted his childhood friend Cordélia de Castellane the artistic director of Baby Dior and Dior Maison who has a burgeoning second career as an interior decorator De Castellane is known for her warm and lively interiors – she favours a pastiche of print and colour that recalls le style anglais in the tradition of David Hicks and Nancy Lancaster She is also a proud Anglophile (her mother grew up in England) and envisaged the hotel as a British country manor with typical cosy lived-in grandeur and adjacent outdoorsy pastimes “I wanted to do something that is not a hotel; it’s like coming to a beautiful home,” says de Castellane “It was important that this be a very comfortable [place] where you don’t know where to sit.” Her responsibilities eventually went beyond the decor; she also created the mudroom full of Wellington boots for guests to borrow and the proper teatime service in the summer salon Jean Roger lamps and Pierre Frey fabrics in the restaurant © Matthieu SalvaingIn the former hunting salon, now a restaurant she did away with the trophies – “we are all against hunting here; I am very strict on this” – and cloaked the walls in a forest-green velvet that echoes the plush banquettes and a carpet with a fallen-leaf motif blankets the floor De Castellane has livened up the stone foundations in the other outsized salons with a commingling of William Morris wallpapers and oriental rugs bold tartan walls and leopard-motif carpets All are furnished comfortably with velvet sofas leather club chairs and an eclectic arrangement of vintage furniture She’s been sourcing antiques for the project for four years and jokes that she cleaned out the flea markets “I wanted it to seem as if everything had always been there,” she says too: a grand piano sits in the middle of the music salon where she used to host soirées De Castellane says the archives suggested her interiors taste leaned toward the sombre: “She had a lot of jacquard and tapestries Original woodwork in the Suite de la Baronne © Matthieu SalvaingThe Baronne Suite bathroom © Matthieu SalvaingGuests will take their breakfast in the hallowed chapterhouse which de Castellane has furnished with church-pew-inspired banquettes The reference was – de Castellane is not ashamed to admit it – the Tudoresque Great Hall in Harry Potter though she has upholstered all the seating in a blushing-pink jacquard and I wanted it to feel magical and not too pretentious,” she says The Cordélia de Castellane-designed English living room © Matthieu SalvaingFifty-five guest rooms span the two upper floors and the first floor houses the most spacious suites including the 113sq m former apartments of the baroness The darkness of the boiserie added by Henri for his wife is tempered by pretty 18th-century floral wallpapers from the archives of the storied French upholsterer Braquenié A sumptuous blue-velvet floral motif from Pierre Frey covers the walls in the anteroom few rooms are fitted out the same on this floor and many evince a lighter touch – one particularly charming example stands out for its sea-foam green and butter-yellow checks smaller bedrooms with cosy nooks that follow the configuration of the roof are tucked away under the eaves In the former stables are a further 47 accommodations animated by toile de Jouy-esque wallpapers designed by de Castellane Pierre Frey Kalamkar fabric hangs in the Suite de la Baronne The light fittings were found second-hand © Matthieu SalvaingPart of the abbey’s 12th-century ruins © Matthieu SalvaingRecommended Aside from the beauty of the nearby forest the sleepy region has little to tempt guests over a full weekend That’s why both de Gourcuff and de Castellane have insisted the hotel be self-contained: in addition to the three restaurants There’s even a tutor on site to help with homework and outside contractors will visit the grounds to set up a brocante and a vegetable- market truck on weekends so the Parisians don’t head home to an empty pantry and there is a way of life with hotels and pubs and antiques shops it’s like everyone is hiding,” says de Castellane “I wanted this to be like a small village – so you have it all.”  abbayedesvauxdecernay.com The landmark recently underwent a $65 million transformation who channeled Anglophile glamour to ground every space— from the banquet-style chapter house to the 147 guest rooms and suites—with a timeless essence © 2023 Hudson One Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy The place made the rounds on social networks for its gargantuan brunch reminiscent of the great banquet hall at Hogwarts, in the Harry Potter saga: theAbbaye des Vaux de Cernay opened in 2023 offering a luxury hotel complex with a host of activities to enjoy all around there's also a great program for families and the abbey offers a kids' club with a tailor-made program for kids aged 5 to 12 For €80 per child for a full day of activities (including lunch) or €45 for half a day children can choose from a wide range of activities All activities are also available directly to parents the Kids Club Tartine et Chocolat also opens its doors to kids aged 3 to 8 (parental supervision compulsory) in a kid-friendly area designed to be freely accessible all day long Stroke the donkeys and discover the chickens Three screenings a day at the abbey cinema where you can revisit a classic or discover something new with over 200 m² of pinball machines and other electronic games The best way to discover the estate is by bike Les Vaux de Cernay's animation team offers daily group games at the Pavillon des lumières a qualified teacher leads homework workshops once known as the Moulin de Hotton in 1207 much to the delight of walkers who flock to the area for a green stroll Le Petit Moulin des Vaux de Cernay is now a cultural restaurant where we can eat and drink on the one hand and enjoy ephemeral exhibitions in a historic which has been awarded the " Heritage of Regional Interest " label has recently reopened its doors as a cultural restaurant thanks to an initiative by the Département des Yvelines now offers a unique experience combining relaxation and cultural mediation president of the association La FallArtGalerie are the architects of this innovative project Renovation work has enabled the mill to be refurbished to accommodate a modern kitchen a restaurant and a museum space dedicated to temporary exhibitions the gallery highlights works by local artists such as Christophe Charbonnel celebrating the 2024 Olympic Games and the equestrian events to be held at the Château de Versailles offers a variety of dishes from croques-monsieur or madame and sandwiches to refined desserts Specialties include duck parmentier with parmesan shavings and tarte tatin with Madagascar vanilla ice cream The children's menu features dishes such as penne bolognaise and salted butter caramel sundaes The originality lies in the fact that you can eat while admiring real works of art on display known for his passion for culture and gastronomy sees this project as an exceptional opportunity He expresses his pride in contributing to the renaissance of this historic site: "To have lunch around works of art and books all in the multi-century site of the Petit Moulin We tried our hand at relaxing on the terrace with deckchairs all lulled to sleep by the sound of the waterfall on the side of the mill Le Petit Moulin des Vaux de Cernay, located in Cernay-la-Ville in the Yvelines department, is open from Wednesday to Sunday, from 11 am to 7 pm. The restaurant, currently open for lunch, also plans to open its doors in the evening as soon as the sun comes out. In the meantime, enjoy the terrace and deckchairs between showers.. Alcohol abuse is dangerous for your health we'll be happy to share our discoveries with you Please note that this selection is subject to change as we make new discoveries so stay tuned for regular updates on great places to visit in one of the most beautiful departments of the Ile-de-France region The great thing about the Yvelines is that it's a great way to get away from the capital for a while to enjoy a lovely spot of greenery or a unique royal atmosphere and to completely disconnect for a gourmet break with your family are you ready for a good brunch in the Yvelines Where to eat in Yvelines? Our best restaurant addresses in 78There's no shortage of good places to eat in the Yvelines. If you'd like to discover the best restaurants in the 78 department, here we go! [Read more] the Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay has been on everyone's lips "Have you been there yet?" "It looks amazing anyway," "Have you seen this room in Hogwarts style?".. It must be said that when Paris Society ventures into hospitality with an extraordinary address just an hour from Paris and a consistently well-crafted storytelling We hopped on a commuter train and spent a night there to tell you everything To say that Laurent de Gourcuff never does things halfway would be an understatement To deliver his interpretation of the perfect countryside getaway the big boss of Paris Society takes over the mythical Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay a Cistercian residence built in the 13th century that later belonged to the Rothschild family performed by the divine Cordélia de Castellane (Artistic Director of Dior Maison) and a truly XXL dollhouse unfolds to welcome Parisians in need of fresh air and large velvet sofas elegantly accentuate this already sumptuous decor sit down for tea by the crackling fireplace put on rubber boots (freely available!) to explore the estate and lather up with the very chic English products from Penhaligon's before slipping under the covers for a good the Abbey pulls out all the stops at the Les Chasses restaurant its chic countryside-inspired table: roast chicken with poultry juice (€34) pithiviers foie gras with poultry juice (€30) turbot with mushrooms and yellow wine sauce (€44) chouquettes with whipped cream and chocolate sauce (€18).. where fries come on a silver tray to accompany a superb green bean and mushroom salad (€23) addictive cubes of truffle ham croque (€28) or a competitive grilled cheese (€22) Too cute across the way: a mother-son duo blowing out the teenager's birthday candles on the whipped cream chouquettes (€18) we put on our coats to reach the almost underground room that hosts breakfast under stone arches that inevitably evoke the Great Hall of Harry Potter We serve ourselves at the buffet with a divine brioche with the impression of having traveled back in time While couples will be delighted to cuddle in peace in the room the paradise of families hides with an incredible XXL gaming room filled with arcade games for free and an adorable kids' club with a play kitchen and even a "veterinarian" imagined in collaboration with Tartine & Chocolat joy: a cinema room where a movie chosen by the team is screened every night (Moulin Rouge everything is done here for you to stay for long days without ever getting bored While it is obviously possible to drive to the Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay it is also possible to take a train from Montparnasse for 35 minutes to Rambouillet with the implementation of free shuttles to pick you up and take you back to the station Also discover Chantilly, the countryside 30 minutes from Paris (without a car) and a getaway in a vineyard castle 10 off-road dresses you absolutely must put on this winter Hotels with rooftop that make our head spin in Paris 12 turn-key looks to be in the spotlight at a wedding The 5 New Parisian Boutiques You Absolutely Need to Check Out Glucose Goddess: Jessie Inchauspé's Revolutionary Method Bacha: a coffee shop worthy of the 1,001 nights Three New Italian Restaurants to Try Right Away Where to Indulge in an Insane Strawberry Tart The most beautiful committed florists in Paris on a short circuit The concept store Merci opens a sublime 2nd space a reinvented space combining heritage and modernity While preserving the historic essence of this monastic site the work has breathed new life into the spaces The centuries-old vaults and woodwork have been restored with meticulous care creating an ambience that combines the charm of the ancient with the elegance of the contemporary the refectory opens its doors for an extraordinary weekend brunch you're captivated by the setting and the impressive height of the space large gourmet counters parade from appetizers to pastries tables are set up to welcome families and groups cosy tables with rounded seats reveal a more intimate atmosphere a huge terrace is available for sunny days priced at 145€ for adults and 70€ for children up to 8 years (including access to activities) including carefully chosen coffees and teas plus fresh fruit juices for a vitamin boost The buffet's selection of sweet and savoury dishes makes for a complete taste experience chefs prepare exquisite dishes such as scallops with lobster sauce leg of veal and a huge sea bass on the day of our visit Hot meats and fish are accompanied by an assortment of side dishes: pommes frites You can prepare your own cocktail and spice it up to your taste with a wide choice of condiments and tabasco at different levels Brunch is available by reservation only guaranteeing an exclusive and intimate experience the Abbey offers breakfast from 7 to 10:30 a.m In addition to the meal, the Réfectoire des Moines invites you to extend the experience with unique activities reflecting the spirit of the place you'll have free access to the estate to enjoy a bike relax in the cinema or in the incredible free-access gaming room are the perfect complement to the discovery of this heritage site In short, the Réfectoire des Moines de l'Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay, in its new guise designed by Paris Society It's an invitation to escape in a setting steeped in history and modernity a cultural and culinary experience not to be missed for us it was a wonderful experience to disconnect in the midst of nature Ideal for lovers in search of romantic discoveries but also for families to enjoy the many activities on offer Immerse yourself in the warm, Hogwarts-like atmosphere of the Réfectoire des Moines or the rustic elegance of the Chasses for a memorable Christmas or New Year's Eve dinner opens its doors for exquisite culinary experiences where refinement and the palate take center stage Réfectoire des Moines - Dinner on December 24 Réfectoire des Moines - Dinner on December 31 it's an opportunity to celebrate the festive season in a place steeped in history where the spirit of Christmas takes on its full meaning Reservations are essential to secure your place at these coveted tables Share the happiness of a festive table and let yourself be carried away by the joyous spirit of the festive season at the Abbaye des Vaux-de-Cernay managed by Laurent de Gourcuff and redesigned by Cordélia de Castellane These accommodations are divided into three room categories located in different areas of the estate such as L'Abbaye La Ferme des Vallées and several Pavillons are ideal for stays with family or friends Guests and restaurant patrons alike can also relax at the world-renowned heated pool and SPA and enjoy a host of outdoor and leisure activities an exceptional gaming room with free access L'Abbaye also boasts an exclusive boutique The boutique blends l'Abbaye's own creations and exclusive collaborations with renowned brands such as Aigle The history of the Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay is still alive through its remarkable historic sites carefully preserved and integrated into the overall experience of the estate This is a unique opportunity to (re)discover places steeped in history Hop on one of our bikes or go for a walk to (re)discover this heritage remains a powerful symbol of Cistercian spirituality and architecture It offers a glimpse of 12th-century monastic life capturing the essence of peace and contemplation that characterized the Cistercians The monks' hall, once the beating heart of daily monastic life, still stands and now hosts the famous Hogwarts-style brunch offers a fascinating insight into daily life within the abbey a typical feature of rural estates of the time reflects the importance of communication and resources in the running of the abbey Its preservation helps us to understand the practical and economic aspects of monastic life but also an example of the engineering and importance of water in Cistercian abbeys It symbolizes the connection between the monks and their natural environment playing a crucial role in their daily activities integrated within the renovatedAbbaye des Vaux de Cernay inviting them to explore and appreciate the living history of this exceptional place Today, the Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay is a luxury destination for a complete break without having to travel far It's a unique place where you can immerse yourself in luxury and history while enjoying a wide range of activities and experiences or all year round for swimming to your heart's content From leisure islands to aquatic centers and children's playgrounds we take a look at the horizon for sunbathing or just taking a dip in the water we explore the best places to soak in the Yvelines From the Boucles de Seine leisure park to the ponds of Holland you're sure to find what you're looking for in the western Paris region Here's a selection of the best spots to enjoy water and sun in complete tranquillity a foot soaker or just a sunbather on a towel Renewable developer and independent power producer (IPP) TagEnergy will soon start construction on the largest BESS project in France a 240MW/480MWh project with Tesla providing BESS and EPC services The project will be built in the commune of Cernay-lès-Reims and is around five times bigger than the largest system online in France today It is being financed by a consortium comprised of banks ABN AMRO Archeological investigations have been going on at the site since April and construction will start in January 2025 with a grid connection scheduled for late 2025 The battery energy storage system (BESS) will optimise the use of renewables on the grid provide extra capacity during peak demand periods It will cover 20% of the residential electricity needs for the whole Marne department The project’s 225kV connection to the national grid operated by transmission system operator (TSO) RTE (Réseau de Transport d’Électricité) will make it ideally positioned to capitalise on new short and medium-term revenue opportunities in the Secondary Reserve (aFRR) market procurement and construction (EPC) on the project Tesla will also provide route-to-market (RTM) services managing its activity in the electricity market commented: “The trajectory outlined in France’s Multi-Annual Energy Plan calls for a 2.5-fold increase in wind capacity and a 4-fold increase in solar capacity by 2035 This transformation requires significant development of flexibility solutions.” Alongside renewables, TagEnergy is active in energy storage in the UK, where it recently commissioned a 100MW/200MWh BESS, which it claimed is the largest transmission-connected BESS in the country The largest operational BESS in France that Energy-Storage.news has reported on is a 61MW/61MWh project owned by oil and gas major TotalEnergies deployed by its system integrator subsidiary Saft Nestled in the heart of the Vallée de Chevreuse the Ferme de l’Abbaye des Vaux-de-Cernay offers a serene and authentic escape Far from the hustle and bustle of the city promising a unique experience in a bucolic setting the Ferme de l’Abbaye is the perfect spot for a gourmet set in the enchanting landscape of the Vallée de Chevreuse the Ferme de l’Abbaye des Vaux-de-Cernay is a dream setting for a rural break this one-of-a-kind farm invites you to fully disconnect It’s the ideal destination to reconnect with nature Tucked within the verdant Vaux-de-Cernay estate the Ferme de l’Abbaye is far from ordinary It forms an integral part of this historic site which also houses a majestic 12th-century Cistercian abbey the farm played a key role in the abbey’s daily operations it has been transformed into a rustic yet refined lodging space where every stone still echoes with the past the architecture retains its vintage appeal while providing the modern comforts needed for a perfect weekend and meadows—instantly envelops guests in a soothing atmosphere It’s the ideal starting point to explore the estate or simply recharge away from the bustle of the city From the moment you arrive at the Ferme de l’Abbaye There’s no fuss here: the true luxury lies in the calm The place has managed to preserve its original spirit while infusing it with a convivial energy that makes you want to settle in—and never leave Whether you’re sipping coffee on a flower-filled terrace or enjoying a fire in winter The farm also offers moments of connection through its animals the rooms at the Ferme de l’Abbaye are true havens of peace where modern comfort meets old-world charm The blend of natural materials and rustic elements More rustic than those of the Abbey itself the farm’s rooms are so comfortable you’ll feel at home instantly and warmly decorated spaces with soft lighting A stay at the Ferme de l’Abbaye wouldn’t be complete without indulging in its culinary offerings Several on-site restaurants cater to all tastes whether you’re seeking a friendly meal or a gourmet pause with family or friends La Ferme-Auberge is a true gem for fans of traditional local products shine in generous dishes inspired by the region the terrace offers fresh air and sweeping field views the cozy interior is perfect for a fireside dinner the Abbey’s restaurant elevates local flavors with a refined it’s ideal for romantic dinners or special occasions Seasonal ingredients are transformed into creative dishes the Bambini restaurant at the farm serves up simple delicious Italian cuisine that pleases all ages The Ferme de l’Abbaye des Vaux-de-Cernay is the perfect base to explore the natural wonders of the Vallée de Chevreuse you can set off on foot or by bike along wooded trails and verdant scenery the region offers countless ways to enjoy the great outdoors A visit to the Abbey des Vaux-de-Cernay plunges you into the history of the Cistercian order revealing the ruins of this once-grand 12th-century monastery Water lovers can unwind by the Cernay pond where paddleboats or rowboats offer sunny moments of peace it offers wellness treatments that blend relaxation and beauty provides a moment of serenity with panoramic views of the estate’s lush surroundings Domaine de l’Abbaye des Vaux-de-Cernay, 78720 Cernay-la-Ville, France. More info at www.abbayedesvauxdecernay.com Newsroom 54 rue des Acacias 75017 Paris T+33 1 56 88 98 00   |    Advertising 54 rue des Acacias 75017 Paris T+33 1 56 88 98 37     |    Copyright © 2024 Numéro     |    Legal notices Votre inscription a bien été prise en compte Please note: This talk has been rescheduled to be presented as a virtual event The Zoom link will be sent after registration as a separate email on the day of the event Join us for an exciting talk that tackles the seldom-asked question Does he deserve to be viewed as a figure whose work holds a place beside the modernist innovators of Europe It’s surprising that this central question about the significance of his work has so seldom been posed The explanation for why this question has seldom been asked Homer has been viewed as a uniquely American artist To suggest that he shared a kinship with French painters has always been something of a heresy what’s striking is how powerfully his work stands apart from that of every other American artist of the 19th century and seems more alive and more contemporary As Albert Ten Eyck Gardner wrote in 1961: “Though Homer’s career spans almost exactly the years of Queen Victoria’s era it is somehow not quite possible to think of him as an old-fashioned artist.” Has Winslow Homer’s work been misunderstood for well over a century This talk will explore the question of French and other modern influences on Homer’s work and propose a new way of viewing and assessing his achievement Henry Adams is a graduate of Harvard College and received his M.A where he received the Frances Blanshard Prize for the best doctoral dissertation in art history He is the author of twenty or thirty books or book-length catalogs in the American field and of over 400 scholarly and popular articles Painter Andrew Wyeth described his book Eakins Revealed a radical reinterpretation of the artist’s life and work as "without question the most extraordinary biography I have ever read on an artist.” He currently serves as Ruth Coulter Heede Professor of Art History at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience a global leader in low-carbon energy solutions has launched its construction of France’s largest battery energy storage platform in Marne This project marked the start of an ambitious expansion plan for 2025 with accelerated solar and storage development activities will contribute its expertise in advanced storage solutions and market access services On-site activities commenced in April 2024 with archaeological investigations led by the Communauté Urbaine du Grand Reims two years after initial discussions with landowners including the Municipality of Cernay-lès-Reims Construction is set to begin in January 2025 with grid connection planned for late 2025 This 240 MW/480 MWh project will perform three essential functions within France’s energy landscape: optimising the use of decarbonised electricity providing critical capacity during peak demand periods and enhancing grid stability with near-instantaneous response capabilities The battery will have the capacity to store approximately 20% of the residential electricity needs of the Marne department which is home to over half a million residents the Cernay-lès-Reims battery project benefits from significant economies of scale with a storage capacity nearly five times larger than the country’s current largest operational battery The project includes a 225 kV connection to the RTE grid and is ideally positioned to capitalize on new short- and medium-term revenue opportunities with the recent opening of the Secondary Reserve (aFRR) market “TagEnergy is proud to announce this flagship project in France just weeks after connecting the first phase of the Southern Hemisphere’s largest wind farm in Australia and the UK’s largest transmission-connected battery” “Leveraging an innovative financing structure and deploying storage at scale the Cernay BESS will contribute significantly to France’s energy sovereignty while enhancing grid stability as renewable energy penetration grows” he added highlighted the project’s alignment with France’s energy transition goals: “The trajectory outlined in France’s Multi-Annual Energy Plan This transformation requires significant development of flexibility solutions battery storage is set to become a cornerstone of this transition and TagEnergy is committed to deploying this technology while accelerating its solar development activities in France in 2025.” The Cernay-lès-Reims battery project has been made possible through innovative financing supported by a banking consortium that includes ABN AMRO Chief Commercial Officer Corporate Banking commented: “We are happy to have supported this landmark project which will become the largest battery energy storage system in France upon its completion This marks ABN AMRO’s first BESS transaction in France and builds upon our broader BESS and renewable energy track record we are highly committed to supporting our clients in the decarbonisation of the energy sector in Europe for which commercial scale battery storage is an essential lever.” Global Head of Structured Finance at NORD/LB stated: “Financing innovative low-carbon energy projects that accelerate Europe’s renewable energy transition is central to our mission The Cernay battery project is a prime example and we are delighted to partner with TagEnergy on this flagship initiative that will significantly boost France’s battery storage capacity.” Deputy CEO of Caisse d’Epargne CEPAC emphasised the institution’s commitment to the project: “We are proud to support TagEnergy in this inaugural project in France which will become the nation’s largest battery storage system upon completion Caisse d’Epargne CEPAC remains committed to addressing the sector’s new challenges Electricity storage is a key issue in the energy transition and we will continue to mobilise our resources to support its development.” Dive into the latest renewable energy insights in the Autumn issue of Energy Global The issue starts with an insightful guest comment from Cristiano Spillati Managing Director at Limes Renewable Energy where he discusses the need for European renewable energy suppliers to accelerate the rate of the energy transition This is followed by a regional report from Cornwall Insights on the battery energy storage industry in Australia This issue explores key topics including offshore wind subsea cables Read the article online at: https://www.energyglobal.com/energy-storage/04122024/tagenergy-launches-frances-largest-battery-storage-platform/ Lantana Capital Ltd has been appointed as the mandated sell-side advisor for the public auction of Heliosphera SA's bankrupt solar panel factory in Tripoli Embed article link: (copy the HTML code below): Already a member? Sign in here ShareSaveCommentLifestyleTravelInside The Dreamy New Countryside Medieval Abbey Hotel An Hour From ParisByRooksana Hossenally Rooksana Hossenally is a Paris-based writer covering luxury travel.Follow AuthorAug 24 06:15am EDTShareSaveCommentThe terrace of the abbey's lakeside Les Chasses restaurant and the reception desk Following an extensive makeover that lasted the good part of four years the abbey-hotel reemerged as a polished getaway for well-heeled urbanites seeking respite just outside the city A dazzling gray stone manor set on 185 acres of grounds on the fringes of the Rambouillet forest the Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay looks like something right out of an English historical drama The structure is tethered to the crumbling honey-hued walls of the original 12th century Cistercian abbey that once stood here which was the residence of a community of monks until the French Revolution It was later saved from falling into complete disrepair in the 19th century and remodeled as the countryside residence of painter and socialite Baroness Charlotte de Rothschild Her grandson Baron Henri de Rothschild later inherited the property the Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay was turned into a three-star hotel as part of the portfolio of a small family-owned hotel group by the time the pandemic came round and it was forced to close the estate found a buyer and passed into the hands of Laurent de Gourcuff founder of the Paris Society hospitality group now owned by hospitality conglomerate Accor The view of the abbey-hotel from the lake on the grounds and one of the vaulted sitting rooms with .. The abbey was given the style and allure of an English countryside manor by the group's lead designer Cordélia de Castellane Neo-Gothic vaulted sitting rooms with gigantic stone fireplaces still stained by the flames that once warmed the abbey's former residents are decked out in ornate wood paneling with original details like hidden brass trap windows and grills from which staff would secretly listen to the baron’s hushed conversations a mishmash of patterns and textures are thrown together in surprising harmony Velvet pistachio-green sofas and frilly leopard-print armchairs form intimate corners for spending afternoons drinking cups of hot tea and snacking on buttery biscuits It took several years and a consequent budget of $65 million to turn the property into the jaw-dropping estate it is today "All the details and features were here but went unnoticed in the old hotel," says concierge Samuel Medou who's been working here since 2011 we were able to see every feature; the wealth of history You couldn’t tell how magnificent a building this was before - they’ve done something incredible here." tartan touches sit with inky-blue floral motif carpets that run the length of long corridors leading to the hotel's 146 rooms Despite being kitted out with flatscreen televisions and coffee machines the rooms feel very much like they belong to a time past Creaky wooden floors lead to windows set in thick stone walls Many rooms have four-poster beds and bathrooms with porcelain basins and Penhaligon amenities playing into the Downtown-Abbey-meets-Harry-Potter allure The more spacious rooms are found along the first floor including the baroness' former quarters while a handful of cozier guestrooms with summery floral wallpaper and rust-hued tartans are tucked under the eaves One of the smaller rooms at the abbey under the eaves it's possible to sojourn here for a long weekend without ever stepping outside the estate and a fully kitted games arcade for teens as well as movie theatre that can seat about 50 guests French retail brand Tartine et Chocolat was tapped to create a stylish mini café in the dedicated kids' club area the more family-focused La Ferme des Vallées woodland hideaway of 39 guest rooms including an impressively refurbished breakfast hall inside what used serve as the monks' refectory there will also be a new Trattoria restaurant and a second bar The Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay might be located just an hour outside the city but a stay here feels far removed from Paris If it weren't for the French staff and food you could easily imagine you’ve stumbled upon a pocket of glorious Hampshire countryside in England the perfect setting in which to live out all your English period drama fantasies The main living room with the organ at the Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay Cordelia de Castellane has been in the design business for a quarter of a century which seems extraordinary given her age: 43 But the polished Parisian has been immersed in creative businesses since she was born Her great-great-uncle was the celebrated neo-romantic architect Emilio Terry who conjured elaborate interiors for Prince Rainier of Monaco and the shipping tycoon Stavros Niarchos; the walls of Cordelia’s Paris house are lined with sketches by him is an interior designer who regularly took her daughter around the world to see galleries historic houses — and then handed her to Gilles Dufour is the creative director of Dior Joaillerie the young Cordelia was in a perfect position to soak up information and contacts She was also lucky enough to have been surrounded by beauty — in her family’s many houses around Europe in her grandparents’ garden in Switzerland where “I learnt there is nothing more beautiful than those mountains of flowers” working with Dufour at Chanel at the age of 15 in addition to her early immersion in French interiors won her the biggest design job of her life: last year transforming the 12th-century Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay into France’s first cool country-house hotel when that expanded into a worldwide business she had helped to launch the first Dior Maison boutiques and filled them with suitably glamorous homeware But when she first saw the 4,800 sq m abbey she did think it was “mad to take on a project like this” The pagoda at the abbey has been modernised with luminous reds by de CastellaneL’ABBAYE DES VAUX DE CERNAYIn the 19th century the Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay had been transformed into the summer home of the aesthete Baroness Charlotte de Rothschild After the Second World War the 185-acre estate had fallen on hard times she was faced not only with 55 run-down bedrooms but derelict outhouses and cottages and vast crumbling public spaces ranging from a chapterhouse with gothic stone arches and soaring ceilings to an oratory still with its organ What gave de Castellane the courage to take the project on was the realisation that it was nothing new Her mother had always been a master of wild interiors mixing antiques and contemporary furniture Moroccan rugs and Polish linens — and very When de Castellane had decorated her own Paris apartment — which she shares with her banker husband and four children aged between 15 and 25 — she instinctively filled the spaces with items heavy with historic references alongside fresh new designs: a Knole sofa once owned by Hubert de Givenchy with an 18th-century mirror striped new India Mahdavi cushions below a vintage Fortuny chandelier an antique Dutch table beside a leopard-print rug “I realised my mother had done this sort of thing before and that I probably could too,” she says “it was probably better not to have had the experience as I would not have slept.” Her way of coping with the magnitude of the task was to treat it as she would a personal house “giving it a glow while making it cosy and comfortable” When you go to a beautiful castle in England slightly transformed by the knowledge and tastes of subsequent generations.” A corridor at the abbey showcases de Castellane’s love of patternL’ABBAYE DES VAUX DE CERNAYThe pagoda was originally designed for Baroness de RothschildL’ABBAYE DES VAUX DE CERNAYLike her own houses she has filled the abbey with bright colours clashing patterns and joyful fabrics — some by French favourites such as Pierre Frey mixing tartans with leopard print and rich jacquards with William Morris florals Her brief was to make it — like many of England’s country house hotels from the Pig and Soho Farmhouse to Beaverbrook — a fun relaxed country home from home for Parisians • Parisians love Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay — and with rooms under £210, so will you Two of her role models — her mother and Laura Ungaro Emanuel’s wife — had taught her to be fearless when mixing patterns and colours Hence the strawberry hue of the media room or the lurid red velvets that enliven the big living room or the bright red gloss with which she painted a lakeside pergola before lifting its interiors with jaunty red floral and striped fabrics When it came to actually installing all the objects she had amassed over the prior ten months — from markets antique shops and junk shops all over France and Belgium — she used her gut feeling to decide where they went ‘Just put everything on the lawn and then we will try things Forget the plan.’ If I’d told them that’s how I worked But it is all about feeling: I put things where I feel it’s right is not to look as if you’ve tried too hard referencing the theatrical British designer of hotels such as the Goring and Fife Arms And designers like Nicky Haslam and Robert Kime taught her how to “go big — or don’t do it at all” Maxim’s restaurant in ParisROMAIN RICARDAnother recent design project she couldn’t go too mad on — but could add her theatrical flair to — was Maxim’s the legendary restaurant once owned by Pierre Cardin which reopened in 2023 after a 14-year closure This was the place where Brigitte Bardot had danced barefoot late into the night where Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin had dined (and where she then had attempted to steal some crockery) and where the 1960s model Antonia had tried to enter with a live panther It’s one of the most iconic restaurants on earth — as Parisian as the Eiffel Tower • The luxury interior design directory: who to go to for bespoke decor When the Paris Society took over the restaurant in 2022 the art nouveau jewel was dusty and tired but thanks to its 1979 listing as a historical monument De Castellane was a natural choice to give it a €2 million spruce-up Not only had she regularly been to private events there but in 1978 her parents had thrown their wedding party in its decadent gold needed was a bit of love: its gold regilded its art-nouveau stained-glass ceiling cleaned its banquettes reupholstered in lipstick-red velvet its carpets relaid with one of her trademark flower patterns — “I have to have flowers in every room” she says — and beneath a stained red and white glass chandelier by Louis Comfort Tiffany a cheeky tiger-stripe rug laid to bring back a little of the naughtiness that had made the place an icon she is not in Paris but en route to London to meet potential clients (and quickly pop in to see the Van Gogh show at the National Gallery — now sadly finished — and the Mughal exhibition at the V&A It’s only a matter of time before her recognisably floral and wildly hued signature makes its mark on these shores too cordeliadecastellane.com; restaurant-maxims.com; abbayedesvauxdecernay.com; dior.com Metrics details Grain legume crops are a significant component of the human diet and animal feed and have an important role in the environment but the global diversity of agricultural legume species is currently underexploited Experimental assessments of grain legume performances are required to identify potential species with high yields we introduce a dataset including results of field experiments published in 173 articles The selected experiments were carried out over five continents on 39 grain legume species The dataset includes measurements of grain yield residual soil nitrogen content and water use yields for cereals and oilseeds grown after grain legumes in the crop sequence are also included The dataset is arranged into a relational database with nine structured tables and 198 standardized attributes pest and irrigation management are systematically recorded for each of the 8,581 crop*field site*growing season*treatment combinations The dataset is freely reusable and easy to update We anticipate that it will provide valuable information for assessing grain legume production worldwide database creation objective • data integration objective Machine-accessible metadata file describing the reported data (ISA-Tab format) Grain legumes can therefore play a significant role in maintaining global food security and ecosystem resilience Experimental comparisons of grain legumes can help researchers and decision-makers to identify high-performance species with high yields many field experiments have assessed the agronomic and environmental performances of grain legumes These performances vary between field sites and growing seasons as a function of the climatic conditions and soil types It would therefore be misleading to draw general conclusions from individual experiments considered separately A global dataset would provide us with a unique opportunity to analyze variability in grain legume performances across a large spectrum of environmental conditions and to rank legume species of agricultural and economic interest according to several criteria The Köppen-Geiger climatic classification186 was used to link each field site to a grid size with a resolution of 0.50 degrees of latitude by 0.50 degrees of longitude Eighteen Köppen-Geiger climatic zones are considered: equatorial climates (red) warm temperate climates (green) and snow climates (blue) Within each main Köppen-Geiger climatic zone each Köppen-Geiger climatic subzone is indicated by a color gradient The dataset can be used for two types of quantitative analysis the dataset can be used to compare the crop production of a broad range of grain legume species on the basis of experimental data with diverse criteria (e.g. the dataset can be used to assess the crop production of cereal and oilseed species following grain legume species cultivated as preceding crops in the same crop sequences based on a consideration of field data for various criteria The dataset is freely available to facilitate such analyses by adding the results of new experiments not originally included in the dataset It might also be interesting to expand the dataset to include legumes grown for purposes other than grain production (e.g. forage production) or legumes grown in intercropping systems The global dataset should prove to be a useful support for experimental assessments of the agronomic and environmental performances of a large diversity of grain legumes with no restrictions concerning the date and language of publication in the article title Boxes with solid lines represent the articles identified (orange) excluded (red) or included in the database (green) the number of articles (ni) is indexed according to each step i of the literature search Boxes with dashed edges represent the selection process and selection criteria are indexed in italic When reviewing the full-text articles identified from references screening all nine selection criteria defined above had to be met for the new article to be considered eligible experiments reporting data for single grain legume species were excluded This selection criterion was used to ensure the direct comparability of different grain legume species and avoid confounding effects between species characteristics and environmental factors Experiments testing single species cannot be used to compare several species due to the effects of field site and growing season characteristics (e.g. soil types and plant diseases) on the growth and development of grain legumes Arrows indicate relationships from one ‘mother’ table to one or many ‘child’ tables For upward and backward matching between tables each pair of numbers in brackets indicates the cardinality of the relationships between attributes The cardinality may involve ‘one-to-one’ (i.e. the cardinality (1,n) from the ‘Article’ table to the ‘Site’ table indicates that one article may have one or many field sites the cardinality (1,1) from the ‘Site’ table to the ‘Article’ table indicates that each field site may belong to only one article the names of primary and secondary keys are indicated in purple and blue and includes 2 columns and 3 rows (including the row header for the names of attributes) The ‘Article’ table describes the references of the 173 selected articles (e.g., the name of the first author and the name of the journal). The corresponding file is entitled ‘Article.csv’ file (Data Citation 1) and includes 8 columns and 174 rows (including the row header for the names of attributes) The ‘Site’ table describes the characteristics of each field site considered in each article (e.g., latitude and longitude coordinates, soil texture, precipitation and temperature). The corresponding file is entitled ‘Site.csv’ (Data Citation 1) and includes 29 columns and 361 rows (including the row header for the names of attributes) and includes 8 columns and 4,560 rows (including the row header for the names of attributes) and includes 106 columns and 8,582 rows (including the row header for the names of attributes) The ‘Tillage’ table describes tillage management for each crop (e.g., tillage tools, incorporation of preceding crop residues, seeding density and legume inoculation). The corresponding file is entitled ‘Tillage.csv’ (Data Citation 1) and includes 19 columns and 8,582 rows (including the row header for the names of attributes) and includes 7 columns and 25,744 rows (including the row header for the names of attributes) The ‘Weed_Insect_Fungi’ table describes weeds, insects, and fungi management for each crop (e.g., mechanical treatment, names and doses of pesticides). The corresponding file is entitled ‘Weed_Insect_Fungi.csv’ (Data Citation 1) and includes 13 columns and 45,002 rows (including the row header for the names of attributes) The ‘Irrigation’ table describes irrigation management for each crop (e.g., quantity of water applied and irrigation method). The corresponding file is entitled ‘Irrigation.csv’ (Data Citation 1) and includes 6 columns and 8,582 rows (including the row header for the names of attributes) The names, types, and definitions of the 198 attributes included in the nine tables are reported in Table 3 (available online only) The values (including error terms) and dates reported in graphics were digitized manually with the open-access application WebPlotDigitizer (http://arohatgi.info/WebPlotDigitizer/) The maximum error was estimated at 5.0% for the digitization of low-resolution images generally from articles published before 1990 ‘NA’ indicates that data were ‘Not Available’ for the cell concerned ‘NULL’ indicates a logical absence of data for attributes included in the ‘Crop’ if no nitrogen fertilizer was applied to the crop (i.e. ‘0.00’ was reported in the ‘Fertilization_NPK_Dose’ attribute) then ‘NULL’ was reported for the ‘Fertilization_NPK_Dose_Product_Name’ attribute We describe below the main attributes of the ‘Crop’ table because this table includes most of the experimental data extracted from the 173 selected articles. Information on other attributes (e.g., articles, field sites, combinations of crop sequences and management practices) is defined in Table 3 (available online only) When data were not reported for some attributes (e.g. aerial biomass or water use) in the selected articles we systematically collected data for related attributes (e.g. harvest index or grain water use efficiency) in order to retrieve the missing data aerial biomass can be deduced from grain yield and harvest index and water use can be deduced from grain yield and grain water use efficiency When data were not available for any related attributes we contacted the authors of the selected articles and we asked them to provide us with additional raw data when available we excluded the crop sequences including barrelclover and common oat because these crops were grown for forage production These attributes give the scientific and common names of the species. The scientific name of each species was related to the common name listed in the United States Department of Agriculture Plants Database (http://plants.usda.gov/java/) to avoid confusion due to the use of different common names for the same species In the absence of a common name for Brassica campestris the scientific names of these species were used as common names it was not possible to give a scientific name and a common name We calculated the number of days from seeding date to harvest date, with the open-access application Time and Date (http://www.timeanddate.com/) For data averaged across multiple growing seasons we calculated the number of days from seeding date to harvest date for each growing season and then obtained the average by dividing by the total number of growing seasons Some articles approximated seeding date and harvest date by describing these events as occurring in the ‘early’ We defined ‘early’ as the first 15-day period of the month (1st–15th) ‘middle’ as the 15th day of the month and ‘last’ as the second 15-day period of the month (15th–30th or 15th–31st) the number of days from seeding to harvest was calculated by selecting the last day of the period concerned the 15th day of the month for ‘early’ and ‘middle’ and the 30th or 31st day of the month for ‘late’ Some articles reported only the number of days from seeding to harvest without indicating precise dates or months we reported only the number of days from seeding to harvest ‘Day Month Year’ formatted expression) for both seeding and harvest dates This attribute is used to distinguish preceding crops from following crops in the crop sequence mostly cereals and oilseeds) and ‘2’ (i.e. Some studies reported results for many different crops and management practices following the same preceding crop The binary ‘Crop_Multiple_Following_For_Same_Preceding’ attribute was used to identify data associated with the same preceding crop For species grown at the same field site during the same growing season some articles reported only data averaged over combinations of treatments (e.g. cultivar*seeding date*presence of irrigation) We included these data provided that each type of individual treatment was precisely defined in the article we systematically reported whether or not the data were averaged over combinations of treatments When data were averaged over combinations of treatments the total number of replicates was calculated as the sum of the replicates for each of the treatments for which results were averaged For articles reporting data for several cultivars of the same species but without data averaging the data were reported separately for each cultivar For articles reporting data averaged over several cultivars of the same species only the averaged data were included in the dataset The total number of replicates was calculated by multiplying the number of replicates of each cultivar by the total number of cultivars different types of treatment were applied to species grown at the same site during the same growing season Each different type of treatment was reported in this case when averaged data were reported in the articles the number of replicates was equal to the sum of the replicates used to calculate each average Distributions are derived using data extracted from the database without additional calculations box edges indicate 25th and 75th percentiles and whiskers indicate minimum and maximum values The number of observations (n) is also indicated The scientific names of the species are ranked in descending order of median values This attribute corresponds to aerial biomass data. Data were reported in 27% of all crop*field site*growing season*treatment combinations. Aerial biomass varied considerably both between grain legume species and between articles for a given species (Fig. 4b) Median aerial biomass was lowest for Vigna aconitifolia (moth bean) and highest for Trifolium repens (white clover) These two attributes correspond to the percentage of dry matter to which grain yield and aerial biomass correspond When only the percentage of dry matter corresponding to aerial biomass was available and grains were included in aerial biomass we assumed that the grains accounted for the same percentage of dry matter as the aerial biomass This attribute was reported in the database to calculate aerial biomass at physiological maturity from grain yield. Data were reported in 4% of all crop*field site*growing season*treatment combinations (Fig. 4c) Median harvest index was lowest for Vicia villosa (winter vetch) and highest for Vicia faba (fababean) This attribute corresponds to the percentage of aerial nitrogen fixed by legume species. ‘NA’ was systematically reported for non-legume species. Data were reported in 3% of all crop*field site*growing season*treatment combinations (Fig. 5c) Median fixed aerial nitrogen percentage was lowest for Cajanus cajan (pigeonpea) and highest for Trifolium repens (white clover) These two attributes correspond to the method used to determine the percentage of aerial nitrogen fixed by legume species (e.g. the 15N isotope dilution method or the A-value method) and the scientific name of the non-fixing reference species Some articles used a legume reference species rather than a non-legume reference species the legume reference species was a mutant non-nodulating legume cultivar that did not fix atmospheric nitrogen These attributes correspond to the phenological stages at which aerial biomass and the percentage of fixed aerial nitrogen (or the quantity of fixed aerial nitrogen with the ‘Crop_N_Fixed_Quantity_Aerial’ attribute) were determined The ‘Crop_Biomass_Aerial_Stage_Detailed’ and ‘Crop_N_Fixed_Percentage_Aerial_Stage_Detailed’ attributes correspond to the detailed phenological stage originally stated in the article The ‘Crop_Biomass_Aerial_Stage_Simplified’ and ‘Crop_N_Fixed_Percentage_Aerial_Stage_Simplified’ attributes correspond to a simplified phenological stage divided into ‘Before physiological maturity’ and ‘Physiological maturity’ This attribute corresponds to the percentage or the quantity of protein in grains these protein contents were often calculated by multiplying the percentage or the quantity of nitrogen in grains by a constant Note that only a few articles referred to the percentage or the quantity of protein We reported the percentage or the quantity of protein in grains independently of the percentage or the quantity of nitrogen in grains This attribute corresponds to the simplified nitrogen balance originally calculated in the articles (e.g. the difference between the quantity of nitrogen in grains and the quantity of fixed aerial nitrogen) Nitrogen balance data were only reported if the attributes used to calculate them were not directly available from raw data (e.g. the quantity of nitrogen in grains and the quantity of fixed aerial nitrogen) These two attributes correspond to the percentage or the quantity of soil nitrogen at seeding and at harvest These attributes correspond to (i) the type of nitrogen (e.g. (ii) the depth of soil used to determine the percentage or the quantity of soil nitrogen and (iii) the date at which soil measurements were made These attributes were reported at both seeding and harvest Water use is calculated using different types of equations indicated within the ‘Crop_Water_Use_Balance_Equation’ attribute The distribution is derived using data extracted from the database without additional calculations These seven attributes were reported in the database to calculate missing data: aerial biomass Different aerial components were included in the aerial biomass the percentage or the quantity of aerial nitrogen and the efficiency of aerial water use or aerial water balance These five attributes were used to determine the aerial components originally reported in the articles ‘straw’ and ‘stubble’ terms were used to define the aerial components in the articles we assumed that the grains were not included in the aerial components This information was reported for (i) the aerial biomass in the ‘Crop_Biomass_Aerial_Definition’ attribute (ii) the percentage of aerial nitrogen in the ‘Crop_N_Percentage_Aerial_Definition’ attribute (iii) the quantity of aerial nitrogen in the ‘Crop_N_Quantity_Aerial_Definition’ attribute (iv) the quantity of fixed aerial nitrogen in the ‘Crop_N_Fixed_Quantity_Aerial_Definition’ attribute and (v) the efficiency of aerial water use or aerial water balance in the ‘Crop_Water_Use_Balance_Efficiency_Aerial_Definition’ attribute we reported the equations used to calculate simplified nitrogen balance and water use or water balance we systematically reported error terms and error types associated with data about grain yield the ‘Crop_Yield_Grain_Error’ attribute indicates the error term and the ‘Crop_Yield_Grain_Error_Type’ attribute indicates the error type for a given item of grain yield data for a given crop in the ‘Crop’ table Error terms and error types were reported as raw data when an article reported the error type as Fisher's Least Significant Difference the data were directly reported as Fisher's Least Significant Difference Unidentified error bars digitized from graphs were assumed to represent standard errors the numbers of replicates were also reported both error terms and the numbers of replicates were reported only the number of replicates was reported and by visualizing data distribution for each attribute in turn When the meaning of the data reported in the articles was unclear authors were directly contacted and asked to provide additional information about their experimental protocols Authors were also asked to provide additional data particularly if large numbers of treatments had been averaged in their articles 17 authors provided us with additional information and raw data (see the Acknowledgements section) The dataset is based on a compilation of experimental data published in 173 articles over the last 50 years this dataset is unique and constitutes the most comprehensive agronomic dataset for grain legume crops worldwide Attributes describing environmental factors (e.g. climate conditions and soil types) and management practices (e.g. pest management and irrigation) can be used to analyze the variability of grain legume performances over field sites Our dataset covers several contrasted geographical areas It can be used to target suitable grain legume species for cultivation in particular pedoclimatic conditions the database represents a useful resource to assess comparatively the production of grain legume species in drought-prone environments or to identify innovative agricultural techniques for improving grain legume cultivation under yield-limiting abiotic and biotic stresses The three most frequently compared grain legume species in the experimental dataset are indicated The scientific names of grain legume species are abbreviated: AH The dataset is also useful for comparing productivity levels of native and non-native grain legume species used as raw materials for food and feed across diverse geographic regions. Grain yield data can be converted into crude protein or energy contents metabolizable for livestock animals (e.g., pigs and poultry) using, for example, the Feedipedia Animal Feed Resources Information System (http://www.feedipedia.org/) the dataset could be expanded in different ways Results of new experiments comparing grain legume species can be easily included in our database we focused on legume species produced for grains but legume grown for forage can also be included in the database without changing the relational database structure agricultural grain legumes are frequently intercropped Data collected in intercropping experiments could be further included in our dataset Note that the relational structure of the database is relatively coercive The addition of a new table can have consequences on the relational framework and the cardinality relationships But new data or new attributes can be easily incremented in existing tables The CSV format is well adapted for analyzing data using standard statistical softwares such as the R software (https://cran.r-project.org/). However, because of the cascade path between tables and of the cardinality relationships between attributes (Fig. 3) data extraction can be easily performed using SQL queries An example of query is presented below for extracting binary data indicating absence (‘0’) or presence (‘1’) of tillage management for grain legume species included in the article indexed ‘29’ in our dataset: Other examples of SQL queries are shown in the TXT-formatted file entitled ‘Examples_SQL_Queries.txt’, downloadable from Dryad Digital Repository (Data Citation 1) A global experimental dataset for assessing grain legume production Data 3:160084 doi: 10.1038/sdata.2016.84 (2016) Soybean versus other food grain legumes: a critical appraisal of the United Nations International Year of Pulses 2016 and chickpea to wheat production in south-eastern Australia Residual effect of nitrogen fixed by mungbean (Vigna radiata) and blackgram (Vigna mungo) on subsequent rice and wheat crops Assessment of cowpea and groundnut contributions to soil fertility and succeeding sorghum yields in the Guinean savannah zone of Burkina Faso (west Africa) Grain legume proteins and nutraceutical properties Nutritive quality and protein production from grain legumes in a boreal climate Trade-offs between economic and environmental impacts of introducing legumes into cropping systems Application and opportunities of pulses in food system: a review The role of compositing cereals with legumes to alleviate protein energy malnutrition in Africa The use of grain legumes as a protein source in pig nutrition: a review Alternative plant protein sources for pigs and chickens in the tropics—nutritional value and constraints: a review Digestibility and energy value of pea (Pisum sativum L.) faba bean (Vicia faba L.) and blue lupin (narrow-leaf) (Lupinus angustifolius) seeds in broilers Productivity and economics of legumes-winter sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) double cropping systems under tillage practices in western Maharashtra Effect of annual legumes on soil nitrogen and on the subsequent yield of maize and grain sorghum Effect of legume-managed fallow on weeds and soil nitrogen in following maize (Zea mays L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) crops in the Rift Valley highlands of Kenya Contribution of legumes to wheat productivity in Mediterranean environments of central Chile Effects of three pulse crops on subsequent barley Global legume diversity assessment : concepts Legume crops phylogeny and genetic diversity for science and breeding Statistics Division of Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAOSTAT). http://faostat3.fao.org/home/E/ (2016) herbage and seed yield of certain forage legume species under rainfed conditions Agronomic potential of three vetches (Vicia spp.) under rainfed conditions soybean and lentils concerning the relationship bacterization-sowing period on the yield and quality in Timiş Plain Effect of weed removal on productivity of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) and lentil (Lens culinaris Med.) in a Mediterranean environment Yield and water use of broadleaf crops in a semiarid climate Adaptation of alternative pulse and oilseed crops to the semiarid Canadian prairie: seed yield and water use efficiency Adaptation of cool-season grain legume species across climatically-contrasting environments of southern Europe Variability in yield of four grain legume species in a subhumid temperate environment I Impact of agronomic practices and environment on diseases of wheat and lentil in southeastern Saskatchewan Morphological responses of pulse (Vigna spp.) crops to soil water deficit Dinitrogen fixation and nitrogen-balance in cool-season food legumes Performance of different crop sequences under various levels of irrigation in Vertisols Quantification of the contribution of N2 fixation to field-grown grain legumes–A strategy for the practical application of the 15N isotope dilution technique wheat and canola to applications of superphosphate Production results of intensification of cultivation technologies in three lupin (Lupinus L.) species Comparing how Lupinus angustifolius and Lupinus luteus use zinc fertilizer for seed production Grain yield and cadmium concentration of a range of grain legume species grown on two soil types at Merredin Water use and yields of no-till managed dryland grasspea and yellow pea under different planting configurations Effect of rhizobia inoculation and starter-N on nodulation Winter pea and lentil response to seeding date and micro- and macro-environments wheat-based rotation under drought-stressed conditions in northern Syria’s medium rainfall zone Potential legume alternatives to fallow and wheat monoculture for Mediterranean environments Yield and water use efficiency of pulses seeded directly into standing stubble in the semiarid Canadian prairie Assessment of N2 fixation in groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) and cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L Walp.) and their relative N contribution to a succeeding maize crop in northern Ghana Grain and fodder legumes as preceding crops affecting the yield and N economy of rice Production of rainfed and irrigated crops under different crop rotations and input levels in southwestern France Nitrogen accumulation and partitioning by three grain legumes in response to soil water deficits Mineral N effects on cowpea and soybean crops in a Nigerian soil I An analysis of the effect of weed competition on growth and yield attributes in sorghum (Sorghum vulgare) cowpeas (Vigna unguiculata) and green gram (Vigna aureus) Integrated management of edaphic and biotic factors limiting yield of irrigated soybean and dry bean in Minnesota Yield and weed abundance in early- and late-sown field pea and lentil Soil type influences the relative yields of different cereals and crop legumes in the western Australian wheat-belt A comparison of the adaptation of yellow lupin (Lupinus luteus L.) and narrow-leafed lupin (L angustifolius L.) to acid sandplain soils in low rainfall agricultural areas of western Australia and seed yields of chickpea and dry pea in a semiarid environment Water use and distribution profile under pulse and oilseed crops in semiarid northern high latitude areas Production potential of summer legumes-maize (Zea mays) sequence under varying levels of nitrogen Optimization of fertilizer schedules in fallow and groundnut-based cropping systems and an assessment of system sustainability Alternative crops for Duplex soils: growth and water use of some cereal Response of silage maize (Zea mays L.) to nitrogen fertilizer after different crops in a semi arid environment Effect of grass mulching on growth and yield of legumes Genotype-environment interaction for seed yield and ODAP concentration of Lathyrus sativus L Nitrogen uptake in organically managed spring sown lupins and residual effects on leaching and yield of a following winter cereal Nitrogen dynamics following grain legumes and subsequent catch crops and the effects on succeeding cereal crops Grass-clover undersowing affects nitrogen dynamics in a grain legume-cereal arable cropping system Potential of summer legumes to fix nitrogen and benefit wheat crop under rainfed condition Nitrogen fixation of legumes and yield of wheat under legumes-wheat rotation in Pothwar accumulation of soil nitrogen and nitrogen balance for some field-grown legume crops Effects of sowing time on growth and grain yield of lupin and field pea in south-eastern New South Wales The effect of phosphorus fertilizer on establishment Production of summer crops in northern New South Wales Effects of tillage and double cropping on growth Effects of field slope and duration of furrow irrigation on growth and yield of six grain-legumes on a waterlogging-prone Vertisol Developing improved cropping systems for vegetables and legumes in the tropics 1 Assessment of cropping sequences in terms of yields Effects of below-ground nitrogen on N balances of field-grown fababean Diversification of rice (Oryza sativa L.)-based cropping systems for higher productivity resource-use efficiency and economic returns in south Gujarat Phosphorus benefits from grain-legume crops to subsequent maize grown on acid soils of southern Cameroon Symbiotic N2 fixation in pea and field bean estimated by 15N fertilizer dilution in field experiments with barley as a reference crop The effect of lupins as compared with peas and oats on the yield of the subsequent winter barley crop The effect of soil nitrogen on grain legume yield and nitrogen fixation Yields of crop dry matter and nitrogen in long-term barley rotation trials at two sites in northern Syria Long-term yield patterns in barley-based cropping systems in northern Syria Optimizing smallholder returns to fertilizer use: bean Effect of irrigation on growth and yield of Kabuli chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) and narrow-leafed lupin (Lupinus angustifolius L.) Evaluation of post-rainy season crops with residual soil moisture and different tillage methods in rice fallow of eastern India Water and land productivities of wheat and food legumes with deficit supplemental irrigation in a Mediterranean environment Pre-crop effects of grain legumes and linseed on soil mineral N and productivity of subsequent winter rape and winter wheat crops The effect of soil puddling on the soil physical properties and the growth of rice and post-rice crops Growth and yield response of grain legumes to different soil management practices after rainfed lowland rice Crop sequence effects of 10 crops in the northern Great Plains accumulation of soil nitrogen and nitrogen balance for white clover (Trifolium repens L.) and field pea (Pisum sativum L.) grown for seed Nitrogen and non nitrogen benefit of legumes to a subsequent spring barley crop No-tillage effects on soil properties under different crops in western Nigeria Annual feed legume yield and quality in dryland environments in north-west Syria: 2 A comparison of the grain and protein yield potential of some annual legume species in south Australia Response of four grain legumes to water stress in south-eastern Queensland lupin and faba bean cultivars to herbicides Cropping sequence and tillage system influences annual crop production and water use in semiarid Montana Chickpea and faba bean nitrogen fixation in a Mediterranean rainfed Vertisol: effect of the tillage system Tillage system effect on nitrogen rhizodeposited by faba bean and chickpea The response of four spring-sown combinable arable crops to weed competition Transfer of grain legume nitrogen within a crop rotation containing winter wheat and winter barley Seasonal biomass accumulation and nutrient uptake of pea and lentil on a black Chernozem soil in Saskatchewan Dynamic crop sequencing in western Australian cropping systems The influence of tillage and crop rotation on nitrogen fixation in lentil and pea Grain legumes and green manures as pre-rice crops in northeast Thailand I production and residual nitrogen benefits to rice sunflowers and wheat on nitrogen residues in the soil and on the growth of a subsequent wheat crop The adaptation of seven broadleaf crops to the dry semiarid prairie Pulse crops for the northern Great Plains: I Grain productivity and residual effects on soil water and nitrogen Cropping sequence effects of four broadleaf crops on four cereal crops in the northern Great Plains and pea response to delayed spring seeding on the northern Great Plains Performance of organic grain legumes in Tuscany seed yield and water use of grain legumes grown under different soil water regimes in a semi-arid tropical environment Accumulation and partitioning of biomass and nitrogen by soybean mungbean and cowpea under contrasting environmental conditions Comparative effects of cowpea and soybean genotypes on N2-fixation and N-balance in Sokoto dry sub-humid agro-ecological zone of Nigeria Effect of chemical spray on insect pests and yield quality of food grain legumes Productivity of vetches (Vicia spp.) under alpine grassland conditions in China Productivity and residual benefits of grain legumes to sorghum under semi-arid conditions in southwestern Zimbabwe Nitrogen yield and nitrogen use of chickpea compared to pea pea and lentils crops on a Cambic Chernozem in the Banat’s Plain during 2008-2010 Niche-based assessment of contributions of legumes to the nitrogen economy of western Kenya smallholder farms Tillage systems and stubble management in a Mediterranean-type environment in relation to crop yield and soil moisture Drought response of grain legumes under irrigation gradient: I water use and yield of ten upland crops following rainfed lowland rice in the tropics Agronomic potential of narrow-leafed and white lupins in the inland Pacific northwest Attributes affecting residual benefits of N2-fixing mungbean and groundnut cultivars Nitrogen-fixation capacity of field-grown bean compared to other grain legumes Nitrogen use in maize-grain legume cropping systems in semi-arid Kenya Grain legume-based rotations managed under conventional tillage need cover crops to mitigate soil organic matter losses Influence of sowing density on agronomic traits of lupins (Lupinus spp.) Production potential and profitability of some rice (Oryza sativa)-based cropping systems involving sequence cropping of pulses and oilseeds in rice fallows Nutrient harvest and soil fertility as influenced by legume-wheat (Triticum aestivum) sequences Rotational yield and apparent N benefits of grain legumes in southern Manitoba Capabilities of four novel warm-season legumes in the southern Great Plains: grain production and quality Nitrogen-15-determined nitrogen fixation in field-grown chickpea Tillage effects on yield and nitrogen fixation of legumes in Mediterranean conditions Assessment of long-term barley-legume rotations in a typical Mediterranean agro-ecosystem: grain and straw yields Sensitivity of yield and grain nitrogen concentration of wheat lupin and pea to source reduction during grain filling A comparative survey under high yielding conditions A comparison of the agronomic performance of grasspea and faba bean in a semiarid Mediterranean environment Crop production in a rotation trial at Tarlee Productivity and residual effects of legumes in rice-based cropping systems in a warm-temperate environment I Response of five food legume crops to an irrigation gradient imposed during reproductive growth Residual effects of growing mungbean and uridbean on the yield and nitrogen uptake of a succeeding wheat crop Role of summer legumes on productivity of maize (Zea mays)-wheat (Triticum aestivum) cropping system on sandy-loam soil of western Uttar Pradesh A comparison of seed yields of winter grain legumes in western Australia Growth and seed yield of vetches (Vicia spp.) in south-western Australia Adaptation and seed yield of cool season grain legumes in Mediterranean environments of south-western Australia Studies on sowing depth for chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) faba bean (Vicia faba L.) and lentil (Lens culinaris Medik) in a Mediterranean-type environment of south-western Australia Performance of cropping systems based on winter maize (Zea mays) under irrigated condition Grain yield and flowering of some introduced grain legumes in south Australia Field and model analysis of the effect of water deficits on carbon and nitrogen accumulation by soybean Different wheat (Triticum aestivum)-based cropping systems Production potential of crop sequences in plateau region of Bihar Productivity and economics of different cropping systems under various levels of irrigation Water use by horsegram (Macrotyloma uniflorum) greengram (Phaseolus radiatus) and sesame (Sesamum indicum) under shallow water-table condition in Orissa Seasonal N2 fixation by cool-season pulses based on several 15N methods Pea and soybean performance in Newfoundland Nitrogen economy and productivity of wheat (Triticum aestivum) succeeding grain legumes Effect of soil management techniques on performance of different grain legumes in a Mediterranean environment Quantities of fixed N and effects of grain legumes on following maize and N and P status of soil as indicated by isotopes Crop sequencing to improve use of precipitation and synergize crop growth Dynamic cropping systems for sustainable crop production in the northern Great Plains Radiation interception and radiation use efficiency of three grain legumes under water deficit conditions in a semi-arid environment Production potential and economic profitability of different cropping patterns including cereals Production and economics of rice (Oryza sativa)-based cropping systems Influence of the size of indigenous rhizobial populations on establishment and symbiotic performance of introduced rhizobia on field-grown legumes Crop rotations for sustainable grain production on a Vertisol in the semi-arid subtropics Grain legume species in low rainfall Mediterranean-type environments I Biological N2 fixation and residual N benefit of pre-rice leguminous crops and green manures Nitrogen fixation and soil nitrate interactions in field-grown chickpea (Cicer arietinum) and fababean (Vicia faba) chickpea and red pea to pre- or post-emergence applied herbicides Lentil (Lens culinaris) and fababean (Vicia faba) tolerance to post-emergence applications of Imazethapyr Water use profiles across the rooting zones of various pulse crops Water use efficiency of common bean and green gram grown using alternate furrow and deficit irrigation lentil and chickpea to phosphorus addition in a clay loam soil of central Montana and cropping season in the forest margins of Cameroon Estimation of nitrogen fixation by four legumes in a dry monsoonal area of north-western Australia A comparison of several grain legumes at two sowing times I Yield effect of pulses on subsequent cereal crops in the northern prairies Differential impacts of climate variability on yields of rainfed barley and legumes in semi-arid Mediterranean conditions Genotype effects of cowpea and soybean on nodulation N2-fxation and N balance in the northern Guinea savanna of Nigeria Economics of crop diversification and soil tillage opportunities in the Canadian prairies Water use and water-use efficiency of chickpea and lentil in a Mediterranean environment World map of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification updated Global synthesis of drought effects on food legume production Ranking yields of energy crops: a meta-analysis using direct and indirect comparisons Cernay, C., Pelzer, E., & Makowski, D. Dryad Digital Repository https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.mf42f (2016) Download references Yusuf for providing us with additional information and raw data Bône for assistance with the literature search This work was supported by the French National Research Agency (ANR) under the ‘Investments for the Future’ program (ANR-10-IDEX-0003-02) as part of the LabEx BASC (ANR‐11‐LABX‐0034) performed standardization and technical validation of the database The authors declare no competing financial interests Download citation DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sdata.2016.84 Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: a shareable link is not currently available for this article International Journal of Plant Production (2020) Agronomy for Sustainable Development (2019) Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science Metrics details Grain legume production in Europe has recently come under scrutiny Although legume crops are often promoted to provide environmental services European farmers tend to turn to non-legume crops It is assumed that high variability in legume yields explains this aversion but so far this hypothesis has not been tested we estimate the variability of major grain legume and non-legume yields in Europe and the Americas from yield time series over 1961–2013 Results show that grain legume yields are significantly more variable than non-legume yields in Europe These differences are smaller in the Americas Our results are robust at the level of the statistical methods crops with high yield variability are allocated to less than 1% of cultivated areas Although the expansion of grain legumes in Europe may be hindered by high yield variability some species display risk levels compatible with the development of specialized supply chains we quantitatively analyzed inter-annual yield variability and risks of yield loss for the major legume and non-legume yields at the scale of large world regions over 1961–2013 Historical time series were used to compute yield anomalies - defined as normalized yield residuals - for four European and two American regions Three different risk measures were then estimated from yield anomaly distributions for each species in each region: (i) variance of yield anomalies (ii) 10th percentile of yield anomalies and (iii) expected yield loss We compared each of these three measures applied to legumes and to non-legumes and classified crops along a risk gradient We then investigated whether species characterized by higher levels of variability tend to be allocated to smaller proportions of total cultivated areas the yields of legume crops are generally more variable than non-legumes but that levels of variability vary strongly both between crops and European sub-regions differences between legumes and non-legumes are much smaller in the Americas These results are robust at the level of the statistical methods used to calculate yield anomalies (polynomial regression or local regression) This study also shows that species characterized by high levels of yield variability are allocated to less than 1% of total cultivated areas (i.e. Production of grain legumes in Europe is thus likely to be hindered by high levels of yield variability occurring in this world region Our analysis however provides a contribution for targeting low risk grain legume species in the prospect of expanding plant protein production in Europe Standard deviation of yield anomalies for 10 crops in Europe and the Americas over 1961-2013. Log-variance ratio of yield anomalies for 9 crops compared to wheat in four European regions Variances are calculated over 1961-2013 and log-transformed in Western Europe (WE) Northern Europe (NE) and Southern Europe (SE) Yield anomalies are calculated using both regression models (polynomial (a) Horizontal lines correspond to 95% confidence intervals 5 are legume crops (bold names and dark grey bars) and 4 are non-legume crops (non-bold names and light grey bars) All crops are ranked according to variance ratio values (decreasing order) Crops that change in ranking between the polynomial and loess regression models used are underlined Log-variance ratio of yield anomalies for 9 crops compared to wheat in two American regions. 10th percentile and expected yield loss for wheat and soybean in Europe and the Americas over 1961-2013 Probability densities of yield anomalies (curves) 10th percentiles of yield anomalies (vertical dashed lines) and expected yield losses (mean values of yield anomalies lower than 10% percentiles; points) for wheat (in blue) and soybean (in red) in three European regions (i.e. Western Europe (WE) and Eastern Europe (EE)) and two American regions (i.e. North America (NA) and South America (SA)) Yield anomalies (relative differences between yield data and yield trend) are calculated using the polynomial regression models over 1961–2013 Northern Europe is excluded due to insufficient soybean yield data Regions are ranked according to variance ratio values of soybean yield anomalies compared to wheat (i.e. Southern Europe shows the highest soybean variance ratio compared to wheat) Probability densities are estimated using a Gaussian smoothing kernel Yield risk measures as a function of the percentage of total cultivated areas in Europe and the Americas over 1961–2013 Risk measures are calculated over 1961–2013: standard deviation (a) b) and expected yield loss (absolute values Crop*region combinations corresponding to legume and non-legume crops are indicated by grey points and empty points The percentages reported in the x-axis correspond to the percentage of total cultivated area by a given crop in a given region over 1961–2013 Soybeans grown in the Americas and Europe are indicated in blue and red points Blue horizontal lines represent the maximal values of risk measures for soybean grown in the Americas Red horizontal lines represent the minimal values of risk measures for soybean grown in Europe Grey horizontal lines represent the maximal values of risk measures for non-legume crops Grey vertical dashed lines represent the thresholds of 1% and 5% of total cultivated area Yield anomalies are computed using the polynomial regression very similar to those obtained over the full time period (1961-2013) Reducing the time period increases to some extent lupin yield variance estimates in Western Europe and decreases those of soybean in Southern Europe Increasing our knowledge about how grain legumes respond to soil and the environment will improve management of these crops across a large diversity of European agroclimatic zones reducing risk aversion of European farmers for growing legume species investments in legume breeding and in legume-based cropping system design will be unavoidable if we want to improve the plant protein supply and demand balance in Europe (ii) the number of observed FAOSTAT yields over 1961-2013 and (iii) the average harvested area in decreasing order a yield trend is estimated using polynomial and local ‘loess’ regression models fitted to observed data (thereafter polynomial and loess regression models respectively) The polynomial regression model groups three variants which are linear The selected polynomial model and the output of the local ‘loess’ regression are both used to calculate a yield trend further noted a yield anomaly is defined as a normalized yield residual which is obtained by the difference between yield data Yt and expected yields (i.e. yield residual) and then normalized with : We thus obtained time series of yield anomalies describing yield variability Normalizing yield residual enables us to compare crop species and regions with no dimension dependency The first risk measure is standard deviation expressed as: Yield variance is the squared value of the standard deviation The second risk measure is the 10th percentile defined by: It is equal to the mean of yield anomalies that are lower than the 10th percentile q and is calculated as follows: It represents the yield loss that is expected to exceed q with 1 chance of 10 For each of the three risk measures (standard deviation of yield anomalies we calculated the 95% confidence intervals by bootstrap iterations with 10,000 samples Crop species are then ranked from the highest to the lowest value we then tested the hypothesis that rankings of legume crops are significantly higher than rankings of non-legume crops This test is performed using the Wilcoxon rank test with the ‘wilcox.test’ function in the R software we calculated the variance ratio of yield anomalies of a given crop to wheat We selected wheat as a reference crop in the variance ratio as it is the non-legume crop with the lowest risk measures in three out of four European regions and in North America over the 1961–2013 period To test whether variance of yield anomalies of a given crop is different from wheat we used the ‘variance.test’ function in the R software (α = 0.05) The 95% confidence intervals are obtained from the calculations of this function To appraise the robustness of our calculations of risk measures and of crop rankings we provided results for a shorter time period that begins in 1983 and ends in 2013 (i.e. expected yield loss measure was not provided for this shorter time period due to an insufficient number of yield anomalies below the 10th percentile in order to calculate accurately their mean We calculated the average cultural area of each crop in each region expressed in percentage of total cultivated area calculated from all FAO items averaged over 1961–2013 We finally calculated the average annual growth rate of yield for each crop in each region over 1961–2013 (i.e. expressed in percentage and using the fitted yield trend computed from both polynomial and loess regression methods: where AAGR is the average annual growth rate of yield expressed in percentage and are the yield trends in 1961 and 2013 Estimating variability in grain legume yields across Europe and the Americas Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAOSTAT). http://faostat3.fao.org/home/E Accessed on September 2014 Achievements and Challenges in Improving the Nutritional Quality of Food Legumes The use of grain legumes as a protein source in pig nutrition: A review Environmental impact of four meals with different protein sources: Case studies in Spain and Sweden Magnitude and farm-economic value of grain legume pre-crop benefits in Europe: A review Environmental impacts of introducing grain legumes into European crop rotations Legume versus fertilizer sources of nitrogen: ecological tradeoffs and human needs Legume-based cropping systems have reduced carbon and nitrogen losses biomaterials and bioenergy in Europe: a review What do European farmers think about grain legumes Bues, A. et al. The environmental role of protein crops in the new Common Agricultural Policy. http://www.legumefutures.de/legumefuturesnews/30052013brussels.html (European Parliament Stoddard, F. L. The case studies of participant expertise in Legume Futures. Legume Futures Report 1.2. http://www.legumefutures.de/ (Legume Futures Crop Insurance Valuation under Alternative Yield Distributions Nonparametric Estimation of Crop Yield Distributions: Implications for Rating Group-Risk Crop Insurance Contracts Estimating bivariate yield distributions and crop insurance premiums using nonparametric methods Protein crop production at the northern margin of farming: to boost Effects of climatic and price uncertainty on the value of legume crops in a Mediterranean-type environment uncertainty and learning in adoption of a crop innovation reinsurance and the failure of crop insurance markets Agricultural risk management policies under climate uncertainty Kansas Wheat Yield Risk Measures and Aggregation: A Meta-Analysis Approach Achievements and Challenges in Legume Breeding for Pest and Disease Resistance Abiotic Stress Responses in Legumes: Strategies Used to Cope with Environmental Challenges Nodule performance within a changing environmental context Breeding strategy for faba bean in southern Europe based on cultivar responses across climatically contrasting environments N2 fixation and N supply in organic pea (Pisum sativum L.) cropping systems as affected by weeds and peaweevil (Sitona lineatus L.) Faba bean adaptation to autumn sowing under European climates The EU’s dependency on soya bean import for the animal feed industry and potential for EU produced alternatives What is the way forward for protein supply Comparison of Statistical Models for Analyzing Wheat Yield Time Series Distinguishing between yield advances and yield plateaus in historical crop production trends Recent patterns of crop yield growth and stagnation United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Natural Resources Conservation Service. Plants Database. http://plants.usda.gov Accessed on May 2014 R. Core Team. R: A language and environment for statistical computing. http://www.r-project.org (R Foundation for Statistical Computing A new look at the statistical model identification Download references This work was supported by the French National Research Agency (ANR) under the program Investing in the future Grant n°ANR-10-IDEX-0003-02 and is part of LabEx BASC (ANR‐11‐LABX‐0034) UMR 1018 Sciences pour l’Action et le Développement: Activités All authors discussed the results and contributed to writing the paper Download citation © Le Domaine de Primard by Benoit Linero Les Étangs de Corot by Michel Figuet and L’Auberge du Jeu de Paume by Alexandra Vonk To make the most of the early good weather with a beautiful getaway just a few miles from Paris we have selected five places that have everything needed for a perfect relaxing weekend : high-class dining and especially top-notch spas to reset and recharge Plus : A bar and 3 restaurants each with a unique identity : the Michelin-starred Le Corot and the waterside guinguette Les Paillotes Les Étangs de Corot, 55 rue de Versailles, 92410 Ville-d'Avray. More information on the hotel. © Les Étangs de Corot by Michel Figuet In the heart of the Chevreuse Valley, in the Rambouillet state forest, this 12th-century Cistercian abbey is hidden in a 65-hectare estate, just an hour's drive from Paris it was bought in 1873 by Charlotte de Rothschild who commissioned significant restoration work with Laurent de Gourcuff aiming to make it "the most beautiful hotel in the region." Scheduled to open in autumn 2023 The property features 147 suites and rooms each uniquely decorated by Cordélia de Castellane and several dining options : the gourmet Les Chasses and the possibility to dine by the bar near the fireplace not forgetting a Tata Harper spa with an outdoor pool Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay you can also dine on the grass at the bistro Martin run by Géraud Dupuis or enjoy a family-style meal in the former kitchen of the Maison sur l’Eure Additional highlights include a 24-meter heated pool and a 450 m² Susanne Kaufmann spa with 4 cabins designed over 30 years ago by Jacques Wirtz has been enhanced yearly with new trees and boasts an exquisite rose garden with over 250 varieties Le Domaine de Primard Located in the heart of the Domaine de Chantilly this splendid 5-star Relais & Châteaux hotel is the first French establishment to join the Sana Hotels Collection The Auberge du Jeu de Paume is highly accessible from Paris (35 min by train + 10 minutes by taxi) making it perfect for a weekend of art and history with a visit to the Château de Chantilly and André Le Nôtre’s gardens with a charming Angélique Marquise des Anges theme Enjoy breakfast on your private balcony above the park The hotel also offers a Valmont spa with 5 cabins Plus : Two dining options to suit different tastes and budgets: Le Jardin d'Hiver and the gourmet restaurant La Table du Connétable where chef Clément Le Norcy aims to regain the lost Michelin star Auberge du Jeu de Paume © Auberge du Jeu de Paume by Alexandra Vonk Just 25 km from Paris and a stone’s throw from the Château de Versailles, the Trianon Palace – Waldorf Astoria Versailles is surrounded by a 3-hectare wooded park This 5-star institution consists of two buildings : the Palace and the more contemporary Trianon Pavilion the suites with views of the Château de Versailles are highly recommended The top choice is the Terrace Suite on the 6th floor offering 110 m² of space and a terrace with stunning views of the Château and the Royal Domain the hotel offers two restaurants : the brasserie La Véranda by chef Frédéric Larquemin and the Michelin-starred Gordon Ramsay au Trianon by the famous English chef Plus : The immense 2,800 m² Guerlain spa is a major draw and worth the visit alone Trianon Palace – Waldorf Astoria Versailles © Trianon Palace - Waldorf Astoria Versailles French passionates recently tested the Chiron Sport and Chiron Pur Sport as part of an exclusive customer drive event organized by official dealer partner Bugatti Paris Since its creation in 1947, the family Group has developed a representative network of roughly twenty automotive brands throughout France and has carried on the historical tradition and presence of sports cars brands in Paris metropolitan region.” Bolide: Not subject to Directive 1999/94/EC, as it is a racing vehicle not intended for use on public roads. Download Centodieci: WLTP fuel consumption, l/100 km: low phase 40.3 / medium phase 22.2 / high phase 17.9 / extra high phase 17.1 / combined 21.5; CO2 emissions combined, g / km: NA; efficiency class: G Download Chiron: WLTP fuel consumption, l/100 km: low phase 44.6 / medium phase 24.8 / high phase 21.3 / extra high phase 21.6 / combined 25.2; CO2 emissions combined, g/km: 572; efficiency class: G Download Chiron Profilée: WLTP fuel consumption, l/100 km: low phase 44.6 / medium phase 24.8 / high phase 21.3 / extra high phase 21.6 / combined 25.2; CO2 emissions combined, g/km: 572; efficiency class: G Chiron Pur Sport: WLTP fuel consumption, l/100 km: low phase 44.6 / medium phase 24.8 / high phase 21.3 / extra high phase 21.6 / combined 25.2; CO2 emissions combined, g/km: 572; efficiency class: G Download Chiron Sport: WLTP fuel consumption, l/100 km: low phase 44.6 / medium phase 24.8 / high phase 21.3 / extra high phase 21.6 / combined 25.2; CO2 emissions combined, g/km: 572; efficiency class: G Download Chiron Super Sport: WLTP fuel consumption, l/100 km: low phase 40.3 / medium phase 22.2 / high phase 17.9 / extra high phase 17.1 / combined 21.5; CO2 emissions combined, g/km: 487; efficiency class: G Download Chiron Super Sport 300+: WLTP fuel consumption, l/100 km: low phase 40.3 / medium phase 22.2 / high phase 17.9 / extra high phase 17.1 / combined 21.5; CO2 emissions combined, g/km: 487; efficiency class: G Download Divo: WLTP fuel consumption, l/100 km: low phase 43.3 / medium phase 22.2 / high phase 18.0 / extra high phase 18.3 / combined 22.3; CO2 emissions combined, g/km: 506; efficiency class: G Download La Voiture Noire: WLTP fuel consumption, l/100 km: low phase 43.3 / medium phase 22.2 / high phase 18.0 / extra high phase 18.3 / combined 22.3; CO2 emissions combined, g/km: 506; efficiency class: G Tourbillon: This model is currently not subject to directive 1999/94/EC, as type approval has not yet been granted. Download W16 Mistral: WLTP fuel consumption l/100 km: low phase 40.7 / medium phase 21.9 / high phase 18.3 / extra high phase 17.6 / combined 21.8; CO2 emissions combined All products on this page have been selected by our editorial team however we may make commission on some products The Standard Ibiza is hosting a Hunza G pop-up designed to capture the essence of a Mediterranean summer Each piece of Hunza G swimwear is made with state-of-the-art technology to create its signature fabric and is ethically produced with no deadstock or wastage The brand also champions a one-size-fits-all stance emphasising both inclusivity and sustainability The month-long takeover means hotel visitors can browse and purchase the  signature collection until 11th August Visit StandardHotels.com which has been opened in Shoreditch by siblings Kirk and Keeley Haworth Kirk was crowned Champion of Champions on this year’s Great British Menu – and following a successful residency in Dalston the pair have launched their first permanent restaurant Plates aims to change the perception of what fruits You might start with a refreshing hibiscus and white tea granita served with poached peaches and soy custard; followed by English tomatoes served with homemade ricotta raspberry and white kombu jam, frozen strawberries and a beetroot and buckwheat truffle Fans of Great British Menu will be able to try some of Kirk’s top-scoring dishes including his ‘Feast of Farah’ – a charcoal lasagne with layers of mung and urad bean and served with baby turnip Visit Plates-London.com Sustainable label Reformation has partnered with style icon and actress Laura Harrier on an exclusive capsule collection The Reformation x Laura Harrier collection features 18 sustainable and is now available online and in select Reformation stores Visit TheReformation.com Fifteen years after its launch, Rouge G – Guerlain’s jewel lipstick – has had a refresh. Designed by jeweller Lorenz Bäumer in 2009, it’s been reinvented on the initiative of Violette and shoppers can choose from 40 accompanying satin or velvet matte shades Created with lily flower and sweet almond oil Visit Guerlain.com The gorgeous Grace Hotel Auberge on Santorini has collaborated with luxury interiors and tablescape brand Mrs Alice The Santorini Collection draws inspiration from the boutique resort and its striking views of Santorini’s amazing caldera Available to purchase via The Mrs Alice Shop the collection has been designed as a tribute to the Greek island from where founder Alice Naylor-Leyland has many family memories seashells and the whitewashed architecture synonymous with the Greek island Grace Hotel Auberge has curated a series of exclusive private dining experiences Visit MrsAlice.com Forty-five minutes from the French capital Abbaye des Vaux-de-Cernay is a chic new country hotel – and the first of its kind from The Paris Society group the property’s interiors have been designed by Cordélia de Castellane artistic director of Baby Dior and Dior Maison Guests have the option of staying in the bedrooms of the L’Abbaye itself in Les Haras (the estate’s charming former stable yard) or in a series of individual atmospheric Pavillons designed for family and group getaways Visit AbbayeDesVauxDeCernay.com Ever-popular wine brand Amie has launched its first non-alcoholic bottles Amie Non-Alc is a sparkling rosé that’s been dealcoholised through the reverse osmosis process That means the wine's aromas are preserved and it contains less sugar than other non-alcoholic wines currently on the market. The sparkling rosé is produced in the south of France from grenache grapes and is pleasantly effervescent It’s just the thing to serve to any non-drinking friends at summer gatherings Visit DrinkAmie.com Manolo Blahnik is celebrating 30 years of its famous Mary Jane heels Originally imagined as traditional ballet flats they were given a high heel with a feminine toe for a sultry feel The black patent edition was further branded as a sexy evening shoe perfect for an evening of cocktails in mini dresses Modelled by the likes of Kate Moss and Shalom Harlow this sleek pointed silhouette will never get old Visit ManoloBlahnik.com We’ve loved jewellery brand Alighieri for years so we were excited to see its venture into homeware Alighieri Casa is a collection of modern heirlooms for the home Inspired by ancient totems and prehistoric rock formations the Totemic Devotion collection pays homage to the importance of daily spiritual rituals: from sharing stories by candlelight to setting the table and breaking bread From candlesticks to tableware and cutlery suites each piece is carved in wax and transformed into gold and silver-plated brass We love the floating pebble candlesticks and the sterling silver napkin rings Visit Alighieri.com Design platform Abask has created its first in-house collection in collaboration with AD100 Studio Shamshiri – and we’re excited by the blankets cushions and home accessories in unexpected art-house hues Founded by brother and sister Pamela and Ramin in 2016 Studio Shamshiri has previously done restoration work on homes designed by big-name ‘starchitects’ the two brands are donating a portion of proceeds from every item to Médecins Sans Frontières Visit Abask.com Outerwear brand Marfa Stance is now offering one-to-one appointments in its Notting Hill studio Taking a modular approach to building a wardrobe it produces lifelong styles that can be added to or stripped down depending on the weather to reduce the need for excess clothing Whether you’re after an all-purpose jacket or buildable accessories Marfa Stance is engineered for year-round wearability Visit MarfaStance.com DISCLAIMER: We endeavour to always credit the correct original source of every image we use. If you think a credit may be incorrect, please contact us at info@sheerluxe.com (You will be redirected to the right platform once logged in) Forgotten login? Request a new password A brunch in a historic monument in Paris or the Ile-de-France region is an experience that goes beyond simple culinary pleasure a number of emblematic sites welcome gourmets to exceptional settings blending art de vivre and architectural heritage From the refinement of Belle Époque salons to the serenity of gardens surrounding châteaux these venues invite you to take a trip back in time while savouring skilfully prepared cuisine These brunches offer much more than just a meal: they offer an immersion into often little-known historic worlds places where every detail tells the story of an era from sumptuous frescoes to ornate ceilings Whether you're attracted by listed architecture or exceptional residences nestling in the Paris region these addresses promise a moment suspended between gourmet pleasure and discovery By choosing to brunch in a monument such as a château you can let yourself be carried away by the charm of these places where heritage is appreciated as much in the flavors as in the atmosphere A perfect opportunity to rediscover history while sharing a convivial moment How about brunch in an exceptional location La Maison Gainsbourg to discover one of the capital's must-see addresses this graffiti-covered house was once home to the illustrious author Music lovers and other fans in search of eccentricity for a meal is responsible for Gainsbarre's gourmet offerings Cadoret #3 oysters and gravlax salmon are also on offer while cocktails inspired by the artist's favorite recipes are served Be sure to take a look at the original manuscripts of hit songs (Elisa Bloody Jack...) which light up in the background Menu.page-49721925{--metaColor:#876821;--navColor:#876821}Vogue‘s Best Wedding Features So Far This Year Don’t get us wrong—we love Vogue and we love weddings but sometimes the marital festivities featured in the mag feel like reports from another planet Given that this editor’s father spent her wedding fund (which she doubts ever actually existed) on a pool several years back reading about the luxury nuptials of people with roman numerals in their names is simultaneously masochistic and cathartic the columns induce an envy in us even Instagram can’t replicate they’re also often so over-the-top ridiculous we examine some of the best and most swoon-worthy weddings featured in Vogue and allow ourselves a few chuckles in the process @caratsandcakeWe're Just Jealous.s393427788{padding-top:69.5048%}@media(min-width:768px){.s393427788{padding-top:69.5048%}}@garypeppergirl"Nicole Warne Of Gary Pepper Girl Had A Wedding At The Edge Of The Earth In New Zealand" The location: A biodynamic vineyard located We're pretty sure their guests traveling from NY actually lost a day of their lives The fashion: A Valentino Haute Couture wedding gown complete with a 3 meter veil an Oscar de la Renta reception gown and a Dion Lee party dress (Don't get us started on the Toni Maticesvki rehearsal ensemble or the custom Michael Lo Sordo x Ryan Storer crystal-embellished brunch gown) The photography: On the bluff of a mountain overlooking Lake Wanaka It only took 4 helicopters to ferry the bridal party back and forth during the reception Vogue"Inside An Elegant Wedding At A 12th-Century Castle In France" The meet-cute: "We met at the gym in New York City when Donovan accidentally mistook me for my twin sister this charming anecdote doesn't lead to where you think it does—this is Vogue The ring: "He even had my sister try on rings to confirm my ring size." This poor sibling is probably going to star in the next installment of Making a Murderer The flowers: "She carried a bouquet of white calla lilies—a nod to the calla lily arrangement Donovan sent her the morning after their first date." The venue: "The newlyweds then hopped in a black Bentley and made their way to the small town of Cernay-la-Ville and the Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay or 'The Abbey,' a venue Olivia and Donovan discovered after flying to Paris one weekend and checking out six or seven locations." Vogue"Anchors Away: A Sailor Races To Bermuda To Marry His Bride" The engagement: "We were concluding our walk on the causeway when Dave asked if I wanted to sit and enjoy the view of the Chesapeake in a small area under the yacht club’s flagpole." Kudos for any time you can fit the word "yacht" into your engagement story The fashion: "The men wore navy-blue Vineyard Vines ties with the burgee of the Gibson Island Yacht Squadron on them with white shirts and docksiders—a quintessentially nautical look." we don't get as much recreational boating in as we should Baker then traveled by sailboat to the reception venue a nearly 350-year-old restaurant called the Waterlot Inn." Vogue"Paradise Found: A Wedding at a Lavish Home in San Miguel de Allende" The ruse: "I knew that I wanted to propose by the lighthouse on Brant Point but I also knew that it would be a challenge to get Georgie out of bed and over there early enough in the morning before the crowds of dog-walkers and fisherman so fabricating a plan of scalloping worked well we made the short walk over toward Brant Point to go ‘scalloping.’ Georgie who self-admittedly is not much of a morning person was too tired to really understand what was going on most creative use of seafood in a matrimonial context The props: "The dress also had to be comfortable enough to wear while walking through cobblestone streets with a donkey!” The party: "Sunday is a popular day in El Jardín and as the parade made its way to the main square a large group of people started to gather around the wedding party a dance party broke out in the middle of the square." Vogue"Grandeur and Style Prevailed at Amber Guinness’s Wedding in Florence" cut from the estate at Arniano and used to decorate the church she was the mastermind behind it all." Nothing denotes restraint quite like deforesting on behalf of your special day The reviews: "Another guest said the whole event ‘managed to combine grandeur with style and informality in perfect measure.'" Vogue"Under the Tuscan Sun: An Intimate Wedding at Castello di Casole" The groom: "Once we were back in the room Michael gave me a book he had created filled with photos and captions from all our years together The first page of the book had a picture from when he asked me to prom—he had drawn with paint on his parents’ car ‘Will you go to prom with me?’ The pages following included high school and college memories trips we had taken together and time spent between New York The last page of the book had the exact same picture from prom but the words on the car now said ‘Will you marry me?’" We're crying too hard to say anything snarky about this one except that our high school boyfriends are still following Phish around for whom the word brunch rhymes with all-you-can-eat buffet.. What could be better than allowing yourself to have a belly as big as your eyes in front of a superb Even tastier if you've been out the night before we've selected for you the very best in all-you-can-eat brunches Discover our selection of refined all-you-can-eat brunches many of them at prestigious hotels in Paris star-studded: discover our favorite luxury all-you-can-eat buffets now Dreaming of a brunch that's both original and all-you-can-eat Discover our selection of unusual brunches but brunch with a magnificent view of Paris is quite another Here's our selection of all-you-can-eat brunches with a view: waterside We tend to think that not all brunches with all-you-can-eat buffets are cheap When you decide to have an all-you-can-eat brunch with your family the idea of having to chase after the kids is often a thorn in your side some restaurants have thought of everything and offer fun activities specially designed for your little ones There's no need to go out of your way to keep them at the table: while you're brunching in peace let your little ones go about their business Fans of exceptional brunches in Paris won't be disappointed by these seven addresses offering unique culinary experiences in sumptuous settings These luxurious brunches offer delicious dishes and top-quality service to satisfy the most demanding palates Whether in a palace or a chic hotel, these Parisian brunches are back to delight gourmets restaurants and grand hotels vie with each other to seduce the most demanding and delicate palates innovative culinary combinations and grandiose buffets these luxury brunches should delight your taste buds But brunch isn't just about the food. For a complete experience, it's essential to enjoy an enchanting setting, a leafy terrace or a confidential venue Here are the must-visit addresses to transform your Sundays into moments of pure delight these exceptional brunches in Paris invite you to experience unforgettable gourmet moments Don't hesitate to let yourself be tempted by these luxurious addresses and make them your new Sunday tradition Villa M's gourmet brunchAre you still looking for the best brunches in Paris? Why not check out the new brunch at Villa M in the 15th arrondissement? This new Paris Society spot offers an enchanting setting designed by Starck, live music and gourmet treats galore. [Read more] Things did not get off to an auspicious start “The home is easy to find if you come from Paris but I got lost driving from Normandy and was terrified because I was late,” remembers Benech now a globally renowned talent with more than 300 extraordinary gardens under his belt the landscape became quite boring—flat brown fields as far as you could see Who would want to live in a place like this?” a jovial businessman whose ancestors once ruled Poland The pair had recently moved back to France after several years living in the U.S as a country house to share with their children The brick-and-stone structure was surrounded by a glittering moat and several underwhelming Around all that lay miles of remarkably horizontal farmland “From a distance it looked like an island in the middle of a desert,” Benech says Prince Poniatowski recognized similar promise in the young designer who was a friend of one of Leticia’s sisters “Louis was late—he always is—but we didn’t mind because he is very charming,” he recounts The trio strolled past ill-conceived garden features and overgrown fruit trees and began to dream Although he does not have a signature style whose latest high-profile project is Château de Versailles’s first new garden since the 18th century is known for mixing French formalism with a more naturalistic English approach to planting His understanding of the former helped him immediately recognize and address two layout issues: an eyesore of a swimming pool set far too close to the house and an adjoining square of lawn enclosed by boxwood His solution for the pool was to hide it from view behind a yew hedge which helped even out the proportions of that section of the grounds As for the boxwood square—now used as a croquet lawn—Benech cut an opening into either end and extended outward with borders of shrubs and perennials to create a long thoroughfare that leads from the pool to the other side of the property RELATED: 5 Design Lessons from an Enchanting Garden by Louis Benech “There is a great progression of blooms throughout the year,” says Prince Poniatowski and then come the artichokes—and you have to decide whether to eat them or let them flower.” Parallel to the walk Benech erected a vast pergola and then smothered it with purple clematis “Now you can stand anywhere and not be able to tell that the garden’s lines are uneven,” the designer says The very best gardens benefit from two things—time and harmonious human relationships. Le Bois Hinoust’s landscape has had both Benech has returned regularly to monitor the garden’s progress visits that have deepened his friendship with the Poniatowskis Years ago the couple purchased some adjacent land and asked Benech to take it in hand; among his improvements is a glorious magnolia walk flanked by two perfectly round ornamental pools The designer emphasized texture in this new area choosing species with variegated foliage and interesting shapes and avoiding plants that need constant pruning “You don’t know how much work it is until you’ve had to clip everything yourself.” Eventually another next-door plot became available “At first I thought I’d plant it with wheat or barley or some other agricultural crop,” the prince says “Then Louis came up with the idea of flowers.” In spring and summer the added acreage becomes a riotous carpet of white Shasta daisies and purple dame’s rocket “In the beginning Stanislas and Leticia’s house ignored the views,” Benech says “But now the flowers seem to flow into the farmland.” Today Le Bois Hinoust remains a creative partnership Though the Poniatowskis check in with Benech for advice they have also made their own bold alterations such as mowing two intersecting paths through the flower field “I don’t mind at all if they make changes,” says the designer “It means they love their garden.” For the couple working with Benech has offered a rare opportunity to learn from and experiment with one of the finest designers of his generation “I’m not sure what we’ll do next,” the prince muses “I find that as you age you get more interested in trees I think we’ll have to plant some more with Louis now before we get too old to see them grow up.” Paris Secret has found the best all-you-can-eat brunches in the capital Brunch buffet 115 euros per person. Saturdays and Sundays, from 12:30 to 3:00 p.m., reservations required for outside customers 📍 Domaine de l’Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay Fancy a brunch at the top? For the highest brunch in Paris, head to TOO Tactac In addition to a breathtaking view of the City of Light’s finest monuments In addition to a choice of fresh fruit juices and hot drinks you’ll be able to sample a fine selection of sweet and savory dishes cold meats and a fine selection of cheeses for the savoury side lemon meringue pie and chocolate cake are sure to please everyone Buffet 55 euros per person. Sundays from 11:30 a.m., by reservation The Royal Monceau Raffles is undoubtedly one of Paris’s finest palaces Ideally located in the 8th arrondissement of Paris this historic monument has been completely redesigned by renowned architect and designer Philippe Starck with a refined buffet featuring exquisite dishes The menu features a fine selection of breads and viennoiseries as well as a multitude of salads and condiments The buffet includes mini-croques with truffles pan-fried forest mushrooms or caramelized beef ribs the chef also prepares organic eggs au plat The highlight of the culinary show is the seemingly endless array of desserts chouquettes and other 5-star sweet delights created by Yazid Ichemrahen and his team of pastry chefs 📍 Royal Monceau Raffles Now that’s an all-you-can-eat brunch! At the heart of the Madame Rêve Hotel lies the Kitchen restaurant In an incredible setting that transports us back to the Parisian Cafés of the Belle Époque In addition to breads baked by M.O.F baker Frédéric Lamos intense dark chocolate mousse or île flottante available as an add-on to the 79 euro menu you can indulge in the house-pressed juices: orange The chic Pullman Paris Tour Eiffel offers a gargantuan brunch every Sunday You’ll be able to sample a range of starters (salads Right next door to the sublime Hôtel Kimpton St Honoré is its restaurant: the Montecito in an ultra-chic setting with a skilfully designed décor you can enjoy a simply exquisite Sunday brunch Under the Montecito’s immense glass roof we take our places on beautiful marble tables an à la carte dish and all-you-can-eat access we opt for the eggs Benedict to die for and the Huevos Rancheros muy caliente The huge buffet leaves you spoilt for choice 📍Location: 27 – 29 Bd des Capucines One of the best all-you-can-eat brunches in Paris To complete this all-you-can-eat brunch: a bakery counter with a wide selection of breads Saturday: 59€ / adult – 30€ / child 4 to 12 years old – Sunday: 49€ / adult – 25€ child 4 to 12 years old – Free for children under 4 years old In a splendid setting inspired by the Roaring Twenties the Hôtel l’Echiquier Opéra invites you to its Sunday brunch A king’s brunch with an all-you-can-eat buffet to be enjoyed in the heart of its restaurant “Le 38 Lounge” fresh fruit and artisanal delights… Under the restaurant’s majestic glass roof treat yourself to the most refined of brunches Plus: à la minute omelettes by the Chef and piano-vocal music to complete the experience Join us on the first Sunday of every month between 12 and 3pm 1st Sunday of the month – Adult price: 64€ – Child price: 25€ At weekends, it’s the dolce vita at Liberto in Paris. Viennoiseries, pastries, pasta, risottos, chocolate fountain… enjoy a crazy Italian brunch Nestled in the 1st arrondissement of Paris this Italian restaurant invites you to sample its specialties made with products imported from the Botte Brunch every Saturday and Sunday from 11:30 a.m – All-you-can-eat buffet formula 32€ per person (16€ for children under 12) – Reservations only: 06 40 34 23 33 Two French specialists in elastomeric/rubber components for offshore use are now working together as part of the Hutchinson engineering group acquired last July from jet engine manufacturer Snecma Moteurs has since been assimilated with existing subsidiary Paulstra into Hutchinson’s Aerospace-Industry division both companies are being encouraged to develop new devices for offshore use around and below the water line Paris-based Paulstra’s offshore specialties are fender systems for protecting jacket legs and shock absorbers for ultra-heavy deck/jacket mating operations with the aim of devising products for the latest generation of submarines and nuclear missiles But this was the period when the Cold War was petering out forcing the company to pursue openings in other sectors One of these was offshore oil and gas - following advice from BP and other operators Techlam began engineering flexible joints in the mid-1990s for use with deepwater risers and floating production export lines the company developed a rubber compound called HNBR (hydrogenated acronytrile butadiene rubber) This was first applied in a major offshore context in single and double flexible joints on two 16-in rigid oil export lines between the Girassol FPSO and associated loading buoy These flexible connections between two rigid assemblies were designed to withstand the impact of export line tension loads with a rotation angle of up to 21° in a single arrangement Once the technology was proven - no damage was reported even when three mooring lines on the Girassol buoy came loose - further commissions followed from other operators for deepwater floaters off West Africa single flexible joints for the Kizomba A and B and Erha export lines rated for 6.6 kN axial loads in the case of the Kizombas Techlam has been contracted for the design and supply of single joints for Greater Plutonio (BP) According to Techlam’s Offshore Sales Manager Jean-Piere Chaumieau the flexible joints are installed relatively easily by pulling the offloading line through receptacles welded to porches both on the FPSO and the buoy “They can withstand heavy tension loads and large movements of the FPSO and/or buoy The company’s next development was much larger diameter flexible elements for riser tower base connections also applicable to TLP tendon seabed connectors receptacle latching systems for installing the base joints of riser towers on Rosa and Greater Plutonio and 10 connectors for water and gas injection single hybrid risers on Kizomba A and B Now Techlam is focusing on steel catenary production riser flexible joints a market currently dominated by Oil States Under a second-phase joint industry project involving support from BP and Statoil and R&D assistance from Hutchinson in particular Techlam has been working on a new system suited to deepwater developments with severe operating conditions Full-scale prototype trials will be performed this year to qualify the concept including fatigue and explosive decompression tests The HTHP-FSDB (fail-safe double barrier) joint is designed currently to withstand temperatures up to 120°C The device is insulated throughout with new rubber formulations -- with Hutchinson R&D support -- providing strong resistance to explosive decompression Techlam expects the joint to be qualified for 100% of production SCRs Paulstra’s main current offshore project involves two giant platforms under construction in the Far East Here it is providing a total of eight leg mating units (LMUs) designed to facilitate smooth contact between the platform substructures and decks during this summer’s offshore installation program These are the biggest shock absorbers the company has ever produced and will be installed in each of the platforms’ four legs and capable of withstanding a maximum load in each case of 6,500 ton The central guiding pipe within the leg mating units is 1.2 m in diameter All elastomer parts were manufactured at the company’s factory in northern France where fatigue tests were conducted on 1:10 scale models Industeel in central France subcontracted full-scale tests (with all four rings in operation) using its in-house 10,000 ton press.