The Californian paint manufacturer Behr has elected the color Cracked Pepper color of the year 2024. It is a matte black whose intensity varies depending on the ambient light. Regardless, it is an elegant color which confirms the trend for dark colors in our interiors, reflecting the need to assert oneself and create a protective cocoon in the face of increasing external aggressions. "AN ELEGANT COLOR THAT CREATES A PROTECTIVE COCOON." Every year, the American paint manufacturer Behr elects the color of the coming year, the one that we will see everywhere in the world of interior decoration. The black color Cracked Pepper, which can be translated as Crushed Pepper, therefore radically replaces the “White Canvas” of 2023. A 180-degree turn that reflects a need for boldness and affirmation. This matte, dark color transforms any interior into an elegant setting thanks to the sobriety and minimalism it evokes. It can be applied in all rooms of the house and goes ideally with high-end materials such as marble and stone, whose veins it brings out, noble wood species and leathers. It harmonizes ideally with neutral tones such as whites, ochres and warm beiges to create a refined and friendly atmosphere. Also, it goes well with leopard print and small geometric patterns if you want to recreate a bourgeois and bohemian atmosphere of the 30s and 70s. OUR CRACKED PEPPER SELECTION

The American Pioneers' Shaker style continues to progress and children's universe doesn't escape the rule. Many “folk” brands are emerging and offering collections of sober and classic clothing designed with natural materials. In the same spirit, the toys are creative and simple. Everything should seem like it came out of Little House on the Prairie and be as far removed from mass consumption as possible. Kuko bassinet, Charlie Crane 249,00€ Patchwork baby pyjama, Petit Bateau 27,00€ Wooden loom, Melissa & Doug 55,90€ Wool comforter, Main Sauvage 35,00€ Eco-tex dress, Monoprix 27,99€ Wooden dinette, Nature&Découvertes 36,99€ Gingham scrunchie, Cocoeko 9,50€ T-bar ballerinas, Pépé shoes 144,00€ Box, La Petite Maison dans la Prairie Organic cotton quilted jacket, Bonnie & the Gang 45,00€ Wooden bench, Sebra 159,00€ Corduroy overalls, The Simple Folk 75,00€ Cotton gauze blouse, Monoprix 17,99€ Pink hat with white flowers, Risu Risu 46,00€

Sleeveless quilted jacket, blouse, long wrap skirt, ballet flats or moccasins worn with fine pleated socks, bag in recycled material, prints and velvet... here are the fashion essentials for back to school 2023! A handcrafted cashmere jacket, a pretty multi-function leopard tote bag made from plastic bottles, velvet ballet flats worn with thin socks, a mid-calf wrap skirt. Find the best of back-to-school fashion essentials in one look. Shop the look The Jacket Quilted sleeveless jacket Hida, Antik Batik 140,00€ The Blouse Silk blouse Kiledia, Isabel Marant 490,00€ The Skirt Denim skirt Volos, Soeur 165,00€ The Socks Scottish thread socks Walk, Soeur 35,00€ The Shoes Black Mary Jane Velvet Ballerinas, Le Monde Beryl 445,00€ The Bag Leopard print tote bag , All the Ways to Say 39,00€

The heat that has settled over France this fall makes us want to continue our summer diet. The Provencal salad is quick to make, simple and inexpensive, and the chickpeas that make it up make it a nutritious and therefore complete salad. Perfect for back to school 2023! Recipe for 4 people Prep time 15 minutes Ingredient* 350 g cooked chickpeas 100 g black olives 1 stalk of celery 2 green onions or spring onions 1 small bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley (approximately 8 branches) 6-8 drizzles of anchovy oil cumin powder 2 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp shallot wine vinegar salt & ground pepper Preparation Wash the celery, spring onions and parsley. Chop everything finely Rinse the chickpeas in a colander In a salad bowl, pour the chickpeas, chopped herbs and olives In a bowl, mix all the ingredients for the vinaigrette (oil, vinegar, cumin, salt and pepper) and pour it into the salad bowl. Mix Place the anchovies on top of the salad Serve with garlic-rubbed toast * all our ingredients are organic

The figs are already ripe and perfume the gardens and the alleys of the villages. To vary compotes and jams, concoct chutney, a sweet and savory condiment of Indian origin, which will deliciously accompany your cheese platters, sandwiches, meats and foie gras throughout the fall and winter. The chutney will keep for about six months, thanks to the vinegar and sugar that make it up. Recipe for 3 pots Prep time 10 minutes + cooking 2 heures Ingredients 1kg of fresh figs 2 red onions 1/2 tsp grated ginger 250 g cane sugar 3 dl of white vinegar salt ground pepper Preparation Wash the figs, dry them, remove the stems and cut them into quarters Chop the onions. Grate the ginger In a copper saucepan preferably, pour the slices of onions and 2 tablespoons of water. Let it cook for 2/3 minutes Add the figs. Mix Then, pour the vinegar, sugar and ginger. Season with salt and pepper and simmer over low heat for about 2 hours, until the mixture thickens After cooking, when the mixture is still hot, pour the chutney into the jars that you close and return immediately with the help of a cloth so as not to burn yourself. Leave to cool then store your jars away from light Notes and Suggestions You can vary the chutneys by following the same recipe: onions, pear, blackcurrant, mango... picture © cookswithcocktails

Lucille Pialot has created her own brand of table linen. Pastisse, a solar and authentic line in the image of her sparkling founder. Her collections smell good of lavender, and make us resonate in the song of the cicadas... Through her line of table linen, Lucille Pialot transmits all her passion, her joie de vivre and her southern roots. Its tables are cheerful, embellished with patterns and bright colours. Its collections and table decorations are part of the great "tablescape" trend to come: generous tables that abound in perfect harmony and which Americans love. Lucille talks to us about her brand, her journey and her sources of inspiration. Interview Lucille, can you tell us about your origins? " I am 100% a southern girl. My whole family is from the South of France; some from the southwest and others from the southeast. I grew up in Lyon but I spent all my holidays between Nice, the Camargue, Provence and the Tarn. My great-grandparents from Tarn were weavers. Their son, my grandfather, transmitted to me all the history related to weaving and made me discover the rare textile factories which persisted in the department. We have a special relationship. I am all the closer to him because I am his only granddaughter and my parents are ambitious scientists, hard at work and very far from the artisanal world that fascinates me. It was therefore he who transmitted to me the love of weaving from an early age. At 18, in complete opposition to my parents, I left to study fashion design at the Ecole Duperré in Paris. After my BTS, I worked in Haute Couture and then with a Tokyo designer. I then left to complete my training at Aalto University in Helsinki. When I left university, I was a print designer then a colorist at LVMH. I was a bit bored; the work was not very exciting because marketing prevailed over pure creation, which does not correspond to my values. I then went to a fashion designer in Berlin where I was responsible for the women's textile collections." How the Pastisse project was born? " I was in Berlin when the Covid crisis broke out. I was 29 years old, I was single and I had developed health problems due to the stress inherent in this profession. Fashion is an unbearable source of tension. Lock down was the perfect opportunity to ask myself and take a step back from my life. Did you go the wrong way? How long has it been since you drew, sewed? I asked myself a whole bunch of questions, and the results of my reflection on the fashion industry, the pollution it generates and its unsustainable management methods pushed me to cut ties with this toxic environment. I wanted to do something that looked like me, that made sense and that paid homage to my roots. Pastisse was born from this desire. I wanted to transmit healthy values, an age-old craftsmanship while bringing my personal touch." What are the manufacturing methods of Pastisse? " I first create a prototype on a hand loom then I have it produced by a weaver. I voluntarily create small productions; I prefer to have small quantities but high quality. The head office of Pastisse is settled in Lyon, so I weave in the Loire basin, a historical region of weaving. Also, I started my first collection on the principle of upclycling using spools of thread not used in the textile factories of the South of France, those where my ancestors had worked in the past.. " What are your sources of inspiration? " My sources of inspiration are multiple. First of all, I draw from my childhood memories which I materialize into ornamental patterns. I remember the walks to the flower market in Nice with my grandmother and the stories she told me, especially about her youth, when all the hills in the hinterland of Nice were strewn with marigold flowers. I am also inspired during my walks or in museums. I also consult all kinds of archives that can provide me patterns: ceramics, earthenware, folk costumes..." What are your favorite addresses in the South of France that you recommend to Mastic readers?? " I have a lot of addresses all over the South of France but I particularly like the Camargue's Lifestyle, a region that marked part of my childhood. Aigues-Mortes is my favorite little Camargue town. I recommend: Poitavin Freres to taste the best focaccia in the world La Camargue restaurant to taste a good bull gardiane in an authentic setting Les Indiennes de Nîmes, my favorite brand of traditional clothing I like to regain strength at the Church of Notre-Dame des Sablons which has magnificent stained glass windows Vauvert, my favorite village to see the votive festivals in summer L’Espiguette, for those looking for a wild and authentic beach And of course the famous Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer pilgrimage with the launching of the black virgin I also recommend Arles, the capital of the Camargue and in particular: Les rencontres de la photographies during the summer The musée Réattu which mainly houses part of the work of the Arles painter Jacques Réattu and a collection of drawings by Picasso And particulaery le musée du costume de Fragonard which is due to open next year and which will present the collection of Magali Pascal, the biggest collector of Arlesian costumes The election of the Queen of Arles and the processions. " Which Instagram accounts inspire you?? " Also, there are a lot of them. To escape to the Mediterranean, I recommend @crèmelamare , @rym.nur , @emmanuelle.kihmleygues , @bouchraboudoua et @aendthesea. Apart from Mediterranean atmospheres, I am also a huge fan of cottagecore and I actively follow the accounts of @patriciarodi et @hannesmauritzson . The accounts that inspire me for the table and for my work (and that put me in a good mood) are @thetipsytabletop , @misettethetable , @latavolacolorata et @funkytable_milano . Also, I like the world of brands @le_chateaudemamere @lisacorti_official et @ladoublej. " pastisse I instagram @pastisse.soleil picture credits © lucille pialot

The Villanova group offers a luxury getaway in Italy, very close to Lake Maggiore, with two small jewels of classical architecture nestled in an island of greenery. Digliana and Galonetta villas welcome visitors in search of luxury, calm and splendor. It is in the heart of an incredible domain, worthy of fairy tales, that the two twin houses rise, sharing 4000m2 of gardens of flowers and fruit trees, two heated natural swimming pools and a private lake where water lilies, lotuses and ducks add to the magic of the place. These two small exceptional villas offer large French windows on all sides opening onto the terrace and plunging its guests into the enchanting setting of the lake. They are decorated in a pure Italian neoclassical style, one adorned with powder pink while the other comes in Prussian green. Furniture, fabrics and classic decorative objects, high-end equipment complete the concept offering a 5-star hotel service to its occupants. A luxury stay out of time to offer preferably alone or in duo to cut yourself off from the world. "Guests can enjoy a wide variety of trees, plants and flowers. They will also be able to enjoy a charming secret garden and the incredible surrounding nature, with its lotus flowers, water lilies and multicolored ducks." VILLAS DIGLIANA ET GALONETTA villanovo Fares Villa Digliana from 568€ / night Villa Galonetta from 793€ / night picture credits © villanovo

In case of hot weather or during your absence, the oyas, an ancestral watering technique, allow you to keep the soil moist for your plantations for several days and thus maintain your garden in a natural way. During your holidays or in periods of high temperatures and water restrictions, the oyas or ollas allow independent and reasoned watering. These terracotta jars have been used since antiquity. The technique is simple: just bury them in the middle of your plantations, leaving only the neck protruding which naturally fills with water when it rains, or which you fill yourself. The terracotta being microporous, the water contained in the jar then flows very slowly thus allowing a slow irrigation favoring the maintenance of the moist earth. To increase the effectiveness of this watering, we recommend that you mulch your flowerbeds, your squares or your containers in order to keep the humidity obtained as much as possible. Also remember to remove your oyas from the ground in winter to prevent the water in your jars from freezing and breaking your container. Our selection Oya en terre cuite 40cm, Leroy Merlin 19,90€ More Faire sa poterie dans son jardin - Eds Ulmer 15,90€ J'économise l'eau au potager, Terre Vivante 14,00€

Zara Home presents its edition of summer objects and furniture in an ilian and arid scenography. The brand invites us into a holiday home with whitewashed walls and ceramic floors, in a 100% summer atmosphere. zarahome picture credits © zara home

Since 2020, Aude Herouard has been offering a range of ultra-elegant and responsible sunglasses and optics with timeless lines. We adopt them without hesitation to display an edgy and natural look all summer long. Aude Herouard is launching her first eyewear collection in 2020, a sunglasses collection with an impeccable and ultra-desirable style. Daughter of linen-producing farmers, living near the cliffs of Etretat in Normandy, the young woman wishes to preserve her very strong link with nature and pays particular attention to the durability of her models by adopting the most responsible creative approach possible. From glasses to packaging, everything is designed to be fully recyclable. The glasses are made of organic acetate, a mixture of wood pulp, cotton fiber and binders of natural origin, a hypoallergenic and resistant material, and the organic lenses are made in France. It was in Rouen, at the renowned eyewear manufacturer Le Lanchon, that Aude Herouard trained as an optician. She learns precise gestures, advice and develops her taste for beautiful materials and high-end manufacturing. Driven by the desire to undertake and innovate in her field of expertise, she decided to launch her own brand which reflects an edgy and minimalist universe. Amélie, Benoite, Christiane, Colette, Françoise... the names of the models in the collection are inspired by charismatic figures of her entourage, each expressing the singularity of a character. A total of a dozen models that come in subtle and irresistible colours, from sage to pomegranate pink, and which reveal faces in all shades. audeherouard I Instagram @audeherouard picture credits © aude herouard