Finders Keepers France ‘Craft Shop and reception'

Well Hello there. Bonjour et bonne année à tous !

I cannot believe a year has passed and I haven’t blogged. Where did 2025 go. I completely missed all of last years blogs and have so much to tell you. I am hoping 2026 will be fantastic one. 2025 was a very, very busy year for us here at Finders Keepers France. Busy but very very rewarding. One that we are very thankful for. We had many unexpected problems occur early January that set us back and delayed us starting our huge 'to do' list; but we made it by the skin of our teeth.

The boiler in the gite stopped working and flooded the gite. We ended up having to redecorate and install a new one quickly. The wind then removed the corner of the house roof. So up Darren went to repair it and replace not only the tiles but all of the rotten wood. Whilst up on the roof we decided then was the best time to install a chimney and a small wood burning stove in our dining room. Why not, we only have 2 A4 pages of jobs to do before May and we were way behind. Anyway to cut a long story short, we started 2025 with major repairs required on the house but we made it. We were hoping this year was going to start better, which it hasn't.

This week brought -7 temperatures and a broken pipe to the main house boiler. Then we lost all of the water to the house. Thankfully Darren is now a genius at installing Boilers so he has the job of replacing the main house one. Not what we need at this time of year but that is the joys of owning an old farm house in the South of France. We wouldn't change it for the world.

Anyway, here's January 2026's blog. Let ’s start with the ‘Petite boutique et réception’. Otherwise referred to as the Craft Shop and reception. This is my little domain and one I am so proud of and thankful for.

The Craft Shop/Reception – As Sméagol from Lord of the rings says, my precious. My lovely little shop and reception.

What was it before? In the grounds we had an out building which had been used to hold rabbits. It contained many concrete hutches and was open to the elements. Instantly I had a vision it would become the shop and reception. It was rustic, quirky and just the right size. Over the past few years Darren has been working on clearing the concrete hutches and closing it in with a herringbone designed outer wall and rustic window/door. We wanted to ensure it remained in keeping with the surrounding buildings and held onto its charm. Here it is both before and after.

Before Photograph of the shop and potting shed

After Photograph of the shop and potting shed

So after the building was watertight and the outside was finished, we started designing the inside. It needed a ceiling, power, a reception, plus all of the shop shelving. Darren had an old frame that was inside the boiler box when it was delivered. With his excellent vision, instead of disposing of it, he decided to turn it into the clothing rail with a top for the wooden items we make here on site (more about this to follow).

So we chose to paint the inside of the shop a dark blue colour with light wood shelves. We also had an old unit that I upcycled, and added lighting. It now sits as part of the main shop area and looks great. There was always a small storage area to the back of the rabbit house, so; instead of removing it we turned it into the reception. Thankfully I am short so it fits my height very well. What do you think?

Then:

Now:

So we now have a fantastic reception and shop, however had no idea what we were going to fill it with. It was much bigger than we planned, which was great. So, whilst we were working on all our other vital winter jobs, we were designing and making items to sell. These ranged from wooden items made from the fallen trees around the grounds, chess boards, trinket boxes, games, plus artwork painted by Darren and myself. Thankfully both of us are very Arty so could knock up many pieces very quickly. What do you think?

The shop went down a hit in 2025. So this year we are working on extending the outside courtyard to accommodate all of the wooden wildlife boxes Darren is making. Plus our many paintings.

Well that's our January 2026 blog. I look forward to updating you again in February. Darren is currently working on a fabulous games room. I cannot wait to show you the updates. This is where we are now:

Before: November 2025

Before

Now

For now, I will say goodbye and wish you a safe warm January.

See you all back here again in February.

Take care

Paula and Darren