More Josef Frank design

Just a week or two ago I blogged about the amazing Josef Frank show at the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis. Paging through my May issue of Vogue (I know, I’m a bit behind in my magazine reading), I see Victoire de Castellane, the amazing designer of Dior Fine Jewelry (and one of my style heroes!) pictured in her Paris apartment, surrounded by Josef Frank furniture!  I can’t find Vogue’s photos online, but this will give you the idea:

Victoire de Castellane at home in Paris.  Photo: Le Figaro

And I found lots more Josef Frank inspiration on the lifestyle blog From the Right Bank.  Check it out here.

And Happy Friday!!  Bon weekend!

À lundi,

k.

my walls are screaming

…for help, that is.  I’ve been trying really hard to get some personality into our apartment.  I’ve hesitated more than usual because we don’t know how much longer we’ll be living here.  Thus, no painting the walls.  Which is devastating to me.  In NYC, my living room was a desert rose color (yes, that’s a deep pink!), my hallway was an even deeper shade of pink and my bedroom was “Hawaiian Blue”.  Oh, those were the days.

So, instead of getting out my paint brush, I’ve been out scouring the markets of Europe (surprise, surprise) for goodies to put on the walls.

Over the last six months or so, I’ve developed an obsession with mirrors.  I’ve never been particularly taken with mirrors before, so the only explanation I can offer is that there are much cooler mirrors here in Europe.  Here’s what I’ve uncovered lately:

"soleil" mirror, in large

.

220 euros for that tiny mirror - yikes!

As if one needed more proof that these mirrors were cool, note the stunner in one of this season’s LANVIN ads:

Lanvin F/W 2011-12 ad

The prices of the soleil mirrors at the Paris flea market (above) were a bit rich for me, but I was able to find some great pieces (for a lot less money) in Belgium:

my "porthole" mirror

dusty, but gorgeous

dusty, still has a sticker on it, but wait 'til I get it cleaned up!

While looking for (obsessing over) mirrors, I also came across a couple of paintings, which I bought:

lacking vibrant colors, this is definitely not my 'normal' style, but I decided a more dignified piece couldn't hurt the look of the room

again, subtle, but a calm reminder of my scavenging in Belgium

Meanwhile, I’ve been exploring a few interior design mags and found some inspiration:

Molteni & C ad in Casa Vogue Italia, Oct 2011.

Notice in the photo above not one, but I believe TWO of my beloved soleil (sun) mirrors (back wall and right-hand side wall). Obviously I’m not the only one with an obsession!  But in general, I like that the pic is a mélange of art and mirrors and what-not on the walls – LOVE IT!

Well, I’m off to hang my findings….

À bientôt,

k.

Hotel Particulier

Sorry I’ve been offline for a few weeks.  I could admit that I’ve been lounging around in my gorgeous Parisian hotel particulier.

photo: Air France Madame, Juin 2011

But that would be a lie.  Actually, I’ve been spending 8+ hours a day, 5 days a week, at the Institut Catholique de Paris taking intensive French classes.  But starting tomorrow, I’ll have only 6 hours per weeks of classes, and will be doing a great deal more blogging!

Hope you’ve had a good rentrée scolaire, or “back to school”, so to speak.  (I mean, even when you’re working, this time of year still has that feeling, doesn’t it?)

À bientôt,

k.

An artsy pick-me-up

The past week has been wondrously full of events in Paris, with Fête de la Musique, the opening of the soldes season; the city has been buzzing.  The one huge downer has been the leak in our apartment ceiling.  The dripping seems to have stopped, but the ceiling looks like crap, and there’s no telling how long it will take to fix it.  Between that and the fact that my boyfriend and I agreed not to buy any more furniture for the apartment right now, I’m feeling little down about this place.  So I decided to remedy it with a little art investment.

The only remedy for this:

the leaky ceiling

Was this:

my bright, brilliant purchase - "Mon Monde et Moi" by Anne Bretel

How I came to find this extraordinary piece was unexpected.  Although I visit many galleries, I found Mon Monde et Moi (“My World and Me”) at an École des Médecins (Paris’ medical school) salon that I happened to walk past on my way to buy a new camera at Fnac.  The door to the grand salon was open, and seeing art, I walked in to see what was happening.  After realizing the pieces were for sale, I picked up a price list and chose a piece that I could afford – and that I truly loved.

Why was the medical school showing paintings by its student and staff?  I have no idea.  C’est la France.

Alors, à demain.

k.

blurred vision

It has been a looonnnnng 10 days….family and friends in town for business school graduation, and while it was AMAZING FUN, I am completely exhausted.  So I thought it was perfect that when I tried to take photos this morning, they all came out hazy.  That’s how I’m feeling right now, HAZY.   So I offer this glimpse from our apartment on partly-cloudy Monday morning after a week of TOO MUCH:

 

life out of focus

 

That’s all for me – hope you have a HAPPY MONDAY!

 

À bientôt,

k.

 

Arrrgghhhh!!!! The apartment post move-in…

I stepped off the plane in Paris three weeks ago, exhausted but excited to be back.  Until I arrived at our apartment….

The living room

The living room, from another frightening angle

The bedroom

Another of the bedroom...at least the view is beautiful....

Yikes.  I’ve spent the last three weeks whipping into shape.  Not easy on a tight budget, but I did what I can!  Stay tuned for another update!

À bientôt,

k.