Kitchen of the Week: At Home in the French Countryside with an Upstart Champagne Producer, Vipp Kitchen Included

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Viticulturist Cédric Bouchard is a Champagne maker on the up; he’s only been making Roses de Jeanne, his signature label, for a few years, but he’s already selling in 30 countries and his limited-production biodynamic Champagne is served at of-the-moment restaurants like Noma in Copenhagen and Oaxen in Stockholm.

Cédric and his wife, Émilie, a graphic designer, and their two small daughters live in Aube, a small town in the Champagne region of France, in a 300-year-old manor house they’ve painstakingly renovated, preserving the original details but filling the interiors with modern furniture and a streamlined, precisely engineered kitchen from Danish company Vipp.

Join us for a tour:

Photography courtesy of Vipp.

roses de jeanne champagne manor house — Above: Émilie and Cédric, who both grew up in a neighboring village, “weren’t even in the market for a new home,” Émilie says. “We were looking for new cellars for our wine, but when we saw this 18th century stone house, with the extra annexes and wine cellars, we realized it would make it possible to combine our private and professional lives.”

roses de jeanne chateau champagne vipp kitchen 1 — Above: “I walk barefoot all day, in and out of the house, so having a kitchen raised on legs spares my feet from bumping into the toe kicks of traditional cabinetry, Cédric says.

vipp kitchen champagne roses de jeanne 10 — Above: The kitchen island is from Vipp, as well as the Kitchen Tap, Pedal Bin, Kitchen Roll Holder, and Soap Dispenser. The herb-filled vases are from ABC Atelier Belart Creation.

Émilie and Cédric chose a kitchen island from Vipp to take center stage in the grand space, which features paneled walls and integrated cupboards. “We saw only the corner of this kitchen in a magazine,” Émilie says. “But we cancelled the one we had already ordered, because this was the right kitchen. We know the quality of Vipp’s bin, and therefore trusted that the kitchen carried the same finesse to quality and detail. We ended up buying it over the phone without having seen it in real life.”

vipp kitchen champagne bulthaup cabinet — Above: A freestanding Bulthaup B2 Cabinet complements the Vipp kitchen island.

roses de jeanne champagne vipp kitchen 8 — Above: “I like to surround myself with timeless objects, products that last functionally and aesthetically,” Cédric says. “It’s the reason we bought a Vipp kitchen; it won’t go out of fashion because it’s not based on trends.”

champagne cedric portrait 3 — Above: Cédric with the couple’s daughter Emma. “We’re passionate about bio-dynamic wine growing, and the kitchen is always filled with organic produce from the weekly local market,” Cédric says.

“My father was a Champagne wine grower, and I grew up playing in the vines,” Cédric says. “At the age of 14, I was sent to Lycée Viticole, where I studied winemaking. I didn’t like Champagne; it didn’t interest me a bit. Today, I’ve found my own path, and my passion for wine is unmistakable. Yet, I still don’t like bubbles.

“Most people buy champagne for its sparkling and festive attributes. To me, the wine is the key, and the bubbles are only an accessory. That’s why my bubbles are less dominant than in other champagnes. In fact, my single vineyard, single grape variety, and single vintage wine is a cross between still wine and Champagne.”