NOT YOUR GRANDMOTHER'S SOLIFLORE

PLUS LES SOLIFLORES DE NOS GRAND'MERES

In France in the late 70's, the "soliflore" , a vase for one flower, or sometimes 2, was a hit "classic" wedding gift among elderly aunts and the elderly friends of the elderly aunts wanting to take no "design" risk... I for one got 5! and they looked somewhat like these. 

All of them were offered with much kindness and generosity and sincere warm wishes.

All of them were not at all my cup of tea. I was into modern and plastic and steel and.. well, I was into the 70's. 

Soliflores have come a looong way! They are fun and creative and definitely not your grandmother's soliflore any longer. 

You now have a choice of new classics, elegant and pared down and perfect anywhere at all times.

There are also the very creative ones, a testament to creative attitude and design savvy.

Some are definitely trying to be vases without being vases, if you know what I mean.

This one, a very clever plastic bag parading as a vase, from Merci in Paris, is a perfect gift to bring back in your suitcase: light, flat when empty and surprisingly stable when filled. I gave one to my son Kevin that he was too happy to take back to Australia. No going over the weight limit here.

The fun part of a soliflore is that you can, but are not limited to, displaying one flower only. The grouping of like vases dress a table with fun and wit. 

These, from the French design group Tse Tse, are called vases de 7 jours: one for each day of the week. You start with a full length flower and transfer it to a smaller vase as you keep cutting the stem to make it last; or you just fill them all at once.

Some, you can even hang on the wall if you are short on table space. Like those little flower vases in which they stick orchids on prom night, but for the house.

images gadgetsharp, mybadpad, ebay, delamaison, daum, todayandtomorrow,merci, onedesignperday, serax, vaso

au revoir.

HELP: BLACK TRIM

I am regularly approached for "a word" of design advice. What would YOU do in this and that case?

This is not a rare occurrence and as flattering as it is to be asked, giving advice for a space you usually have not seen is at best tricky.

Hence, this column: 

I will post  general advice in answer to non site-specific questions I have been asked. 

You may participate, of course. 

That would be so much fun. 

Just keep it relatively general, if you could. 

LES MOULURES NOIRES

Monika:  I would like to paint the trim in my apartment black. What are the rules if any? What other shade could I choose so as to make a statement but not go overboard?

"The rule is there are no rules" as they say; just choices and good editing. With black trim, one has to be careful not to overdo it and the design of a room with black trim has to be in sync with the design statement such a choice makes.
1) if you want a light room, restrict the black paint to the trim, even a lot of trim but be careful that the wall color stays a light neutral.

2) in any case, coordinate furnishing and accessory colors so as to keep them to a relatively monochrome palette.

3) To make a BIG statement, keep the walls in total contrast: black trim on white or cream walls. Modern even in a traditional setting.

4) with bright or saturated color on the walls, be careful to keep the rooms from being too crazy. Some bright colors can make a great look in a hall or kitchen, for example, but keep other bright colors in the space to just one or 2. No one wants to LIVE at the Cirque du Soleil.

If you are not quite convinced that you like black trim after all, you may want to consider a safer choice: just a few shades darker than the walls, but not very dark nor black.

To satisfy your wish for dark moldings, without making too big a contrast, you might want to paint the trim and the walls dark.

The exact opposite to the black trim on light walls would look something like this. 

What do you think? is this a better option for you?

images decorpad, marie claire maison, nestingblog, design crisis, martha stewart 

If you have a topic you may want me to analyze or any design question you would like answered, let me know at un petit commentaire below. It would be so much fun for me to put my 2 cents in. 

au revoir.

TRANSATLANTIC PARALLEL: What did you say?

Today, Letitia Jett, the witty, amusing, brilliant blogger behind  a femme d'un certain age , and I, play a weekly game on our blogs. We share our views on our adopted countries, France for Letitia and The States for me, all the while comparing one and the other. We "imagine" a topic to "discuss" and we each publish our thoughts on the subject from our respective sides of the Ocean, never looking "at each other's sheet", so to speak.

There are some things we really love, others we miss. Whatever our point of view, we bring it to you on Mondays. 

This week we are in fact discussing Part Two of our language topic. This time we talk about pronunciation and the tricks errors can play on you...

QU'EST-CE QUE VOUS DITES?


[kwawr-ter]

Years and years ago, my mother was spending a few days in New York City while my father was in meetings and she decided she would take a bus. The fare was 25 cents (I said it was years and years ago...) My mother boarded the bus and heard the driver pronounce something she had never heard- she thought she knew enough English to get around- she was stumped and in fact speechless. The driver repeated the word [kwawr-der]and my mother muttered I am sorry and he repeated the same thing again until some kind soul came to her rescue and said she needed to deposit a quarter of a dollar, 25 cents. Ah bon... she might have understood "quar-ter" but "kwawr-der" , non. impossible!

[wawtchawname]

A few years later we all moved to the United States and, as I have mentioned  before, some of the difficulties we encountered were trying to decipher the new language. After "Hi", the first American word we ever heard, [wawtchawname] was a much more challenging second. It did take us a few weeks "to get it" enough to use it with some sort of aplomb (I don't remember what the resulting Franco-giberish pronunciation was like at the beginning...but I can just imagine.

 

[ahy-ern]

How can anyone expect to learn to speak a language that has 4 pronunciations for the same syllable- yes, I mean you, "ough"! I mean:bough, rough, though, trough...whatever. And don't get me started on iron: pronounced: I-earn!!! honestly!!! That one took me 20 years to master without fail. 

The list of words I still mispronounce if I speak too fast (one of my fortes) is long and I will only give you a taste.

-Inalienable

-February

-Chimera

-Mischievous

-Nausea

and a lot of words with an "h" like when and where and whine which my husband Steve insists one MUST pronounce by "exhaling" hard!

On the other hand I do not mispronounce nuclear and, on the other side of the language challenge, Steve does not say areo.port instead of aero.port in French. Bravo.

And speaking of French, I am sooooo glad I did not have to learn FRENCH.

Which is why this week I am even more excited than usual to hear what Letitia Jett, my incredibly talented partner in Transatlantic Paralell, has to say; she has had to learn FRENCH and I am sure she has a plethora of fun stories to tell.

Please leave your comments at Letitia Jett's magnificent "Parallel" post at a Femme d'un Certain Age or below in the petits commentaires. 

It's always so much fun to discover your reactions and ideas.

Au revoir.

HAVE A HAPPY SUNNY DELICIOUS JULY 4TH. WEEKEND.

BON WEEKEND du 4 JUILLET

ensoleillé, heureux et délicieux 

au revoir.

T.G.I.F.: POOLS WITH A SEA VIEW

today's fun find

PISCINES AVEC VUE SUR LA MER

We can dream, non?

au revoir.

SEASHELLS BY THE SEASIDE

IMAGES DE COQUILLAGES

When I think of summer I often think of the times I have spent by the seaside in the Britanny, France but also on the western and eastern coasts of Africa. 

One of our favorite pastimes was  collecting seashells and it is well known the seashells of African beaches are by far the most spectacular. 

Simply collected shells in clear glass container make a great decorative statement in an entry or on a dining room console.

I am as amazed by their beauty as I am impressed by the talent and creativity shown by those who use them as decorative elements. The degree of artistry varies from country to country, from item to item and from price point to price point, of course, but the shells themselves dictate the patterns and colors that will make each piece uniquely beautiful.   

Simple patterns are found on charming boxes and small pieces in inexpensive import shops   

While finely sculpted silver encases a Nautilus vase and a clever serving dish at the unique shop of Deyrolle in Paris

Spectacular mirrors adorn a grand bathroom

Shells dazzle in a window only the house of Hermes could have created

A graceful grouping for a fun beach house lamp

A very light and playful geometric display livens up a saside bathroom wall 

or a sunny corner shelf.

Imagination ran wild in the extravagant "grottos" of 19th century mansions

Modern versions of those  stunning  folies are still being created, some quite intricate 

some very graphic and contemporary

Mr Clement, a French retiree has amused and bemused the public with the decoration of his house in Siouville, France for years

And if you are really VERY fond of seashells... 

you might want to live in one.

images marie claire maison, deyrolle, hermes paris, martha stewart, wisteria

au revoir.