Tour of Ma Maison - Part 2

Continuing on from yesterday......

The chambre rouge is one of the biggest rooms in the house and as you know if you read last Friday's hooked on post has a lovely antique bed in it.




There is something about antique furniture, every piece has it's own story............

I adore butterflies so have quite a few dotted around the house including a collection of Australian butterflies on the wall that I bought from an Iranian lady in Dubai, I did not ask how she came about them.

The one in the photo is a french collection which has typed labels under each one, I adore it.




I love the louis chairs, I bought them in Dubai and was going to have them recovered and have not got around to it.


Moving right along, we have the ensuite bathroom which includes the original bath which I repainted.

Well that is about it for today, I was hoping to include the dining room but I am running out of time as I have a date with a paintbrush again today.

I will continue part 3 next week as I am participating in Fifi flowers fashionable Friday tomorrow and also Miss Beverly's very fabulous Pink Saturday this week.

amicalement

L x

Tour of Ma Maison- part 1

The lovely Leigh, owner of the Brabourne Farm blog,which incidentally is one of my very favourite blogs, has asked if I will show some more pictures of our house, so here goes......

This is one of my favourite rooms, the Chambre Chinoise which has been highly rated on mydeco.com. I had a lot of fun doing this room as I love anything chinese!



I bought the mirror in Macau, the frame is antique but the mirror is new.

Moving along the hall......the next room is the Chambre Bleue, which you may have already seen in my hooked on post last Friday.

I adore the furniture in this room and plan to stock some in the shop, space permitting.

I bought these bookends whilst living in Dubai, I love blue and white...


I also love antique french passion prints, like this one in the Chambre Bleue and have a few which I will be selling in the shop.

This is the armoire, which matches the bedends and was purchased as a set.

Mirror frame in the ensuite bathroom.....

Tomorrow I will show you the Chambre Rouge and the dining room, here is a sneak preview of the Chambre Rouge...................

A demain

L x

Let's run away to the sea

I adore living in country France but are times when I long to be near the sea. As they say you can take the girl out of New Zealand but you cannot take New Zealand out of the girl.


Last Spring we stayed at the most fabulous Chambres D'hotes "Ma Maison de Mer" and hope to return in Autumn.

The house is run by a young english couple who have lived in France for over 10 years and are loving every moment of it.

The house is situated 200m from the beach and 500 metres from the village centre. Not far from the house is the most fabulous seafood restaurant which is situated right on the beach, it reminds me a lot of Bather's Pavillion in Sydney.

This is a photo of the house, all the houses in the area are of the same design.

This is a photo of the bar area.....


This is the living area, I loved the couch it was so comfy and there were lots of magazines and brochures on things to see in the area.



The dining room, I love the colours and the mix of textures.................very calming.



The chambre that we stayed in, very light and airy.


What is missing? You are right!.... we need a photo of the sea, this is the beach near the house.



I cannot wait to revisit but that will be later in the year, I am supposed to be painting today so I had better go.

à très bientôt

L xx

Fabulous French Chairs

I am almost lost for words, I am in chair/chaise heaven!

This chair is so sweet - I love the hunting theme!

The one below is called Shabby Louis, I adore it!

Photos: Gilles Nouhailhac

This one is called Romance, hundreds of handmade fabric petals embroidered with pearls create the windblown flowers that swirl over this chair.

They are so beautiful, there are lots more on the Gilles Nouhailhac website, enjoy!

Bonne semaine

L x

Hamburgers & Orchids

You may well ask - what do hamburgers and orchids have in common and how could they possibly be fabulously french?

Well the story goes something like this, a kiwi girl who has been working very hard painting her "fabulously french" house all day decided that she was a little sick of foie gras and felt like hamburgers. So off trotted her better half alias Mr FF to find some hamburger ingredients.

He returns not only with the neccesary items but also with the most beautiful moth orchid (phalaenopsis) which incidentally are my favourite flowers.

I discovered to my delight that it fits perfectly along with the one that he bought me for Valentine's day in a lovely basket that I bought at a vide grenier that we attended last week.

End result?.... a very happy kiwi girl who is going to be fed tonight and also has her lovely orchids to admire.

Hope that you are having a good weekend.

L x

Pink Saturday

Photo: Polly Wreford

I heard about Pink Saturday on Beverly's blog - howsweetthesound via Fifi's fabulous blog so thought that I would join the fun.

It is such a great idea as pink is such a great colour.

Photo: Polly Wreford

You may ask where is the fabulous french part, well I was saving the best one to last. I love louis chairs.....

Bonne weekend to all pink lovers.

L x

Hooked on antique french beds

I am really loving these "hooked on" posts as I love hearing from other people are hooked on.

Me? I am hooked on antique french beds, I simply cannot get enough of them but we are fast running out of space to store them.

This is the first one that I ever bought........

Chambre Rouge - Maison de Poitiers

This one is one of favourite styles and they are becoming harder to find in France:

Chambre Bleue - Maison de Poitiers


This one is truly french.....................

Chambre Baroque - Maison de Poitiers

This is one that I bought in Dubai from an American friend:

Chambre Verte - Maison de Poitiers

I recently bought a couple more but these are in storage at present and will be listed in the shop shortly.

What are YOU hooked on? Go visit Julia at Hooked on Housesand see what others are "hooked" on!

L x

Belle gift tags

As many of you know I have an online shop which sells anything that is french and fabulous. The plan is to open a showroom in September once we have completed the renovation of apartment No. 2.

Hence when I am not renovating or running Maison de Poitiers our Boutqiue Chambres D'hotes, I am scouring France for stock for the shop.

I have discovered on etsy some really gorgeous tags which would be perfect for gift wrapping, so I thought I would share some with you.......

Made by Bluebirdlane - it is gorgeous!

Made by Seasonal Delights

Made by Seasonal Delights

Another by Bluebirdlane

Made by ClaryceDesign


Let me know which one/s you like best.

Merci beaucoup

L x

Happy Earth Day

Happy Earth Day 2009

There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is a rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society, where none intrudes,
By the deep sea, and music in its roar:
I love not man the less, but Nature more.

~George Gordon, Lord Byron, Childe Harold's Pilgrimage

Addicted to tassels

Photo: Declercq Passementiers

I adore tassels, they are something that I cannot resist buying.

When I was living in Dubai I found a fabulous shop that had lots of really different ones and have bought a few since I have been living in France.


I recently discovered the most fabulous website Declercq Passementiers who also have a shop in Paris.

Here are some photos of tassels from their website.......

I love purple.....

This one is cute........

and this one is oh so fabulously french!



I think that I maybe in tassel heaven.

L x

Fabulous, fabulous photos

These photos are just too good not to share.

The photographer that took these; Kees Terberg is Dutch by origin and resides not far from our house in France.

He has lived in France since the end of 2006 and has set up an art gallery and also provides photographic courses.


I am sure that you will love his work as much as we do, it is fabulous...............

Eiffel Tower

Gare du Nord Station, Paris

L x

ps the Mona Lisa shot is a little tongue in cheek as I saw a print of the Mona Lisa that I was going to buy at a Vide Grenier today for the shop but Mr.Fabulously French (FF) was not so keen hence I resisted buying it!

Cupcakes again

The other day I searched and searched and could not find a photo of the butterfly cakes that my nana used to make for us when we were small.

Well guess what? I found the most fabulous photo..........

Photo: Polly Wreford

Hope that you are all having a fabulous weekend.

L x

Chanel No. 5 - I am hooked on it

I am so hooked on Chanel N°5, I adore it! Even when I am renovating I wear it, it makes me feel like a woman despite the dust and burly men around me.

I love how it is described on the chanel.com website………………

“N°5 works its powerful magic by enveloping women in a subtle cloud of elegance and sophistication. Whenever they wear this symbol of femininity, women express their seductiveness moment after magical moment.With its links to Andy Warhol and Marilyn Monroe, its Ylang-Ylang from the Comoros and its Grasse Jasmine, N°5 remains the greatest and best known perfume in the world. This timeless classic, both contemporary and unusual, remains the absolute benchmark of feminine fragrances, entrancing, elegant and always modern.

Known to all women and yet belonging to each individual, this abstract olfactory bouquet was the first of its kind to blend floral essences and aldehydes in these proportions. Aldehydes originate in the chemistry of synthesis and bring a new lightness to natural raw materials.

This is what gives N°5 its modernity, its classicism and its simplicity. « Alléger, supprimer, ne garder que l'essentiel, tel est le secret de l'intemporel », « The secret of timelessness is to simplify, to pare down, to keep only what is essential » in the words of the woman behind its creation.”

I love Marilyn Monroe’s quote…………………..

What do I wear in bed? Why, Chanel No.5, of course!

And I adore Nicole Kidman in Baz Luhrman’s oh so lavish No. 5 advertisement…………
http://vodpod.com/watch/1364203-chanel-no-5-ad-nicole-kidman

What are YOU hooked on? Go visit Julia at Hooked on Housesand see what others are "hooked" on!

Bonne weekend

L x

Desk love............

Photo: Grange Meubles

Ever since I first saw this desk in the Grange catalogue, I have adored it. I love the colours and can just see myself spending hours sitting there.

It is fabulous!

L xx

Cupcakes a la mode

Photo The Sweet Tooth Fairy

When I was a little girl growing up in New Zealand my nana who owned a bakery made the most fabulous cupcakes including fairy cakes - you know the ones that have jam and cream in the middle and wings perched on top then dusted with fairy dust which is sometimes referred to as icing sugar.

Yesterday I discovered that cupcakes are the latest fashionable gateau in Paris so I am now thinking about bringing Nan to France but feel at 87 it maybe a bit much and I am not sure if she will keep up with the demand.

This is a video about cupcakes...

What more can I say except Nan you were ahead of your time!

L x