Mystique in my French Attic

Before I begin this post let me thank everyone for your great comments/suggestions/advice 

on my last post "Is it Cozy or Cramped." 

So many amazing ideas. 

I wish you all could go to the cabin with me to help me move furniture!
Thanks so very much!

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Now on to this week's post "Mystique in my French Attic."

As I sit at my desk in a room I've always thought of as my tiny French attic,
it's raining and snowing outside.
Skies are painted Paris gray and gold leaves are tumbling down the street. 

But I'm snug and warm in my office,
a place that makes me think of the romance and allure of Paris.
Shall we rendezvous in my French attic?

Here's a wide shot of this tiny attic space.
You'll notice I've painted the bistro chair at my desk French blue.

The desk was six different primary colors when I bought it at an antique store. 

Looks completely different all white and pulls the room's French decor together. 

I love the warmth of a small lamp on my desk.
The shade is punched with tiny pinpricks reminding me of a magical starry night in Paris.

Note the wicker stand next to the red leather chair (estate sale bargain). 

The top holds decorating magazines and the bottom shelf stores large books.

I like to drape monogrammed linens over the front.
Don't you wonder who they were lovingly created for?

I found this pretty curvy gate in a neighborhood alley 

and it was the perfect size to frame my wicker flower stand.
I can imagine it on an ivy-draped French patio
where women were wooed and men were charmed.

Behind the red chair you'll notice the tall chippy post we rescued from a construction dumpster.

It adds age and patina to that French attic mood.

Tying my white sheers in the middle lets in light

and makes me imagine stepping outside onto an iron balcony
overlooking the rooftops of Paris.

I moved my vintage typewriter to the shelves above my desk, making room for a classic telephone.

This red mid-century modern cart complements the Paris apartment mood
and holds this enchanting vintage telephone.
 I wish it still worked.  I have to admit I like playing with the rotary dial!

You can't really see the top shelf in this room but it's lined with old black and white hat boxes. 

I wonder why we stopped wearing hats.
I loved the mystery behind the netting held with a black velvet bow.

It's fun to watch 1940s black and white movies to see how things have changed. 

Women were always dressed so beautifully and men looked so dashing in their fedoras!

It won't be long til the street below is dressed in white, a film noir just outside my window. 

So where are all the men in fedoras?

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A New Look for an Old Crate

Please note:
Last week I experienced some technical difficulties with my computer and am not sure this post was distributed to everyone. Therefore, I'm sending it again to all subscribers under a different name.
The original post was called "French Wine Crate 2.0."
My apologies if you've already seen this post. If not, please enjoy.


Have you been wondering whatever happened to that rare French wine crate 

I uncovered last summer in a dusty basement at an estate sale? 

Well, here's a little hint.

You might remember my post about that wine crate.
Here's a link if you missed it.  Wine Crate Find

The crate was perfect for containing a sparkling centerpiece on the dining room table.

But you know we can never leave well enough alone, right? 

I wanted to find another way to use this beautiful crate and I found it in the kitchen.

By turning the crate on its end I was able to make some space on my kitchen island 

and now I'm using it to hold bottles of wine and cooking utensils. 

Looking at the wine crate from the side,
you can still read the beautiful French writing on the front.

This really opened up the counter space and gave me a little more elbow room.

The display makes me think of a fancy kitchen store like Sur la Table.

This stand-alone cabinet is handy for parties, baking or unloading market baskets.



Don't overlook everyday objects like these Prosecco corks
when creating a unique accessory.

Cheers, my friends!

So, what do you do with your wooden boxes and crates? Love to hear from you.

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A Holiday Conversation with Susan Hays

December 2, 2016

I'm so pleased to feature a special holiday conversation with Susan Hays, the creator of the beautiful blog: "Our French Oasis." Susan lives in a small French village with her husband,
five children, two dogs, two cats and lots of chickens.

How is Christmas in France different than the UK?
The biggest difference is in France the main meal, usually with seafood and/or oysters as an appetiser, is on Christmas Eve, continuing until well after midnight, whereas in the UK the main meal is on Christmas Day and centres around our traditional turkey. Christmas in France tends to be relatively quiet, at least it is here in the Charente Maritime. It is centered far more around family. New Year is the time to party!

How do you decorate (inside and out) for Christmas?
I absolutely love decorating for Christmas and am itching to get started! However, we never begin until after the 1st of December as is far more traditional in France. Our village and town lights will be turned on the first Friday in December and that's when things start to get festive. We start with some twinkling white lights outside around the front entrance and along the driveway gates. Every year, I make a big natural wreath which we hang on the front door. With the cooler winter weather it lasts happily until the beginning of January and is a great welcome for friends and family. Inside we decorate all the rooms we use. I love getting the children involved as much as possible. It gets everyone in a great frame of mind and it becomes very much a family affair.

What is your holiday decorating style?
We tend to be fairly traditional. There is something quite magical about bringing out the same decorations year in year out, things go in the same place and the mantel in the sitting room is always the first to be decorated, a long evergreen garland dotted with small white lights. We always go and choose the tree en famille. It's never a simple job, getting seven people to agree on which tree to choose. We all decorate it with Christmas music playing, a glass of champagne for the adults and sparkling apple juice for the children. We have ornaments that the children have had since they were babies, they each have their own special ones.

Do you have any advice on how to decorate your home in an authentic French Country style?
There are so many different takes on French Country Style and each person has their own personal favourite. For me, it is all about comfort and atmosphere. My home should be a place where friends and guests want to linger a while, where they feel at ease. I like a fairly simple colour scheme with rich textured cushions and fairly bold pieces of traditional furniture. In addition, for me, there should be plenty of candles and a couple of vintage chandeliers, with rugs on the floor and fresh flowers. Plus I have to admit I have a love of French Louis XIV style antique chairs; I love their shape and style!

What is the favorite part of your house?
The favourite part of my house has to be the kitchen. It is very much the heart of our home and is dominated by a large walnut table which we had made for us several years ago. We handpicked the wood in a yacht builder's yard! I always have a vase of flowers in the middle, even in the depths of winter, there is always something I can pick from the garden if I am a little inventive! We also have a collection of antique silver candlesticks and they too live on the table. We light them every evening for our family supper, even if it's a simple bowl of soup and a crusty baguette, candles set the scene and make every meal special. We have a highly efficient wood burning stove in the corner and in the winter it is permanently alight. It's always warm and cozy and welcoming. In the summer the French doors are opened wide to the terrace and it becomes an extension of the room.

Thanks so much Susan! You can read more about Susan's life in France on her blog at ourfrenchoasis.com. 

Happy Holidays from our house to yours!

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French Country: LBB - Little Black Bathroom

Every woman needs an LBD -- Little Black Dress. Right?

But how about an LBB -- Little Black Bathroom?

My little bathroom was rather boring until I decided to add black to the mix.

Black and white is such a classic French palette. 

A black ribbon on some lacy curtains,

a black metal plant stand holding a white and black-trimmed enamel bowl, 

a black wire basket underneath to store toilet paper, bath things or magazines,

and a black rug on the white tiled floor gives this tiny bathroom some French drama.

French Country bathrooms are known for style, feminine touches, comfort and romance.

It's easy to add these to any bathroom without a lot of fuss or expense.

An old ironstone dish holds some fancy soaps from Provence.

A French champagne bucket is handy for flowers or as a wastebasket.

Open shelves contain towels and an ironstone chamber pot. 

Metal or tin objects like this old medicine cabinet, 

displaying vintage mirrors and bottles, lends a feeling of days gone by.

This tin clock is a thrift store find, the lavender a perfect accent 

Purple towels and a black vintage purse add a pop of color and a touch of whimsy.

A framed piece of artwork like these four colorful French postcards 

adds another dash of black and a bit of romance.

An antique mirror above the sink or on the wall is one of the easiest ways

to bring an old-world feel to your bathroom. 

A diminutive chandelier brings all four French style elements to this room
and amps up the glam factor.
The light is on a dimmer. Ooh la la.

If you have room, which sadly I don't, you could incorporate a Frenchy antique, 

perhaps a bench or chair or even an armoire for storage. 

No space? How about a French market basket to hold rolled-up bath towels?

Do I want black and white octagonal floor tiles and a lovely old clawfoot tub?
Yes, of course! 

But that will have to wait for a major renovation. 

Meanwhile, draping a pretty cloth curtain on your shower rod
and a small black rug on the floor adds texture and softness. 

Just because you have a tiny, tired bathroom doesn't mean you can't jazz it up
French Country style!

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~~ How I Found My Style -- French Country ~~

It happened all at once and quite unexpectedly. 

I found it.

My style.

French Country.

So, how did I find it?
Was it in a quaint French market?

No. But I want that basket!

Did I find it in a rocky vineyard in Provence?

Nope but I do love French wine.

Maybe I found it riding a vintage bicycle through the French countryside.

No, but that would have been so much fun.

Here's where I did find it. 

I was staying in a lovely 19th century stone mas (a traditional Provencal farmhouse)
in the little village of Saint Remy-de-Provence. 

Even the mas's name sounded beautiful: Le Mas des Carassins.

After a day of touring the historical sites of Avignon . . .

 and shopping in the antique mecca of L'Isle-Sur-la-Sorque . . .

and visiting the Saint Paul Asylum where Van Gogh was treated
and where he painted many of his masterpieces,

 I returned to the mas to get ready for dinner.

And then, it happened.

I wandered into the spacious dining room and it smacked me right in the face.

Everything in the room was white. 

And soft. 

And warm.

Relaxed and elegant at the same time.

How did they do that?

White tablecloths on round tables, sheer white curtains lifting up in the breeze of the 

open French doors, creamy white dishes, white candles in crystal candelabras and, 

oh my, the old wooden buffet, the curvy chairs, the massive stone fireplace, the waiters' aprons. 

Everything. White.

Love.
It was as if moonlight had been captured in a room. 

Like French angels had descended on this room and bathed it in their luminous white light. 

I know, I know. Sounds like a flowery exaggeration, but that's how it felt.

I'd always loved antiques and things with patina. Crusty, chippy things with a history. 

But I'd never realized there was a name for that style.

Then, in that magical room in the South of France, I knew.
I'd found my style. 

French Country.

Simple. Comfortable. Elegant. 

Suddenly, I felt like I'd come home.

Here's my version of French Country in my own dining room.
Can you tell the source of my inspiration?

I brought French Country home with me to the foot of the Rockies.
Turns out, I knew my style all along and now I know its name.

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