Apartment Therapy Style Cure, part II: Fave Things At Home

Hello Lovelies!

Another home decor post here today!

Nate Berkus reminded me of that simple truth, lately: your home decor is all about you, and who you really are.

I found this photo of a room he redecorated for Corin, the producer of his TV show, and it helped me understand the whole idea behind the statement "your home decor should reflect who you are".

image source

So I found great ideas in this photo and its comment on Style at Home, here are the highlights:

"use decor items that reflect who YOU are. the art on the walls is a reminder of where you're from (Californian living in NYC, in this case), as well as plates decorated by the owner's sister (you belong to a family). the decor palette, textures and style is inspired by how the owner dresses. here: lots of navy, black and grey with bold gold accents. And also by her free spirit - rock n' roll! - and designs she likes"

So what would that mean for me?

I know I am a woman raised in the Middle East, now living in France - and I want that reflected on the art I put on my walls. I am a visual artist related to other artists (one brother is a photographer, another is a movie editor-in-chief).

My future decor palette, especially for the bedroom, will reflect the way I dress:
dark grey, pale blueish grey, navy, white with Art Deco inspired sparkling objects in silver. Like these:

Deco necklace / hat / shoes can be found on this Art-Deco inspired board.

AM-PM brand has wonderful and affordable mirrored square end tables that have my name all over them. These mirrored cubes will make great bed sides for my room.Here they are:

Sizes begin at 30X30X30cm, and prices started at 80€ a piece. source

I am attracted to Japanese objects that are sleek and modern in their design. I am also hyper-creative, and I want that variety of artistic interests to be reflected in my decor. Whjat I really like about Japanese objects is the contrast between very clean lines of contemporary design and the well-crafted air of traditional object-making. Though French, I like these ceramics for their "Japanese" feel:

Ceramics I bought this summer from young ceramics artist, Cédric Mataix. photo, my own.

And how about YOU? And YOUR home decor?

-Alix of TeaButterfly

Apartment Therapy Style Cure - part I

Hello Lovelies!

This is the color scheme that inspires me - paint chips from Farrow & Ball (link). 

More inspiration here.

As I mentioned earlier on this blog, I am doing the Style Cure hosted by AT. Yesterday was day 8 of the Cure, which means it is time for an update. To review day 1 (aka my starting point, please read here).

So, this is where I stand for the Style cure - day 8:


First, picking the room to cure.

 image source via

The room i picked up for the Cure is: a very large room that is mainly a living-room with its "social triangle" by the chimney (read: two-seated sofa and two vintage French old chairs), plus a large wall that will become a rotating personal art gallery (complete with shallow and narrow white metallic shelves wehre I can display my own art as as my small personal art collection) and a nice corner that serves as a home office, complete with desk, lamp, shelves and two bookshelves.

example of shallow shelves for a rotating art gallery at home: image found on a tumblr blog.

Then, determining your own style - I wrote about this before. And i have a pinboard about this.

Also, taking measurements and drawing (hastily and by hand in my case) the floor plan. you can see my sketch here.

And now, After much hum and ho, picking the right colors for the room:

Example of the paint color i want to use: "Elephant's Breath" by Farrow & Ball.

Main color for the room is inspired by this color theme: http://www.flickr.com/photos/teabutterfly/9452299040/

So, I will paint most surfaces in a warm off-white paint (inspired by the Farrow & Ball range of whites, maybe "Elephant's Breath" or "Blackened" the former having a greyish and pinkish undertones, but reproduced by my local paint shop).

Ceilings look OK to me right now, but if after the paint job is completed they don't seem clean in comparison with the freshly repainted walls, I will paint them a bright, pure white.

Since my room is lacking *a lot* in terms of visual depth and cohesion, i will need an an accent color on the wall that faces the street and has two high French windows. I will paint it in a color inspired by F&B "Dead Salmon". The windows will get covered in sheer white drapes and a second layer of thick anti-cold and anti-noise thick off-white ( a warm shade of white anyway) drapes.

More varied textures will be found in a new cover for existing sofa (think: satin velvet cover in medium to dark grey), pillows (I will work with the many pillows I already have, occasionally buying fabric that will best fit the color scheme and the upcoming cold season to sew inexpensive new covers for existing pillows), woven baskets for books & mags storage, I need to buy a new reading lamp, too.

image via

The color scheme used for these accessories will be matching shades of pale grey, dark grey, rich brown, off-white and a touch of zesty mustard yellow. Maybe i can contrast warm and cold shades of grey.

 

spiky origami pendant lamp available here

shopping list:
"Elephant's Breath" and "Blackened" sample paint pots
"Dead Salmon" sample paint pot
off-white paint inspired by "Elephant's Breath"
medium greyish taupe paint inspired by "Dead Salmon"
new dark grey slipcover for sofa in a shiny dark grey satin.
repair reading lamp and buy a new patterned lampshade for it
a pair of sheer white drapes
some patterned fabric in graphic grey/white/brown/yellow for covering up pillows
place existing woven basket - i have only one - in the room

shopping list for later in season:
some more patterned fabric in graphic grey/white/brown/yellow for covering up pillows
a couple more woven baskets
a pair of opaque curtains
new reading lamp (optional)
a graphic origami chandelier to hang from ceiling (I found a great shop on etsy - Zipper8Lighting - for that, my budget for this can go up to 150€). link is: https://www.etsy.com/fr/shop/Zipper8Lighting the seller is extra friendly and helpful!

I foresee that the whole painting job will take over a month, though! But at least i'll have a direction with this project and a precise to-do list!



Wanna see more? Check this out.

-Alix

E-mag inspiration: So Much to See in Rue!

Hello Lovelies,

I am still alive and well! ;-)

I *do* need a break from it all - I have been (and currently still am) street harassed & stalked by weirdo neighbors who think I'm a natural-born victim just because I'm:
a) a woman
b) a loner
c) currently vulnerable health-wise and all
- but... no way!

I am NOT a natural-born victim. I have been the coincidental object of the violent hatred of my own family, and my mother in particular. It has nothing to do with me and everything to do with the violent perpatrator of these violent and ongoing crimes.

That being said, right now I'm looking for a nice getaway for next weekend, somewhere near the Ocean (frequent, regular contact with natural scenery, esp. water has always  rejuvenated me).  I may do some couch surfing, but keep being careful of course.

Of course, I *do* crave some quiet time alone right now, as my neighbors as well as my own nightmares (back straight from childhood hell) won't let me rest and sleep at night, but maybe meeting new friends via couch surfing (or the like) could be a refreshing change of scenery (my inner city really sucks during summertime, with those unbearable heatwaves and all).

When I *do* feel refreshed and rejuvenated and my own self (probably for the first time in my whole life - I expect the feeling of being "me" for maybe the first time ever to feel just a little... weird or unexpected), only then will I be able to take the practical steps that will allow me to move to another better, safer place and simply move on with my own life.

So... what is it about Rue mag and home decor inspiration that I wanted to tell you lovelies in the first place? All this domestic violence is distracting me from the actual, beautiful & important things in life... ;-)

On may 7th 2013 - two of my favorite e-magazines released their Spring 2013 issues. If you have a quiet moment today, make sure you check out Rue Magazine’s May/June issue dedicated to Pacific Northwestern design as well as Matchbook’s Mother’s Day issue. Both are filled with beautiful interiors, fashion and inspiring women.

So take a few minutes for yourself, relax and...

ENJOY!

Here are a few highlights from this Rue Sping 2013 issue, articles, objects and design ideas that caught my attention - beware this issue is really chock-full of good decor tips & tricks! So:

gift guide for men - "north pacific cool" - page 16

rainy day essentials - page 18

page 46 - hindsvik typewriter for 40 dollars + ethanollie refleix camera for 75 dollars

dark grey inspiration objects : page 48

light grey inspiration objects : page 50

page 54 : bed room inspi dark grey wall + page 62 tips for creating a beautiful bedroom

page 64 : bagels recipes!!! Btw, it seems NYC bagels have finally hit France this summer! Hooray!

page 89 : the big black K letter in a monochromatic minimalistic home + page 97 home office

page 122 : graphic painting above bed + octopus tentacle sculpture

And in closing: a merry mishap (drool-worthy) atelier tour.

-Alix.

Pssst... More e-mags inspiration here: http://pinterest.com/teabutterfly/e-mags/

Why Not? (Part 2)

Hello Lovelies!

photo, my own.

I promise, this is the last post I write here before I'm leaving for a month for a much-needed rest. But I am passionate about design, and I have a rather intense relationship inth my interior, so I couldn't help myself and just wrote this follow-up piece, after writing "Why Not? (Part 1)".

So, as i said before, my living-room has pretty good, classical French bones.

Among things I already have are:

A greyish/navy couch
A floor lamp from Habitat (with white lampshade that may need to be changed)
Accent pillows as shown below (image from laredoute catalog):

A chenille IKEA throw in chartreuse green (one of my fave colors).
Three nesting vintage IKEA coffe tables, with a thin black frame and a thick glass top (they were bought by a Swedish friend in the 60's).
Two classical French wooden narrow armchairs facing the couch, with pop red pillows on them (my cat loves to sleep there).

instagram photo, my own.

I set up a nice nook in the living-room that serves as a home office, together with a French vintage wooden desk, a vintage metallic desk lamp, and nice wooden shelving above desk.My fave element there is my vintage black dial phone, that still works (pictured above)!

Things I want/need in order to add warmth to the room and pull it all together:

A pratical, gallery-like hanging system for my oversized artwork, to be hanged behind couch.
Painting the black frame of my nesting tables a light shade of grey (I love the color called Elephant's Breath by Farrow&Ball).
Adding an area rug in front of couch (I have frankly no idea were to begin to search for that rug... Any ideas? I love these Nicola Cerini rugs, but they are made in Australia, not even sure they ship to France... IKEA... well frankly, it seems like a bland option to me. )

About the home office:
I may need to rethink the way it is organized (do i have enough storage?) and decorated (how about a personal, DIY inspiration board?)
I definitely need a more comfortable desk chair.
And a new mousepad, too. I would love a bigger, sleeker computer screen.

Finally, adding the right window treatment over my pair of French windows. I want something simple, organic, white, sheer... With maybe just a little hint of a pattern... I need it to be catclaws-proof, too! Again, if any of you has any good ideas... I am all ears! Thank you!

When I'm back, I will post photos of my living-room as it is today ( the "Before" picture) and I will hopefully be able to post a decent "After" photo in a few months from now. Then, I'll move on to tackle the kitchen, the entryway, the bedroom and the bathroom. Still a long way to go, but gosh, am I enjoying the process!

I hope you enjoy reading about it, too!

Oh... Wait! Did I just sound like an awful pinterest fan that only thinks of gigantic shopping lists? Oh, my! This is not me. I don't really intend to buy all of these things, at least not all at once. What I really aim for is making my home a place for my dreams to come true.

-Naomi of TeaButterfly.

Why Not? A Personal Journey in Amateur Design

Hello Lovelies,

image: this is Muriel Cibot's living-room, as of 2011 - as published here, among other photos of her place.

I recently bought a French home decor magazine called "Le journal de la maison" and stumbled upon what I believe is the perfect inspiration for me: a house tour of a Paris apartment the same size as mine, 60m2.

I couldn't help but think: "If Muriel Cibot, owner of said apartment, can do it, why shouldn't I at least try?" Muriel Cibot is a trained interior decorator and you can see some pictures of her home here, while I am just an amateur and design-enthusiast, but... WHY NOT?

The pictures of Muriel Cibot's place you can see here were taken back in 2011, while the photos in my home decor magazine, published April 2013, showed an updated version of the apartment. I then realized that the right use of textiles such as an area rug, a throw and a pillow on the sofa, drapes on the windows, a lamp with an actual lampshade on it, etc... could add incredible warmth to an otherwise very bare and cold interior.

Keeping simplicity in mind, I started using pinterest to gather eye-pleasing, beautiful but realistic and affordable ideas.

I must admit that I started with myself, since tackling a home decorating project can be a huge task. First, I researched (and found) the perfect Spring/summer fragrance for me. It is going to be "Orange blossom" by Jo Malone. "Après l'ondée" by Guerlain was also a favorite option, but not an affordable one.

Then I bought two dresses, one for spring, and one sleeveless for hotter summer days. The first dress is from Taillissime.fr - as pictured below:

The second dress is from laredoute.fr :

Yes, i have a classical taste in clothes and I love navy. ;-)

That done, I started a pinterest board with random want/need stuff for my rental, in no particular order. Again, I *do* intend to eventually pair this stuff down to the essentials.

One of the first projects I want to tackle is organizing and decorating the living-room. I want to hang my artwork (and as an artist, I have quite a few oil paintings I want to show off) and I want it *so bad* because I firmly believe it gives a room a "grownup" look and I'm tired of the "forever adulescent" look. Hey! i'm not a kid anymore, and I like it that way. I want to see that fact reflected in my interior.

My inspiration is gathered here. This board helps me define my style, a little "industriel", a little "wunderkammer" with a "masculine flair" twist, but is not realistic nor affordable. It's about dreaming (which a necessary function, too).

Now, let's have a look at the bones of my living-room, which are quite good. It is a classic French living-room. high ceilings (hooray!), high French windows, a grey marble chimney, parquet flooring, nice proportions and one built-in storage cabinet. The walls are painted a nice medium grey, and the mouldings are painted white. So far, so good.

I got a new (very cheap) couch at a thrift store, because my previous cat had scratched my old couch beyong recognition, alas. I got a new kitty, with less fierce claws. Here is my new friend, Kachimo:

 Here she is, asleep in a cardboard box.

I also bought flowers on a weekly basis for my place. Just an example:

The vases pictured here, all my own, are displayed on the mantel of my grey marble chimney.

And when Spring arrived (at long last!) I bought a pair of chartreuse silk accent pillows to add a punch of color, and one geometric patterned pillow grey/white with a hint of chartreuse in it). As seen on this image from the laredoute.fr catalog:

Since the room has high ceilings, I think a nice chandelier is in order. I found at least four nice and affordable options online, and I gathered them here. I love this option from Habitat:

The genaral layout of the couch area in my living-room will be as pictured below:

 image: design by Mark Tuckey, via green design blog.

A medium-sized couch against a wall, a big statement artwork above couch, like my painting below:

 oil painting by Naomi Lipson. all rights reserved.

A chandelier hanging from the ceiling (to be bought soon). And two small coffee tables (I actually have three vintage IKEA esting tables with a glass top).

So the chandelier is my next buy. Any ideas? Suggestions?

-Naomi of TeaButterfly.

P.S. This post was so fun to write, I hope you enjoyed it. but I still need to take some time off the internet and this blog. Please understand. Will be back in a month or so.

Sudden Inspiration

Hello Lovelies!

 image source : the Beauty of the Letterpress.

I know I haven't updated this blog in a long time. Times were tough lately, and well, Murphy's law was upon me, giving me the gift of sorrow and despair day after day.

Then suddenly, inspiration hit me and I just wrote five blog entries (on my home decor blog) within 2 hours' time. Go figure. All these blog posts are somehow design-related. If you wish to read them, here they are:

Hello Design Enthusiasts!

The Beauty of the Letterpress

Spring Colours Week - my 2013 photos

I forgot to mention: I have moved

Inspiration: The Perfect Place For Me.

You can find all of them at: http://strangerfiction.canalblog.com/

Enjoy!

After all the stressful events in my personal life, I am taking some time to rest, relax and reflect. Please understand.

I will be back in a month or so. See you then!

-Naomi of TeaButterfly.

     

Cozying Up - in the depth of winter.

Hello lovelies!

photo, my own.

This week has seen the last days of my struggle against the flu. It's finally over, hooray! So i have been eating macarons to celebrate (see above).

Even before I had fully recovered, I ventured outside (crazy, I know) because the depth of winter is so beautiful, and I wanted to take some pics of ice and snow before they melted.

photo, my own.

After going outside in the cold, here is a glimpse at what I come home to:

photo, my own.more here.

After much inner debate, I have discovered the virtues of Dr Bach's flower elixirs. They really work! Life has been good to me ever since I started taking them, from day one. Quite amazing!
I personnally use the hornbeam remedy, but you might want to read a book or two before you take the plunge and choose your own flower.

I am starting to think about and prepare an exhibition of my oil paintings this year. This is a very exciting project! I need to count, name and photograph all of my oil paintings, not just these three few you can find here. More to come about that.

In the meantime, I have tried the following "Joyful Simplicities" for February, as advised by Sarah Ban Breathnach:

wear perfume everyday,

try a "muddy rose" lipstick, (mine is called "ripe rose" by eyeslipsface.com)

treat myself to a single white flower for my desk

listen to the music of Cole Porter.

What are your pleasures in the depth of winter?

-Vic from TeaButterfly.

Summer Dreams

Hello Lovelies!

...and happy Monday to y'all!

 dream.

Despite the heavy heat going on here in the South of France, I've been living life to the full lately and so neglected this blog a bit, sorry. Now here's what i've been up to (i like to kiss and tell). 'Cause, yes, I've been kissing and quite a lot!
I've fallen in love! First I tried boy no1 then boy no2 but they wouldn't do. Then out of a sudden, i met IRL an on-line friend i've been corresponding with for over a year! instant mutual click, it was.

And so i've been daydreaming about moving back to Paris because that's where I'm from and also where he lives and about decorating our new place because I love home decor and i dream of the place we will live in together. he's a man, so this has revived my love for masculine flair and he is from Togo, West Africa, so I thought of adding some African highlights to an otherwise, modern, sleek and clean home.

African chic style - As'art galerie

If you follow my pinterest (i have won the hearts of over 20 45 followers within a very short time - all total strangers to me), you also know i will add a touch of orange, an old love of mine, to that dark, masculine african wenge wood. it will make everything just bright and chic!

source

I've also been needing to redecorate/reorganize my home office for some time now. I love contemporary art, as you well know (so sad about Cy Twombly's recent death).

decorating with tape: source unknown.

So everything will be clean, tidy and counter-balanced by a crazy, colorful piece of art by Yellena, just like this:

art by Yellena.

Our bedroom will be very tranquil, peaceful and understated in a "greige", or "perfect grey" spirit. Just white linens, soft grey accents and a comfy bed. The bare essentials.

bedroom image via decorology

The bathroom will also be very plain/bare in white and lightest grey possible. What i call "Belgian gray", because of the likes of Vincent van Druysen and other great Belgian architects. See more Belgian gray interiors here.

source unknown, maybe the jjjjound.com blog

It will have soft turkish cotton towels (the best quality!) and a few streamlined bottles of organic (since 1983!) French cosmetics by Centifolia-bio.

For a similar look and quality, try the organic products of John Masters' in the US. 

source

Lately, i find myself more and more drawn to simplicity and the bare essentials. I have categorized them by season on pinterest, and now have a Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring Essentials inspiration boards. The main reason for that is to not face harsh winter or very hot summer days unprepared.

"al fresco in the valley"

My secret for winning over any winter blah? Ginger!

 excerpt from the "3191" magazine.

Yes, ginger, be it the root dipped in hot water and then slowly sipped or wonderful, deluxe scented ginger souffle by Origins. Since the latter is a bit difficult to find in France, it will be replaced in my all-white bathroom by the "gingembre" rich moisturizing cream by Roger & Gallet.

 

I find very hot, dry summer days difficult to bear sometimes so i turn to citrusy, zesty, light scents and drinks! rosemary lemonade is a must, and i use guess what the organic citrus weleda deodorant as a light cologne. it's very cheap for a great summer scent!

Want to know more? Follow me on pinterest! What's your current summer obsessions? Pray tell!

 source.

-Vic from TeaButterfly.

Tuesday's Butterfly is... Perfection!

image found via pinterest

Hello Lovelies!

I really really love this home decor with framed winged coleopters. Oh! That perfect splash of red that "makes it" (without dominating). That hint of very warm yellow. The vintage mirror. And white lilies? Those are my favorite flowers! Elegant, classy and so very fragrant.

Of course, what I love most is the Wunderkammer (aka "cabinet of curiosities") Spirit of the framed insects. Gonna draw me some!

Have a nice Tuesday, and enjoy!

-Vic from TeaButterfly.

In The Mood For: Decorating with Bugs.

Hello Lovelies, it's me again!

I hope you're fine on this Monday morning.

detail of an Etsuko Furuya fabric, available here.

I've been thinking lately, especially after seeing this amazing apartment found on ApartmentTherapy...

Fact 1: I love home decor... obviously!

Fact 2: I also love bugs, yes, insects. I draw them, as you well know. Butterflies, dragonflies, scarabs, you name it! They're beautiful!

So why not decorate with bugs?! I think this new category on my blog will be dedicated to:

1: My bug art. So I'll share my love with you.

2. Examples of beautiful homes decorated with insects (be it fabric pattern, real insects dried and framed, pâintings and drawings, etc...). I'll do my best to give due credit to each home owner of course!

3: Photos of bugs decorating my own home.

See you, butterflies!

Vic from TeaButterfly