Monet's house
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On entering Monet’s house, the visitor should imagine a home filled with the noisy cavalcade of eight children, Claude Monet’s comings and goings between his studio and the garden, the atmosphere of the kitchen in the early morning when vegetables came fresh from the kitchen-garden, plus the returns from market and arrival of friends from Paris….. On the ground floor : « the blue sitting room », « the pantry « , the studio-sitting room ».
The visit begins with the ‘reading room’, also called the ‘little blue sitting room’, which communicates with the pantry where tea, olive oil, spices and eggs were stored in wall cabinets…
One then enters the artist’s first studio, in which he worked until 1899. This room later became a cosy sitting room, where coffee was served , comfortably installed in English-style cane chairs and surrounded by familiar objects, photographs and the Master’s paintings.
On the first floor : the private apartments
A first flight of stairs leads to the floor on which the private rooms are situated. First, Monet’s bedroom where his roll-top desk and 18th century chest of drawers still remain. Numerous paintings by the Great Masters used to hang on these walls. They have now been replaced by period paintings. Through his bedroom windows, the artist could admire the « Clos Normand » and his favourite climbing rose , « Rosa Mermaid ».
The visit continues through their dressing rooms and on to Alice’s bedroom, leading to a tiny sewing room. Damasked tableclothes sewn together cover the walls of both bedrooms.
Back on the ground floor : the dining room and kitchen.
The dining room has been restored with precision. One can admire the collection of Japanese « estampes » on the yellow walls. The furniture ,also painted yellow, was considered very modern at the time. In the glass cabinets are displayed the blue earthenware crockery and the yellow and blue set , ordered by Monet for special occasions. In the kitchen, with its blue Rouen tiles, the impressive cooker with multiple ovens and the copper utensils seem to be waiting for the return of their owners.
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