Quirky Things You Find in FRENCH HOMES (South of France House Tour)

[@mylene_v]

As a French person, I’ve never seen house without an oven. Some students living in very tiny flat only use microwaves but otherwise I feel like everyone own an oven we need it to coock so many typical French meals 😅

[@oscillatewildly2191]

Totally agree!

[@lyes215]

Yep even iny first flat at 20 year old i had an oven.

[@laureferre5298]

100% Agree never saw a french house without an oven ni the kitchen it’s a basis…. Or the owner never cock

[@Imsemble]

They have houses without ovens in other Western countries?

[@Flaura2710]

Agreed !

[@rosekelsey]

I'm an architecture historian and during my first trip to France, I couldn't stop obsessing about the functional shutters. We don't have them in America (they are usually decorative if houses do have them). I love the ritual of opening and closing them every day, and the process of adjusting your home to the hours of our planet.

[@denisearmstrong3019]

Bhad them in Paris..shame we don't use in fl

[@cathjj840]

I built an extension to my house in the Paris suburbs and for various reasons had to put electric roll down shutters on the windows, but insisted on having regular ones on the two doors. I, too, love that ritual of opening and closing them, attaching the thingies on the outside wall that keep them from moving with the wind. (The modern ones aren't as fun as the old ones with an 'espagnolette' (fancy metal clasp to close them), however, which you can jigger to keep the shutters just slightly open, keeping out most of the light and view but letting in lots of air).

[@lennymac5915]

@uta gordon I'm not surprised if insurers insists they are closed. It's like a welcome sign for criminals.

[@heatherfeather1293]

European architecture is beautiful compared to the ugly cookie-cutter buildings we have in the US

[@nitha609]

It would drive me crazy to open and close them every day.

[@jfrancobelge]

This actually is an old house, even if renovated - quite a nice traditional house in fact, I like it. But modern houses are different, especially the smaller fireplaces (if any). This bathroom is also pretty old style though still common; at home I have both a bath tub and a shower cabin. Tiled floors are kind of a common feature indeed, but in the north, where winters are colder, we also tend to either have more wooden floors, or we have carpets on the tiled floors. As for French homes not having an oven... sorry, I disagree; I've never seen a kitchen without a regular oven in addition to the microwave.

[@alfinou_13targaryen]

same for me, I've never seen a kitchen without a regular oven either (and I've lived in Provence all my life)

[@mgparis]

@@alfinou_13targaryen Same here (I'm from Paris but I've never heard of anyone not having an oven in their kitchen!)

[@mysterfr]

I came only to comment about the oven :D. This house is an exception, oven are to be found in pretty much every household, it's a must have as soon as you cook ! I did not get the surprise about the power plug, this is a standard through Europe for at least 40 years. She lived in Paris for a while, if her appartment didn't have such plugs, then it was not following the norms :/

[@kikireinecke5607]

@@mysterfr I don't think she was surprised from the perspective of a Parisian. The point of the piece is what surprises people from outside of France. As an American, I find that electrical outlet bizarre, not just the shape, but also the retractable grounding pole.

[@veho67]

The grounding pole is NOT retractable ! These are typical French outlets. You can also find them in Belgium and recently in Denmark. The rest of Europe mostly uses the German Schuko outlets that have 2 grounding pins, left and right.@@kikireinecke5607

[@lynsview2895]

The plant growing up the wall is a Trumpet Vine

[@salomeeeee]

Seeing you do that little tutorial in the bathtub had me cracking, to me it’s such a normal thing (rinse, cut the water, soap, rinse again). I’ve never understood people leaving the water running from start to finish 😱 I’m also surprised there isn’t an oven in the kitchen, in my mind it’s quite a common thing to have. Some very well known dishes require one: poulet rôti, légumes farcis, tartes, gratins, gâteaux and many more... Well, I know I need my oven 😂

[@jamiemueller3572]

Because we love standing under a steamy shower the whole time, feels amazing

[@rexgirl-11]

In Southern California we shower like this as well to preserve the scarce water supply :)

[@annaburch3200]

I remember having such a difficult time taking a shower at my host family's home outside of Paris. Where's the shower curtain? So I laid down in the tub and washed that way so I didn't get water everywhere. Lol!! And then we moved families and I stayed in Provence in a beautiful home with those thick walls and shutters with cicadas chirping all the time. That was absolute HEAVEN!! My host grandma had made up my bed all soft and crisp, so I had lovely sleep and then I'd go downstairs to fresh baguette and homemade apricot jam with butter for breakfast. It was so wonderful. Good memories! 😊❤️

[@Leopold_van_Aubel]

Most French people also simply sit down to wash themselves. You're less likely to slip and fall down.

[@Rachel-rs7jn]

@@Leopold_van_Aubel For me personally, it's the opposite. I'm way more likely to slip when I'm trying to stand up from a sitting position in a wet tub, vs if I just stay standing the whole time.

[@mamaahu]

@@Leopold_van_Aubel But you are sitting in dirty water?

[@Leopold_van_Aubel]

@@mamaahu No since the water goes away into the drain.

[@michellemobakeng5938]

Did you sleep French or Swedish way? French way is bolster pillow with or without a square pillow, top sheet and bottom sheet, blanket and bed cover unless your host grandma adopted the modern way. I can relate to the breakfast you described with coffee and milk or hot chocolate.

[@kellybutler5273]

I am a kiwi living in Aix en Provence for the last 18months. When we moved here I also could not get over the gates! So many are also beautifully elaborate. I don't feel we appreciate a gate as much in NZ. We also have 2 bidets, yet only 1 toilet in our house...

[@Hide_and_silk]

We live in the south of France and we ripped out the trumpet vine (native to SE USA) as it's really invasive. We - and all our neighbours - have ovens. Our house had a bidet in one of the bathrooms and we have kept it as they are really useful and hygienic. Re shutter colours...it depends on the locale. Ours are chêne (medium oak) but our friends' house, a little further south, are in Bordeaux red (by law) as they are in a conservation area. Edit the finish on the exterior of the house is called crepi. We can stand 8 adults easily - full height! - in our fireplace! Our surveyor called it one of the most effective heat extraction devices he had seen haha ! The chimney is now closed off with a wood burner installed!

[@kathleenewing3673]

That shower brings back memories/grumbling from my trip to the South of France.

[@DarkCid7777]

The dictionnaries you showed are actually different from one another. The red ones were medical dictionnaries listing most medicines with their secondary effects etc .. There is one encyclopedia with 3 volumes, the other ones are actually french to english dictionnaries, there are only a couple of "real" dictionnaries 😋

[@Lucio38320]

I’ve never seen a family house without an oven, I think your case is an exception. Oh and people pay for water everywhere in France 😄 (maybe there are exceptions for some « outre-mer » regions but i’m not sure)

[@Julot1]

Maybe un owen needs VPN to work !

[@cathjj840]

@@Julot1 lol ..uh mdr

[@missmakoti9702]

Seems logical to me to put tiles in a house in a warm country instead of carpet, to keep the house cool. Also I find carpet really unhygienic, I never understand why people would want that in their house. I live in a cold country, so no tiles except for the kitchen, bathroom and the hallway but all the other rooms have wooden floors or laminate floors.

[@noefillon1749]

Well France isn't a warm country. It is only during summer. During the other seasons, the tiles get too cold and we must wear slippers inside. But we do still have tiles instead of wood for example.

[@cathjj840]

Not much wall to wall carpetting, but decorative rugs are usually found in living rooms and bedrooms.

[@sparkyggreatmusic450]

I live in Arizona, and the tile floors are a must in this desert 🌵 heat. I only have cozy area rugs on either side of our beds. Be advised our temps can go from 90’ F to 118’ F.

[@SLVperso]

About the dryer we also consider that it destroys the clothes (don't know if it's true or not)

[@sarahmacrae8277]

It might now destroy them but it definitely shortens their life

[@chateau7]

I never put my shirts or pants in a dryer (living in California): they last much longer by not putting them in a dryer.

[@peggiescraftcafe7117]

I only use my dryer for towels, underwear & socks. Otherwise I hang dry my clothes on hangers or clothesline. I also hang dry my sheets except in the winter when I put them in the dryer.

[@d.e.s4432]

I particularly enjoyed the ginormous pillow. The idea of functioning shutters is so foreign to me in the US. They're almost always just decorative here, and as such, weirdly too small for windows.

[@bethdaisey]

That looks like a typical American house. Fireplace, mirrors cicadas (live on the east coast and they are out right now). Only difference: AC!! Can’t live without it!

[@lreppy10]

Such a lovely home! Thank you for the tour! 💖

[@christianc9894]

C'est typique d'un maison ancienne, un peu "maison de famille" comme on en trouve beaucoup en France, des endroits modernes, bien équipés qui côtoient une ancienne salle de bain, une magnifique cheminée, et un signe du sud de la France, des génoises sur la toiture, beaucoup de livres et pas de télévision partout. Cela veut dire que l'on est pas dans famille "ouvrière", mais chez des gens qui ont du gout et de l'éducation sans signes ostentatoires.

[@cathjj840]

Mais, ouvriers comme bourgeois, ils ont un four !

[@hugaldo8883]

Christian ça me désole de vous l'apprendre, mais vous n'êtes manifestement pas au courant : vous êtes un con. Ou alors en fin de vie et dans ce cas je m'excuse du côté cavalier de mon commentaire.

[@tyeteames7192]

Great to see you back again!

[@tiffanychappel6294]

Looked like a trumpet vine on the house. Hummingbirds love them.

[@Hydraks81]

A oven, for a familly house, is VERY common. Not having one is pretty rare for a home. In fact, many french receipe are coocked in an oven. The bidet is only there in old houses that are not renovated (or the owner is very attached to having a bidet :D) Execept for that, this house is pretty standard for an house (not a modern one but still)

[@kling8460]

Why has france removed bidets? They are still popular in spain and Italy and it is much more hygienic.

[@Hydraks81]

​@@kling8460 I don't exactly know why it disapear in more recent houses, but i have some suppositions, the toilet paper has arrived in everyone's home during the 19th century, with time, it leads to less usage of the bidet. The bidet take some space and can be replaced by using a shower. However,I totally agree, this is way more hygenic. The japanese toilet seems to be the all in one perfect solution :D

[@kling8460]

I have a japanese bidet and also a traditional one. It saves so much money and much more hygienic. People wash their hands after the toilet but they don’t wash their ass. I find this so strange moving bits of personal waste around the skin with paper. 😂. In thailand every toilet has a mini shower head and also doesn’t take any space and much cheaper than a japanese bidet :) also spanish homes are often smaller than french homes yet still can fit a bidet and also even small Italian apartments. Bidet fan here 😀

[@polapoliczkiewicz7590]

Ha ha, I feel like at home :) In Poland, in old houses, we have the same elements! Eccept shutters, not so common like in France. They exist as an ornament right now in very very old wooden cottages. Bidet you can see in more elegant houses 😀 I think with nostalgy about the brass handles at the windows in my family home. Thank you, Rosie, for the video 🤗

[@alfinou_13targaryen]

hey Rosie!! What a nice Southern family home! Nice vlog, thank you for taking us with you! As you may remember I am French myself and I live in Vaucluse like your in-laws and I literally know nobody who lives without an oven in the South of France! Many Parisian apartments don't have oven because they are so tiny that they don't have enough room to put an oven or a dishwasher but in the rest of the country where houses are bigger it is very typical to have an oven. I must say, it's a culture shock for me as a born and bred Provence girl to see a big house like that without an oven!

[@mamaahu]

Hope you don’t mind a tiny correction (you are French, so you would probably welcome it!) “Bred” is the past tense of the verb “breed”. You know what “bread” is. Like so many confusing words in English it is pronounced the same but spelled differently. I’m excited to be moving soon to the Vaucluse and my house with an oven! Thank you for your reassurance .

[@alfinou_13targaryen]

@@mamaahu thanks for the correction! I knew that one but I must have lacked focus when I wrote that sentence!! I feel so silly to have made such a ridiculous mistake :) thanks for showing that to me!!!

[@lisaseidenkranz3211]

Loved this type of content

[@eandry77]

Hi ! I'm a french guy, the Vidal dictionnaries are for doctors, they are drugs dictionnaries. You're in a doctor's house ! ;)

[@mysterfr]

Hi Rosie, you might want to consider buying some stabliser (DJI osmo or Ronin S ?) in case you plan to do more videos holding your camera or phone, it's will be nicer to watch for us ;)

[@UldAses]

Quick question: is the house a secondary house? (a vacation house?) that would explain the lack of oven. No real need for one if it's for a few months of summer when you're most of time outside barbecuing. The Vidal dictionary is a medical dictionary who list all medications on the market that year (composition & effects)

[@cathjj840]

Many French have those - they really love their meds. Maybe too much. But they get them cheap so don't deprive themselves.

[@UldAses]

@@cathjj840 I don't think we love meds too much. I know I would do without mine if I could. We're the 15th country (worldwide) in term of consumption of meds.

[@DollyJohanne]

Thank you for sharing 😊 I believe Norway is in the middle here. We have some concrete houses, and often tree houses with concrete cellars/first floors. Newer houses and some old has installed it too, has a airflow heat system that also can be put on cold for the summer. It is not the same as air conditioning. I know it is used in Germany too, since I have seen it at Antoinette Emily’s channel, another kiwi expat living in Germany. We don’t have garbage disposal in the sinks, but we have shower that is not hand hold, or more you can take it down and use it by hand if you want to, but it is attached. Many homes has dryer’s, especially families, but many use a mix of them and hanging things up. They is expensive to use, but many find them very convenient. All homes has an oven. Only smaller apartments may not have it, but often also they have in a smaller version. Most people thinks that a kitchen without an oven is only something you can live with like when you are studding or a small part of live, then “you need a real kitchen”. Even people that don’t cook much is mostly there. I live in a small apartment, and my most common topic from visitors is my “bad kitchen facilities”, and that “my landlords can’t expect high income because of the kitchen”. I do have two electrical stove tops (burners) just over the small fridge, and a separate oven more like the French you showed, plus I have a microwave I added too. My kitchen is also a part of my entrance and a bit strange, so it’s more than just two stove tops (norm is 4), small fridge and the oven. I love it here, so nice landlords and neighborhood, and live alone, so I don’t care, but it is not a “good kitchen” In Norwegian standards. Maybe you have touched on it before, but how is recycling in France? We are not as strict as Switzerland, but do recycle food, paper/cardboard, glas/metal, plastic, and “leftover” garbage that don’t fit in the other categories in my town. There are some differences around the country for what you have to sort out. Lightbulb, batteries and small electric can be turned in at any store, and we also have to pay a fee for all soda cans and bottles and you get it back when you deliver it to the store again. This is the way all around Norway. Thank you again! Love from Johanne, Norway 🇳🇴

[@nicolethijs5428]

Oh my god, those kitchen tiles are the exact ones I had in Belgium!

[@TMD3453]

You seem more French, Rosie! Not sure why I say that.. ! but anyway, I agree on gates and volets. All feels very French when seen together. I hope you’re having the loveliest of holidays!! 🇫🇷🇫🇷🇫🇷

[@Drijasvlog]

gate we find Infront of kiwi home mostly wooden fencing but of course not electronic unless its some storage facilities or commercial facilities.

[@marie9869]

In the north east of France, there's tiles only in the kitchen and the bathroom. The most common in the living and bed rooms is the parquet on the floor. In the oldest appartment there could be carpeting in those rooms but more and more people tend to remove it for hygienic reasons. I don't like carpet especially if I can't easily wash it... Thank you for sharing some of french culture.

[@morganel8208]

Je ne vais parler que pour mon cas personnel, mais de grands oreillers comme ça c’est génial parce que tu peux vraiment les embrasser quand tu dors sur le ventre, en te mettant plus haut ta tête et tes cervicales sont bien entourées et tu peux choisir de te surélever la tête en le pliant aussi

[@christianc9894]

On fait peut-être une fixette sur la clim mais Rosie c'est sur la taille des oreillers, personne n'est parfait.😁

[@KimberlyGreen]

Thank you to your in-laws for permitting a look into their private spaces.

[@isagrace4260]

Agreed! It’s so very kind of them to share this inside view with us

[@wudgee]

I adore my shutters. They are great for keeping heat in during the winter, and stopping all that condensation on the windows after a cold night. I once had rain coming in during a storm through the French doors so I close the shutters now.I like the gates, it’s a bit like that in the UK.Aah yes those are my tiles.

[@DRF1001]

I lived in a house like this one summer in Beaulieu-sur-Mer. Only realize how great it is now of course though I was aware that Paris was bloody great. I was so incredibly lucky to have lived there and *miss it everyday, it actually hurts. Have you seen the show Lupin? Any shows like it please recommend Salut

[@graciepoo622]

I appreciate the home tour and know this is not something you're accustomed to doing in your normal vlogs. Some tips for the future to make viewers' experience better: 1) ensure picture is not blurry and 2) shots should be of the house and not mainly on yourself (hard to see the house and details behind you). Perhaps being behind the camera would give a better experience. We can still hear you narrating, even if we can't see you. Hope this feedback helps!

[@cathjj840]

I think this was not her own house and didn't want to show much more illustrative details

[@marblehead2500]

Agree, and suggest that you maintain a clear and steady shot of what you are showing. In some cases, the camera pans much too quickly or the image is too blurry or dim. I do find this of great interest, and enjoy your commentary. Love the windows! Thank you!

[@dream-67]

We have an old long wooden bread bin which is used to hold baguettes! A friend of ours used to live in France but gave it to us when she returned to the UK....we have great fun asking guests what they think it is for!

[@dream-67]

@uta gordon that's what we have, described perfectly 👍😃

[@williamkazak469]

Nice video Rosie. Thank you. You are loved.

[@heatherfeather1293]

I don't understand not having air conditioning. Why suffer all summer when you don't have to?

[@isabelledelacotardiere9230]

Hi ☺️ I would say that this house would not be your typical French house. It's more of an old country house and my guess would be that it's not where your in laws liver the whole year. Maybe just a holiday home. An old family one. I can't imagine a French kitchen without an oven (unless your mother in law is allergic to cooking 😉) This house also has typical Provence features that you might not find in other French regions. It also looks like a house of older people. Couples in their thirties wouldn't have this kind of decoration/style (mine has old paintings and furniture because my in laws passed away and we inherited their stuff which we kept for sentimental value....) But it's a glimpse at what a French home could be

[@LydiaJustineKeema]

This was wonderful, Rosie! I love content like this! Please continue to do house tours of where you’re visiting! Any recommendations of French television shows or where you find French TV out of typical streaming services (Amazon, Netflix, etc.) would also be wonderful!

[@mathiasdurand3354]

You can use a VPN on these services to watch from France. They have some french/french exclusive content, including animation and comedy movies.

[@Julot1]

This is not a typical french house. This is a south-east of France, old house, inhabited by old fashion people, educated and more wealthy than the average French people.

[@maevane6828]

Hello Rosie 👋 French person here. From my experience it is very rare to not find an oven at someone’s house or apartment. You are right on the use of the bidets. I don’t think anyone still use them though and personally I think they’re a waste of space. You actually don’t find them in recent constructions. Also, the pillow part killed me 😂 Have a good day!

[@valerie-wy7xp]

C'est un typique Mas provençal ancien ,très beau. Dans les maisons plus récentes c'est différent .Personnellement j'ai une télé dans la chambre ,une clim réversible, et un sèche linge (mais surtout pour l'hiver car l'été ou jour de mistral c'est dehors ,sec en 10 minutes 😉👍

[@rozenndecotignie170]

Is this a cottage (maison secondaire) ? I can’t see a French family living without an oven! 😂

[@nicholasrooksby3327]

I love this house in France!

[@aakankshathorat3953]

There weather like that?

[@mars7612]

The only reason I could think of for not having an oven is the heat? I don't live in France but I grew up in an area with no AC where it got VERY hot in the summer. So, a rule in our home was to not use the oven in the summer because it just gave off too much heat.

[@margielavarias1490]

Thank you so much for making this video! It’s relaxing to watch your video

[@theappalachiancottage1526]

I believe it's a trumpet vine, hummingbirds adore them.

[@agyos]

Wonderful! Thank you!

[@FloN.]

Haha, so many of these things you can find in my grandparents' house! (they do live in the south of France) I remember my grandpa did REFUSE to get rid of his bidet when they remodelled the bathroom bc he still uses it 😂but I think it's a very old school thing, most French people today don't use/need/have a bidet anymore. Also, I hate overhead shower heads (what if I don't want to wet my hair?? How do I access nooks and crannies to rinse them off??) and will defend the French way of showering forever. I have personally NEVER seen a home without an oven, for what it's worth. Indeed, have also never encountered a garbage disposal thingy in my French life, have only learned about its existence by watching English-speaking media, and it's extremely rare for people to have a drier in my experience (but again, maybe it's bc I'm from the South so we can air-dry our clothes more easily?). We didn't really have books in my house growing up, but it might be a social class thing. Finally, just wanted to point out that your amazement at our "unicorn" plugs is delightful lol

[@Hide_and_silk]

One of the most significant differences I found in French home is the toilet being separate from the bathroom with not even a sink in there to wash your hands! Also the weird phenomenon of large fancy gates but with no fence...or just a wire 'fence' either side.

[@isagrace4260]

This is not uncommon in the UK. I’ve also seen it in several Victorian or Brownstone homes in cities like San Francisco and Boston in the US

[@RoseDawsonworld]

well I must say that a lot of these features can be found across homes in egypt and romania, quite interesting. The bidet is a common feature in fancy egyptian homes

[@shatterquartz]

I've always been puzzled by the frequent use of wood as a building material in Anglo-Saxon countries. It requires careful maintenance otherwise it's not durable, and it's way too flimsy for the sort of climate events that occur regularly, for example, in the US Midwest. Who in their right mind would build a house out of wood in a region nicknamed Tornado Alley? The tale of the three little pigs comes to mind.

[@sarahmacrae8277]

There are wooden houses all over Europe that are hundreds of years old, in Many parts of Scandinavia despite the cold it is building material of choice . Wood will last if it is properly seasoned before use, the wooden windows in my house are original and 130 years old, the problem today is that wood needs to season for a couple of years and folks don't want to wait so use the timber green. In the UK more homes are older than 100 years than not. WOOD is healthy doesn't give off nasty chemicals is a renewable and recyclable material and very versatile,

[@ybreton6593]

@@sarahmacrae8277 le bois est sain ? sauf , s'il a plusieurs couches de peintures . dans le nord-ouest de la France en Bretagne (ne pas confondre avec la Grande-Bretagne anglaise!!!) la plupart des maison sont en pierres de tailles "granits" et les toits en ardoises . chacune des régions de France ont des modèles de maisons différentes , nous utilisons les matières premières les plus courantes de la région

[@ThesaurusToblerone]

Availability of materials. The colonists were eager to chop down all those trees in North America, Australia and New Zealand 🙃

[@ybreton6593]

@@ThesaurusToblerone Vous dite quand l'Amérique du Nord, l ' Australie et la Nouvelle-Zéland , la Nouvelle Calédonie , Wallis-et-Futuna, la Polynésie, la Réunion ,Madagascar , la Guyanes , Guadeloupe , Martinique , Colonisés , les colons étaient impatient d'abattre des arbres , çà c'était au 18ème 19ème Siècles , même avant ? a cette époque nous n'existions pas ? là , il est question du 20ème et 21ème siècles , l'être humains a évolué dans le bon et plus dans le mauvais sens !

[@woodnymph01]

@@sarahmacrae8277 We don’t have wood houses in the UK though, so I wouldn’t use here as an example. I agree that it’s more to do with how a material is used that will determine its longevity.

[@gauthiernvl6111]

Hello, french here. Oven are quitte normal. I never a see a house without one in my entire life. In little tiny flat sometime there are not, but that's it. Cloth dryer are not that rare. In South a bit more, but that's just because it is hot enough to let your cloth dry with the weather. The main reason people don't use it a lot it is because it damages the fiber more than natural drying. The big red dictionary you are pointing out "VIDAL" are actually doctor material. My guess is one of your parent in law is a doctor. These are compilation of all medications with their side effect, how often take them, etc.. Non doctor people don't have them.

[@dfinite1111]

Your makeup looks so pretty!!

[@Kitsambler]

Walking through France on the Chemins St Jacques, I often passed French houses under construction. Almost uniformly, they are constructed of a unique clay (ie, red) brick, roughly 12 inches (30 cm) square and 2 inches (5 cm) thick, with quite a few 1-inch diameter holes perforating the brick. The brick walls are then coated on the exterior side with a concrete mixture we know as stucco. I believe the insides are plastered but they may use dry wall. As for showers: North Americans are accustomed to shower while *facing towards* the spigot (the shower is aimed away from the wall), while in France one showers while *facing away*, so that the shower is aimed back into the corner, containing the spray. I had to receive an education from one of my French hosts one night, who complained about how much mess the Americans made in the shower. Also, the French bathtubs are at least a foot deeper than the American ones, causing many trips and falls from unsuspecting visitors.

[@isagrace4260]

I honestly prefer this as I don’t wash my hair every day and like to have control over the water flow. My last two places have had typical « modern » showers with two shower heads - one handheld and one overhead or attached to the wall above me - and I still use the handheld 85% of the time

[@TheAlicia149]

I was so surprised about the absence of oven 🤔 The only house or apartment I saw in my life without it are students' room. And still, I know a lot of student buying mini oven ✨️ For AC, so true.... Summer are so warm without it 😭 But more and more people get it now.

[@jonathanbrett-warren2031]

Your make up is stunning!

[@justunsouriir]

The big red Vidal dictionnary you show in the video as a French vocab dictionnary is actually a medicines dictionary hence the various editions you can find in the bibliothèque ;)

[@lyes215]

I live in Nice and yeah that's typical south of France home.

[@chateau7]

I love looking at doorknobs and shutters and hardware in homes - quirky but fun!

[@22304abc]

I loved this introduction to the south of France. I'm going to be visiting Provence in October and Wonder what I will find. Merci

[@isabelledelacotardiere9230]

A little add on for the bidet...it is not used anymore by the young generation. Typically, when I bought my house I had them all removed to make space in the bathroom. But my parents still have them. You'll find that they are still extremely common in Italy though..

[@iamhandy-man]

I wish someone would explain why they use those huge pillows; I usually fold mine in half when I am there. As an American the thing that always seems missing to me in French homes is carpeting. To many of us, it's soft, inviting, and makes a space seem more welcome. Hard surfaces seem less inviting. That being said, we do use hard surfaces, such as tile and wood flooring, for kitchens, bathrooms, and front hallways. But bedrooms and family rooms are often carpeted. Many Americans (my family included) like sitting on the carpeted floor to read or watch television.

[@isagrace4260]

My favourite is wood floors with rugs - best of both worlds :)

[@aakankshathorat3953]

I like to sit on floor only .better than chair or sofa

[@peggiescraftcafe7117]

Agreed with the hard floors are uninviting and cold. Not homey and cozy at all.

[@iamhandy-man]

@@isagrace4260 That is a winning combination and exactly what we have for our home library: dark hardwood floor with an antique Persian rug on top. So nice!

[@iamhandy-man]

@@aakankshathorat3953 I love it, too. So comfy!

[@krishnanclips]

But for the bidet and the lack of wall-mounted showers, this could easily be an upper middleclass house in India and in most countries in Asia. It's essentially in the US, Canada, Australia and NZ that you can find houses that you consider "normal", with carpets, air-conditioning, hermetically sealed glass windows, washer-dryers and gigantic ovens.

[@kerouac2]

Ovens are super common in French homes. And bidets are disappearing at just about every bathroom renovation. A handheld shower head is generally called a "telephone" in France.

[@divineangelic2727]

Hi Rosie reminds me of my Italian grandparents house tub with shower thing oh my ! No air condition it was just so awful as I never slept from the extreme heat etc

[@tenga3tango]

You should also introduce to viewers that in many areas in Southern France, and some southern European cities, there are squat toilets instead of pedestal throne seat toilets. It surprised me when I discovered them in the riviera region.

[@akashaseekers]

Thank you! I love this kind of contact and I lived in NZ as a kid!

[@jchow5966]

I love it. Show more! I live in the USA.

[@catherinelahmi1651]

Funny transcription for a bidet: B day!

[@TexasHotel1]

Clothes dryer is very common in french houses may be less in south of France because of higher temperatures but in others regions it's common. And oven are common too. About the pillows yeah I don't understand why. Only decorative probably. Otherwise it's a cool video.

[@Scarabeecookies]

Hi Rosie ! The flower growing over the wall outside that you love is called a bignonne. I have one growing over my house. They come in orange and red and are very pretty. Also I'm really astonished as I never saw a french house without an oven in my life ! xD Perhaps it's because of a family choice or of the way the house was designed ? Or is it a South thing, since I live in the center of the country, near Lyon ? Anyways, I really enjoyed this video and hope you had a great time in the South ! Edit cause I posted before watching the end : HAHAHAHAAAAA THE INFAMOUS BIDET !!!! It is quite rare nowadays, but you'll still find them in older houses, like my grandmother's house in a small village. It is designed to clean yourself properly after going to the toilets. You sit on it, run the water, use soap, clean yourself, and then each member of the household have their own towel hanging near. The Italians still use it a lot and find us very gross for having abandonned that device !😆 Also, I think everyone pays for water in the country.

[@lahermosajarifa7007]

Fascinating video. Thanks.

[@heenarangwani2175]

Never seen a French home without an oven, I mean, how else would they make all the lovely gratin and tartes? Loved the house though. It's quite charming.

[@natgus1]

Thank you for this video. Two remarks I have to make thought. I am French and have NEVER been in a house or flat without an oven. Secondly, the way the windows open inside is very useful. How would you be able to clean the windows if they didn't open this way ? Especially on the first or second floor of a house ! I live in the UK, and you cannot find this kind of windows here...

[@yvesdelavignette2676]

To have floor tiles in the kitchen of a country house makes sense. The tiles are easy to clean. Just a sweep with a broom for dirt, and once a while water and soap. So you can work in your garden in the morning, come back inside for lunch - with or without removing your shoes - you can keep your (dirty) work cloth on, you can let crumbs fall on the floor. Children can play outside and come inside for a snack without removing their shoes. After lunch, just a sweep and voilà. You can go back outside to go on with your work. Will not wear out with frequent passage or with you moving your chair. No fire hazard with any cooking device (old wood or coal stoves). So for me: Tiles. Pro: easy maintenance, esp in rooms where people (children and pets) go in and out frequently. You can easily sweep and even wash with water and soap if something liquid falls on it. Do not wear out with frequent passage or furniture moving. Colors do not fade with heavy sunlight. Ideal for rooms with frequent passage, food hazards (kitchen, dinning room), pet hazards and liquid hazards (kitchen, bathroom). Con: feels cold on bare feet, may crack if heavy object (hammer, iron) fall on it. Wooden floor. Pro: easy to sweep, feel warm on bare feet. Con: you cannot wash them, so keep that for rooms were there is no liquid hazard. Good for "in between" rooms like the living room or home office. Or with less in/out going (cities) Carpet. Pro: warm and cozy. Con: difficult to maintain. Need a vacuum cleaner and special shampoos if you have pets or if something bad happen. Better to remove your shoes. Fragile to sunlight. Need to be changed/renewed every now and then. Very bad for people with allergies. Better for sleeping room, and rooms were you remove your shoes. Be carefull with people with allergies.

[@tatjanasanjic8888]

We have the same houses and all in Croatia ,there is many similarities,especially on Adriatic coast in Dalmatia and Istria!

[@malomoreau8089]

well, for the hoven you just found an exception, most people have one. excepte if you are a student or something like that. same for the shower actually, you usually have a curtain and a way to hold the shower head.

[@Bobrogers99]

In the UK, the washing machine is most often in the kitchen. In France, it's very often in the bathroom. In the US, it's neither - the washer is in a laundry room or closet, the basement or the garage. European homes often have under-counter refrigerators and freezers, though the "American style" fridge-freezer is catching on. I suspect that this is because Europeans shop several times a week for food, whereas in the US we do it only weekly or even less often.

[@sebastienmorel2950]

The prongs on the power outlets are the connections to earth (for safety). However, many houses and apartments in France still have old outlets without earth prongs.

[@noreengaud]

I agree with some of the comments here about the fact that it’s uncommon not to have an oven in a French home. I’ve not been to anybody’s home where there isn’t one. Even my hubby’s grandmother who’s 96yo owns an old oven which she uses to cook gratin dauphinois & roti poulet whenever we visit her. Many French dishes require hours of cooking using an oven and they love to bake too so it only make sense to have an oven in their homes. As for the bidet, I’ve noticed that they only have them in very old houses and hotels. Personally, I think it’s a great idea to have one next to the toilet as it’s practical to clean oneself after using the loo and esp for women during ‘that time of the month’ though I’m not sure if you’re supposed to squat over them as you’ve mentioned 🤔🤭

[@Strocophate]

That vine is in fact a weed (at least here in the US). It's Trumpet Vine (Campsis radicans), and while it has lovely orange flowers, it's terribly invasive here. Hopefully that's not in the case in France!

[@Hide_and_silk]

It is invasive here too (SW France)! We ripped ours out ASAP! It was at risk of destroying our roof!

[@cathjj840]

It's mostly decorative and you see it a lot in the south. Sure, it climbs and attaches, but maybe the hot dry climat keeps it manageable down there. I had one in the north where it didn't flower enough to be worthwhile, tho' it did on the neighbor's wall.

[@divineangelic2727]

Hi Rosie. Love when you open your utube with map of Paris and sing Le vie UN Rose my favorite song ever

[@williamwinner4234]

When I was in South Africa, every home had a gate but it was because car thefts were so common. There are a lot of gates in Puerto Rico too, presumably because of car thefts again.

[@almatoledo1608]

Merci pour le Nord VPN idée 💡 !

[@Tamara-cp8nb]

Crazy I could do exactly the same for a farm house in Italy same features!!

[@Rachel-rs7jn]

OMG the shower....I struggle so hard when I go to stay with my partner's mom. Luckily she does have a curtain rod so we attach a curtain when we're there. I seriously am unable to wash myself that way without soaking the bathroom floor if there's no curtain. We just bought an apartment where the tile in the shower/tub only goes up to about waist height (because I guess you're meant to sit to bathe?). That's the first thing we're changing.

[@citrine65]

Like the bidet not the shower.

[@bernadettedevereaux8694]

Are there no flies in France? Where are the window screens to keep out flies and mosquitoes?

[@pr6369]

Weird about the oven: I have always seen an oven in a French house.... I don't know the south so much, maybe they don't tend to have ovens because it's hot? Having a cloth dryer is a bit more usual in 3 kids and more families, and if we have a bit of space. My mom has one ;) And yes, considered as not eco-friendly (also some of my friends think it's not good for clothes, but it's because a lot of people use it too hot, I believe). I am against the "no shower curtain" style ahahah, always have one. The bidet is one of my favouuuurite old fashion bathroom equipment :)

[@jenniferwightwick5158]

Great video, Rosie! I absolutely love the sound of the cicadas. I once heard that the French have those huge pillows to be able to comfortably sit in bed and read (perhaps someone on here can tell me if that's true?). No garbage disposal in British homes either, people will either compost if and what they can, or use the little caddies that are collected with the bins.

[@referencecorrsarchives99]

Yes they’re called « traversin » , it’s indeed very practical to sit up in bed and read.

[@jenniferwightwick5158]

@@referencecorrsarchives99 Merci beaucoup !

[@ktinland5132]

As a French person, it is very rare not to have an oven in a French kitchen. How are you going to do your tomates farcies , quiche Lorraine, etc without it??! ^^ Most bathrooms have a shower nowadays because they are more practical and consume less water. I know a lot of French people wich have a tv in their bedrooms also. The bidet is not that common in modern households. And we all have water bills to pay in France. The main fournisseur is veolia…

[@sams3015]

Hey, I hope your holiday is going well. For some reason I expected big old fashioned ovens in France, like an AGA maybe. As for electric gates, they’re catching on here in Ireland especially in the country side. We have a lot of break ins (and in 2020 dog nappings) that come and go in patterns and also we’ve more door to door sales people than the past and people are generally more private than 30 years ago. As for not having TV in the rooms, that seemed be in Denmark too (or so I noticed) and a lot of people didn’t have microwaves because many people are into organic food made from scratch

[@GinaMarieCheeseman]

Tiled floors are common where I live in California because it's so hot. Paying for water in cities and towns is common across California because water is in short supply due to drought.

[@cathjj840]

You pay for water everywhere in France, too. For those who live in appartment buildings its usually included in the 'charges' added to your rent for various things, which may include collective heating etc.) Renters might not be aware of this.

[@thejmax]

Hey Rosie, are your in-laws Medical Doctors or Pharmacists by any chance? Because "Le Vidal" is a medical dictionary, mostly used to check drugs and medical related stuff. Regarding oven, it's weird. Never seen a french home without one. Even timy flats in Paris will have am electric oven. In the country side or south of France it could be gas oven. And the climbing plant outside the house is not a weed! Could be a clematite.

[@cathjj840]

The French love their meds - many ordinary folks have Vidals and refer to them all the time. The plant is a bignone (aka trumpet vine in English or by its latin name ). Not a weed in France, tho apparently some Americans consider it so.

[@jchow5966]

This is my favorite episode so far! I 💟 actually seeing this stuff!!! ☮️💟

[@rubyerickson9964]

Biggest culture shock when I studied abroad in Paris was the showers. It took me weeks to figure it out….

[@isagrace4260]

Do they have an outdoor oven? I can understand not having the disposal or dryer (esp as these are quite « new » appliances) but I’m surprised there’s no old school oven!

[@Hydraks81]

This is an exception, most french houses have an oven. This is one of the first time that i don't see any oven in a french house, except for a student's studio apartment (if he's too small), everyone else has an oven in the kitchen. (or almost i should say after viewing the video)

[@alfinou_13targaryen]

it is very very unlikely not to have an oven in France. Only tiny apartments (such as Parisian ones) and very old houses which have not been renovated for more that 40 years don't have one.

[@Leopold_van_Aubel]

Most families have a clothes dryer as well. She generalized too rapidly.

[@isagrace4260]

Interesting - thank you! 😊 I was thinking maybe for older homes there was an external cooking area of sorts (eg a wood burning oven) in addition to an indoor kitchen area. I’ve seen that in other countries sometimes!

[@cathjj840]

@@isagrace4260 Homes in the South often do have a 'cuisine d'été' outside where they're less likely to have an often, but inside kitchens always have one.