MAISON ET OBJET

MAISON ET OBJET: LE JAPON

I went to the home trade show Maison et Objet while I was in Paris last week. There were a number of fabulous objects, new ideas and trends (like natural straw mixed with flat black and oversized patterns) but what really caught my eye was one large circular booth showing wares from Japan. I have always been in awe of the quality and creativity of the Japanese. This time I was fascinated. 2 companies stood out in this clean minimal space.

One had 4 pieces displayed: 1 flat leaf shaped piece of copper. Next to it the same shape seemingly hammered into a shallow leaf shaped bowl. The next item was the exact same piece but instead of copper, it seemed to be made of a dull gun metal material; then came the last piece, yet again the same shape but in an ultra shiny ruby red finish. These 4 pieces portrayed one single item in 4 different stages: plain, hammered, heated to very high temperatures and the last stage, a breathtakingly beautiful bowl that had simply been shined to this deep red finish. NOTHING MORE. Copper oxide gives the deep ruby color and a high speed buffer does the rest. Mind blowing.

image lotuslotus

The other company makes glassware that is partly covered in lacquer according to ancient and complex Japanese formulas. So far, not that surprising I guess. What was extraordinary was that each exquisite piece had one tiny dot of mother of pearl imbedded into the lacquer. Delicate and beyond refined. No dishwasher please.

image den japan

Leave it to Japan to push elegance and quality to the limit.

au revoir.

FASHION'S FULL CIRCLES

LES CYCLES DE LA MODE 

1971                                             

Has time stood still...?

Short jacket, skinny jeans, boots and Bobo jewelry and accessories.

Even down to the high waist/low belt à la Theory S/S 2012.

au revoir.

TANGIER, MOROCCO: Food displays etc.

TANGER: visuels de base

In the who needs fancy merchandisers department...

The butcher

The fruit vendor.

The real estate agent.


Authenticity, simplicity, clear message: nothing better.


au revoir.

GRAYS. CAN'T GET AWAY FROM THEM

LES GRIS, TOUJOURS LES GRIS

via eclectic revisited

I do not yet know where we will land in Paris. I have not put too much effort into looking; it is much too early. I have looked online, I have done a small amount of research, and I have a tiny idea where I will look, and a HUGE idea where I will NOT! I also want moldings, wood floors, fireplaces and an elevator. Oh, and did I already mention a large kitchen, a marble bathroom and a huge terrasse? I will be as bold as to add a magnificent view of the Eiffel Tower. 

DREAM ON...

That's the big picture. As for the finer details, I know my new home will be painted a variety of grays. Pale grays, warm grays, deeper grays. The whole group of chips around one of my favorite Benjamin Moore colors: Balboa Mist.

It is SO much simpler when you know which path to take...you don't even need to know where you are going, you just follow the wind, so to speak. (I also have the habit of designing spaces in my head even before I know what they actually are)

Speaking of following the wind, I am off to Paris and Tangier tomorrow. Paris will have a little bit of house hunting on its schedule and some family business to attend to, and Tangier, a whole lot of work. Including trying to find an agent for future production and a nice efficient assistant who speaks Arabic for our dealings in the challenging world of Moroccan artisans. I am proud to say I know how to say hello, good bye, milk (yes, milk) and thank you. Not quite enough to get my very important design details across, I would say; Precise sketches, photos and energetic hand signs don't always cut it. When in doubt, speak Arabic, I say. Hello? anyone?

au revoir.

INSPIRATION

INSPIRATION

Now that it is decided, 

Now that we have a tentative date of departure, 

Now that I know my next home will be in Paris, 

Now that I can assume it will not be a house with a lawn around it but an apartment with a balcony if I am lucky and a terrasse if a small, make that a HUGE miracle, happens to befall me, 

Now that all that is a part of my relatively near future, 

I have been gathering inspiration in the form of a photo file of everything and anything that could possibly make it all a pleasant place to live. 

I have seen photos of apartments with long narrow corridors, most with small-ish kitchens and even smaller bathrooms. I am going to have to adjust BIG TIME!
I am used to adjusting to new places, new faces, but new, how shall I say, new measurements? I guess that also can be worked with. It's called downsizing. Life with less. What a refreshing concept.
So I will try to make lemonade... as they say, and find all sorts of tricks to make it all work. That's called compromising.
Oh, by the way, I am NOT complaining! I can't wait to go back to Gay Paree and tackle the project. 


Now, to put my hands on the apartment of my dreams...of the Champagne kind at plain tap water prices. In Paris.
An entirely other chaudron de poissons, if you will.

au revoir.

KEEPING ALL THE BALLS IN THE AIR 101

COMMENT GARDER  TOUTES LES BALLES EN L'AIR.

image listen up louisville

There are no big secrets when it comes to keeping all your balls in the air. It's not how many you are able to send up there; it's how many you are able to keep catching down here. 

It's that simple. 

Juggle one too many balls and they all come crashing down.

Applying this principle to one's life is not only recommended, it's essential. 

So, today, I have come to a wise decision: I'll throw a few less balls in the air.

With this wise decision comes a second one, just as wise, just as realistic: one of those balls has to be my blog. I have had to realize that in order to keep all my projects on track this year, SOMETHING GOTTA GIVE! My blog is just about the only activity I can trim down considerably yet not abandon entirely.

I will try my best to post as soon as I have a few constructively inspired moments. I'll post less regularly but, of course, I'll keep posting. Blogging has to be a positive experience, something fun and and entertaining for you and for me. I do not wish stress to come into the picture. I want to keep it as enjoyable as it has been ever since I started it in 2009. The best formula is quality-over-quantity and all that jazz. 

So until my next post, I'll say not adieu, but  

 à très bientôt.

FRENCH EYE VIEW

 COUP D'OEIL

Just something that caught my eye.

image joshua mchugh via elle decor viasimplimfiedb

Black and white softened by honey colored wood. Chunky volumes paired with elegant curlicues. Perfect large size art to balance it all. 

au revoir.

THE YEAR OF LIVING DIFFERENTLY

L'ANNEE DE TOUS LES CHANGEMENTS

2012 is going to be the year of big changes; two big changes to be precise.

The first one is a biggie: we are moving back to Paris. After 26 years in the United States, it is time we rediscovered living in France. Yes, we could choose a better economy to do this, we could wait for the euro to do this or that, we could make extra, extra sure Europe, and as a matter of fact France, is absolutely where we should go, etc., etc., etc. But then, I do not believe in over thinking things. Planning yes. Over thinking, no. It all makes sense and that's all I want to know. 

For the moment.

The second one is also a change in direction, albeit a "take a slight right" kind of change, as the GPS says. My great friend Abbie and I are starting a textile accessories business. Yes, we could choose a better economy, we could wait for the US dollar to do this or that, and we could wait until we are extra, extra sure this is the right thing to do, etc., etc., etc. We are planning and designing and doing a lot of figuring. It all makes sense.  

For the moment.

It all comes down to this: logistics. (it's always about the logistics, isn't it?) Selling a house, emptying it, finding decent lodgings in Paris, and getting ready for a mid-August trade show in NYC with a collection to be produced in Morocco and India. All that is going to make things how shall I put it, well, challenging. 

To say the least. 

Nothing ventured nothing gained. 

Qui ne risque rien, n'a rien. 

au revoir.

WHAT'S IN STORE IN THE NEW YEAR?

QUOI DE NEUF EN 2012!

Well, for me, a little bit of same old this, a little bit of same old that...

...and a whole lot of new(s)!!!!!!

I'll tell all tomorrow. I am not trying to keep you wondering for coquettish reasons. 
Not at all.


Today, I just wish to enjoy the brand new, first day of a new year.
No plans, no resolutions, no question marks, just 01/01/12.

au revoir.