Hotel du Petit Moulin

Bonjour !

Just posted the fabulous art / wall paper designs by Deborah Bowness and mentioned I first fell in love with a piece in our boutique hotel in Paris, The Hotel Petit Moulin.  Thought I'd show off that amazing little hotel in the Marais district of Paris.

Located at 29 Rue de Poitou, it's such a walkable neighborhood to restaurants and shops, the Picasso Museum, Place des Voges and the Opera Bastille.  Coming home to this gem is just as fun.  Situated in an historic 17th century former baker's shopfront, it was transformed by one of my favorites designers, Christian Lacroix.  Each room with a different feel and decor, all are lavish.  According to Lacroix himself . . . the aim was to create something of a real-life dolls house, 'or those cross sections of buildings you might see in 20th-century encyclopedias, with very different atmospheres from one floor to the next.

From the hotel, further south, towards the River Seine, you find yourself wandering through Village Saint Paul to discover a wealth of antiques. Return to the hotel for an evening aperitif before dining in one of many good restaurants nearby.  It's a fabulous stay - take a look !

Our room was on the top floor, with three of us (Lucy included), this room had a pull out sofa bed - perfect.

images via their site

So fun !!

Latest Obsession . . Deborah Bowness

Hey !

It was three years ago while in Paris at the sweetest boutique hotel, Hotel Petit Moulin that I discovered this wall paper and fell in love.  It was hung just outside our door on a black wall.  Stunning and so unique.  A little vintage feel and very Parisian.   Later that year while at the New York Contemporary show I found the source... meet the designs of Deborah Bowness.

A unique idea and so vintage gorgeous.  Take a look at my favorites. A little eye candy for a Saturday.

Why tell you about something I found years ago, well I have the perfect place for it now.  My Brevard house.  Surrounded by pines outside and with such tall walls in a few of the rooms.  I plan to hang this piece.  Love it.

So when I placed the order, I added a second for the new office.  

This will be such fun at Christmas!

Happy Saturday 

Happy Friday !!

Hey There . . .

Have a meeting this Friday morning with a new client wanting to renovate her kitchen.  I was thrilled to pull in Ben Collins of the Salins Group for this renovation.  I love his work !!  What I've done is create a design board to give my client a visual from the dining room into the kitchen, as we want a pass through and I wanted to see just what she'll see through that opening.

In the dining room I want to include storage, but pretty storage.  This fluted style woodwork is something I've seen Ben do in the past and I love it !  Simple and clean.  New wall paper window treatments, but keeping the remaining (she has great taste).

So this kitchen will have an interesting layout to incorporate the existing large banquette she already has, which is killer.  New round tables and stoops as oppose to a large round or rectangle allows for easy pass through to the banquette seating and two chandelier that will wander towards each other and be visible through that pass through.

Hoping to use a large art piece, this pattern by my friend Windy O'Connor to fill the void and again be visible through that pass through and door to dining room.  While I am kinda over ship lap, I like it in this spot.  With the placement and shape of the banquette I didn't want to line artwork over it and the ship lap gives the walls a little texture in a clean, simple way.

We are meeting today to go over these ideas and pick counter top and back splash.  Maybe continue the ship lap, maybe a marble counter top.  We'll see !

With Ben's suggestion and my complete thumbs up the back wall will all be behind doors, pretty doors.

Excited to get feedback this morning !

Dinner Party 101

Hey !

I just got home from Nashville .  Went to meet the contractor at the home of a favorite client of mine to finalize some things so we can hurry up and finish this so amazing install to be . . .

But one of the main reason I went out was to go to a dinner party.  The host - a pair of the sweetest clients I know.  They threw a party to include the architect, builder (of her amazing dining table) and moi - oh, and the banker, and respective partners.  It was nothing short of delightful.  The house looking so pretty and the smells coming from the kitchen, so divine.  She engaged the services of Chris, a chef at Nashville's Etch Restaurant.    Wow - so amazing, from the two appetizers of steamed dumplings and seared tuna to a Thia inspired salad, coconut miso soup, skirt steak with purple potatoes, all with an Asian infusion theme.  Um... so good.   I'm bringing on the chef from now on so I can actually socialize and not have to cleanup.  Brilliant.

But one thing I particularly loved was the table setting.  Just a simple thing, but so personal.  We needed to find our seats based on the printed word definitions at each place setting...  mine - Adorn.

Cindy also had such beautiful flowers all about the house, one of her favorite things to do.  Got me thinking about centerpieces and just how much I love them as well. Keeping fresh flowers on my dining table at all times is a goal of mine.

Where's definitely a knack to it.  Height and looseness.  I tend to like a tone on tone arrangement, but it really all depends on the overall look and type of food, seriously yes.. type of food.  Keep a few things in mind, either very tall of low as not to block the cross table conversation.

Take a peek at a few of my favorite looks.

Mix in fruits and veggies as well, it's easy and can add a little more color and texture.  Artichokes, pomegranates, and even beets and brussle sprouts are great.  Also try herbs to add a subtle fragrance.  A big no-no are scented candles, who wants their turkey to sell like "sea breeze."

All these arrangements are simple in color and when mixed with a neutral place setting lets the food do the talking, as it should.  Very nature inspired, very clean and easy with most of the floral coming from most of our yards even the Anemone, my favorite and quite easy to grow.  It's a look that can stay on the table all of the time which is also a goal of mine.

I love white china.  I cannot wait to load up a new - old pine cabinet I got for the mountain house with new pieces I have collected, all white.

Love these as well.

Fell in love recently with this Lindsay Rogers (here) from right in my back yard - Western North Carolina.  I'll take one of each.

Another favorite from Koromiko (here) 

I love a pretty table.

Happy Friday