Shauna Varvel began her career in public relations with Estée Lauder in New York and Tokyo. After many years of renting summer homes in Provence, Varvel and her family finally chose one to call their own, taking on the renovation of a 200-year-old farmhouse outside Avignon, France. The project has been celebrated by numerous publications, including Veranda, Town & Country and Fortune magazines. Alexandra Black has written widely on cultural and material history. She is the author of Living in Cuba, Tuscan Elements, Ski Style, The Japanese House, Dusk Till Dawn, and The Fashion Book, and has contributed to Elle, Vogue Living and Gourmet Traveller.