Escape to the French countryside at Grace Zoe de Givenchy's estate.

When they were young, my husband Olivier and his identical brother James often spent time here at Le Jonchet with their uncle Hubert and Philippe [Vene], his partner and my husband's godfather. It's not far from Paris, so after we met, we were also able to visit with Olivier from London for the weekend. Now that they have both gone into the world and Olivier and James have decided to keep the house in the family, we are happy with the fact that we had so many memories here with them. I still think it's unusual, and very grown up, to think that we are now responsible for this magnificent place.

What a delight it was to learn the features of this house, its character, its rhythm over the seasons. Everything Hubert did was impeccable, so it was not easy to think that anything could be improved. We kept everything as it was - Hubert's photos, his personal items; nothing was moved. Okay, maybe except for the attic or the basement, where the kids make scary movies and play hide-and-seek. They are staying in seventh heaven and we have so much fun creating more memories with them here. Hubert has thought very carefully about how to live in this house, ingeniously assigning rooms according to the light at certain parts of the day. Perhaps that's why everything here feels very intimate, from the cozy living room with the huge deer over the fireplace - St. Hubert was the patron saint of hunting - to the garden he created with his dear friend Bunny Mellon. I grew up gardening with my mother. I helped her cut and put together her bouquets, so I love working here with Fabrice on the garden plot and learning about how Hubert and Bunny designed it. Long walks in the woods with the kids are therefore also incredibly special.

The greenhouse has notes that Bunny left behind, samples of her gardening in the fields, where she describes information about certain plants and orange trees she sent from Virginia. Hubert has collected baskets during his travels, including many given to Bunny that come in handy not only for gardening but also for afternoon picnics.

We use the whole house, even the gorgeous parlor where we like to play piano and board games in the evening.

It's a heady combination, as you can imagine - this mythical place and the legacy of a great man - its unique beauty, the gardens, the party house, the park and lake, the golden wheat fields stretching behind the distant hills. Something so soothing about watching the seasons repeat themselves in a house with such a long history. I recently found an 18th century Le Jonchet painting, looking exactly as it does now, depicting a woman in a courtyard holding the hands of two children, and realized, my goodness, some of us could be a true representation of our days.

This house allows me to look at the passage of time differently, to appreciate the importance of quality, both in shared experiences with loved ones and in things. It is the inspiration for the tableware for Z.d.G., this sense of celebrating enduring quality and the old workshop that Hubert embraced - elegance, always, with practicality and sobriety. Because this was a family place for Hubert, and that family includes Ilda, our wonderful cook who grew up here, and the gardeners who live and work here, and his beloved Labradors. It's still very much a family affair, that's how we rock. We love inviting our brothers, sisters, cousins and close friends here for the weekend, chatting over long lunches or tea in the greenhouse when the road lighting is magical. I've always found the word 'entertain' so contradictory though. It implies that it's all about the show, when really it's not about the show at all. Entertainment is actually about genuine human contact, about coming together and sharing time and stories with each other. To be together in this way in our magical home is truly a privilege.

Garden Lunch

Dylan Thomas

For lunch in the parterre "amid cheerful bird sounds and a panorama of the grounds," Zoë combines hand-painted plate and linens from her collection with the family's silver and sheared beds of miniature banks.

Tea in the greenhouse

Dylan Thomas

Zoë, along with her brother Edward and son Louis, 9, enjoy tea in the conservatory.The orangery is "the perfect place for late afternoon tea parties," says Zoë. The center octagonal table was designed by Hubert, blending completely with the carved wooden chairs that cleverly reflect the fruit trees visible through the doors. "Everything he did was by design," says Zoë. "Nothing was accidental."