Interior Decorating, Home Design, Room Ideas

It's off to France today my friends. Located in Tourain, this home belongs to Virginia and Jean-Marc who roam garage sales and flea markets in search of furniture and ornaments in the Gustavian style they love. Jean-Marc restores their treasures and then Virginia gives them the final patina.






















Photography by Germaine Suignard
All images from here.

To all my dear readers, I hope you had a very Merry Christmas! Mine was splendid, we celebrated at home and invited all our relatives over. It was a double celebration as only a few days before Christmas my eldest son sat for his last exam at university and is now an engineer!
Tomorrow we'll be going to a summer place called Chapadmalal where we will have no access to the Internet so I won't be posting again until we come back on January 16th.
So, as I won't be seeing you before, I'd like to wish you all now a very Happy New Year, and thank you for this wonderful inspired year together giving me support through your comments and cheering along which makes all my time spent on blogging definitely worth while! Thanks to each and every one of you, Happy New Year once again and I'll be seeing you soon!

And, of course, before I leave, I give you this stunning house.

Nestled in the old village of Champagne Sézanne, this seventeenth century house belonged to the Marquise de Beauharnais, Marie-Francoise (whose brother married Josephine, the future empress), Pascale and her husband Oliver, bargain hunters and passionate decorators, created a family home that opens its doors to the public twice a year to display their items on sale. Every room has been lovingly staged creating a unique holiday atmoshphere.

A real feast for the eyes. Let's step in.
























Hope you enjoyed our last house tour of the year. See you soon dears!!!

All images from here.

Second house tour for you today, dears!

This late 19th century apartment in Barcelona used to be quite dark, not because of the lack of windows but because what is now a spacious living and dining area used to be three different rooms separated by walls and halls. By knocking these walls down a single big space full of light and brightness was created. The original parquet herringbone flooring was restored and walls and ceiling were painted white.


Eclectic style with an interesting blend of modern and antique furniture. A reclaimed stone balustrade was used as a lamp base.


Wish there was a better photograph of the fireplace which is totally made of marble.


A Gustavian style console was placed behind the sofa.


Louis XVI armchair in this reading nook between the living room and dining area.


Antique leather upholstered chairs are combined with two white modern chairs in the dining room. The pictures on the wall are by Enrique Brinkmann.


The L shaped kitchen opens onto a balcony.


The bar in the kitchen is used both for storage space and as a breakfast table.


Marble sink and white lacquered modern cabinets.


I'm quite perplexed about seeing the same picture of an old lady both in the master bedroom and the living room.


The other side of the master bedroom.


A French stool stands in front of an antique gold gilded mirror.


A marble sink embedded into a slab of wood in the powder room.

Hope you've enjoyed today's tours. Have a great day my friends!
All images from here.

This 17th century bastide is located in a vast vineyard, a few kilometers from the medieval village of Trets, facing the Mont Sainte-Victoire, in the south of France.The mountain is famous for its many appearances in the paintings of Paul Cézanne, who could see it from near his house. The main part was built in 1601. Interior designer Nathalie Vingot-Mei was appointed to renovate its rooms. In her words: "We kept all the original features that made its beauty, old floor tiles and marble floors from the quarry area, exposed beams, fireplaces, moldings ... Only the rooms on the top floor were transformed into guest bedrooms, and we added three additional bathrooms.

I featured Nathalie's beautiful work some time ago. If you'd like to see the post just go here.
































Hope you enjoyed today's tour. See you tomorrow and have a happy weekend!
Photography by Pierre-Jean Verger.
All images from here.

These photographs (very few, I know!) were featured in Architectural digest in 2003. The house was up for sale around April, 2009, for 30m US$. Located on Long Island Sound in Westport, Connecticut and owned by radio talk show host Don Imus and his wife, Deirdre. A stunning house with Gustavian style furniture.

New York-based architects John and Nancy Beringer employed a mix of styles for the exterior.

The entrance hall with a demilune table and bust, both 19th century.

For the parlor, the Louis XVI chair retains its original fabric. Reflected in the Swedish pine and ivory trumeau is a portrait of a gentleman from the Gustavian era.


Gustavian pieces in the parlor include an 18th-century daybed and tea table, which holds a 1790 urn.

Architecture by Beringer Architects
Photography by Mary E. Nichols

All images from Architectural Digest.