In the 17th century, Le Potager du Roi at the French palace of Versailles was a showcase for horticultural innovation. The kitchen garden established under the stewardship of Jean-Baptiste de La Quintinie supplied the court of Louis XIV with produce that defied the seasons, coaxing strawberries in March and asparagus in December. Still productive, and now run by the École Nationale Supérieure de Paysage, the Potager has just launched a homeware collection in collaboration with lifestyle brand ZdG, founded by designer Zoë de Givenchy.
Trompe L’œil plate, £605
French sécateurs and leather sheath, £106
The project took root last summer when the World Monuments Fund (WMF), a non-profit working to protect heritage sites, asked de Givenchy to design centrepieces and gift baskets for its 60th anniversary gala at the palace. The link is familial: her uncle-in-law Hubert de Givenchy, who started the eponymous fashion and perfume house in 1952, was the founding chairman of WMF France. In 1993, he and horticulturalist Bunny Mellon championed the restoration of the garden’s King’s Gate entrance.
L’Espalier Charger plate, £258, Les Légumes salad plate, £186, five-piece stainless-steel cutlery set, £908, Le Pommier glass, £148, and L’Espalier tumbler, £152
