In January of 2002 we purchased the house contiguous to ours and started almost immediately on renovating it to be new guest rooms for our students and clients, and to allow us to operate a family Bed and Breakfast in Arles during periods when we are not teaching Provencale Cuisine. When we first entered this house, walls were covered with fake wood paneling, floors were non too pretty, polished speckled cement tiles from the 1960's covered 17th century hand-made clay tiles, dropped ceilings covered magnificent beams, and there was but one bathroom for the entire house -- on the ground floor.

Here are two before shots, and some shots of the progress we've made. You can see here work on the downstairs entry- as well as a top floor room with mezzanine. Such details as plumbing, electricity, hot water heaters, etc., are of course essential. We plan to be one of the rare French Bed and Breakfasts where you can take a 20 minute hot shower, and so can your suite mate!

As we pulled down the fake wood panelling, 10th century arches became visible, along with some beautiful stone work that simply needed repointing. The arches we chose to enhance by digging recesses in each, and placing in the smaller one a shelf, and in the larger a bench.

The original floor of the entryway required polishing, sealing and protection which took a couple days and lots of sand and water. The passageway between our cooking room and the new downstairs was a long time in coming -- many during our first year of renovations no doubt found the aesthetics of plastic sheeting covering the hole in the wall a bit dismaying upon their initial arrival. But now, this entryway is completed with the help of a compagnon (the ancient guild system) stone carver.

Upstairs, the first room is completed and you can look at our new page on the "B&B/Chambres d'Hôte to see it in its glory. With the first completed, Erick then put in long hours on the second room, the blue room. The bathroom features a clawfoot tub, a large, walk-in shower (ideal for two), elegant floor tiles with a center mosaic, and walls in the Moroccan fashion of tadelak - but with Erick's touch of many related colors to give it a three dimensional feel.

This is the room with the old beamed ceiling (which we shall likely partially paint in white) and it has been operational since 2003.