LA PAUSE: a "camp" near Marrakesh

LA PAUSE :un "camp" de campagne près de Marrakech

A dining tent: 

the ground is covered in carpets in various sizes and shades of rich red. The tent top is made of thick dark brown wool rug-like fabric typical of the south of Morocco.

Wrought iron furniture of the rugged-look kind

There is no electricity, so all the lighting comes from lanterns and candles (up and down the  path to the various dining tents, lanterns are hung from a multitude of iron hooks panted into the rocky ground)

Straw adobe pillars and walls and bamboo ceilings

Furniture made in Essaouira of braided palm fronds

Notice the breathtaking view from our tent.

Fun hand-painted glasses. I just could not help buying some...

A fabulously pretty and delicious meal:

Cabbage roll, upside down carrot-stuffed tomato, sesame arugula salad and a Tajine of  lamb with pear, apricot and prunes. 

GO THERE!!!

au revoir.

LA PAUSE

DEJEUNER A LA PAUSE

Today will be somewhat of a break in Marrakesh. A break from visiting sources - including a trade show where we found a FANTASTIC source and a weavers' cooperative in a small village (at 9:00 PM yesterday evening).
Today we are going about 30 km from Marrakech to La Pause a "camp" for lunch. This is not what can be called "toughing it", you will agree...

This is the surroundings !!!

Can't wait!

au revoir.

OFF TO MARRAKESH

UN SAUT A MARRAKECH

image dar kawa

I am going to Morocco tomorrow. I will make a stop in Tangier for a few days and then meet my business partner in Marrakech. We are working on our new line for the August New York International Gift Fair and this trip will help put it all together- that part of the line anyway.

It is, however, slightly complicated to go from Tangier to Marrakesh. Flying is ridiculously expensive and you can very well end up going through Fes, Meknes or Rabat or all of the above...no warning nor reason given.

The last few times we needed to go south, we took the overnight train. 
(No, it is not the one above...How I wish!; that's the Orient Express.)
It leaves Tangier in the late evening and arrives in the morning in time to start the day there. 

It's bearable. Not luxurious, (slight understatement!) but relatively clean -if you decide to totally ignore the state of the "facilities". 
I don't love the idea of going on that ride alone -I have always traveled with 2 or 3 persons and that's fun. We talk, we read, we sleep and time goes by quickly. If I can get a "single" and be on my own in my compartment I'll be fine. (yes, I am at that stage in my life...) Sleeping pill, ear plugs and eye mask and I'll be at our destination in no time. 

image riad awa

We stay at the Riad Awa- and so should you if you go to Marrakesh some day- for its comfort, its perfect ambiance and warm welcome, its total gorgeousness and for the sumptuous breakfast on the terrace.

Ah, yes, the Riad Awa breakfast... an absolute necessity before going out to "raid" the medina.

But first, Tangier, to get all our weavers to be on board for the new line. No small feat as some would rather do their own thing. At their own pace. Their own way.

au revoir.

50 SHADES OF...GREEN

PARIS TOUT EN GRIS

I am soon to REALLY start missing my morning breakfast outside in Larchmont, NY.

As soon as the weather cooperates I will be very happy to be here of course, but in the mean time, I would willingly trade gray for 50 shades of green...

I can't complain; soon it will be all the shades of brights!

au revoir.

A REAL CRIME!

UN VRAI CRIME!

I love going past Paris buildings and seeing those great brass door knobs most of them have. There are millions of styles and varying degrees of embellishment. Most of them are as shiny as a new penny, the "concierge" of the building surely taking great pride in the silent demonstration of her care that is evident to all who walk by.

Today I stopped dead in my tracks! 

A painter was applying a coat of black paint to one of those wonderful horizontal bars that are ubiquitous in Paris. (I could tell that it was brass as the one on the second door was yet to be MURDERED). 

The building does not have a "concierge" I told myself, to explain the unexplainable. 

No respectable Paris concierge would allow this, I thought. 

It is the end of an era I imagined, fearing the worst.

Nothing can be done. That beautiful ornament will soon look like the one below; 

Sad, sad.

au revoir.

DONE!

ÇA Y EST!

The Artemide lamp is up in the dining area! Finally! I am satisfied. I wanted something very modern to contrast with my eclectic mix and this fits the bill perfectly for me.

au revoir.

BESPOKE

LE SUR-MESURE

The inspiration

The mock-up

The execution

The artist 

Breatrice Knoch, 17 rue Andre del Sarte  75018 Paris  

It is my sister Joëlle's birthday today and I wanted to present her with something very special. She, like me, loves creative jewelry. But what could possibly please her? she already has a lot.

A friend and I were walking down a Montmartre street a few weeks ago and we spotted a cute shop with delicate jewelry in the window. We went in; the designer was sitting at her table working on a ring. We looked at all her pieces and I spotted tiny vermeil pine cones. I asked her if she would make long custom earrings for me. She answered that custom pieces were the bulk of her work. We proceeded to choose beads to add to the mini gold plated silver pine cones and in no time she had laid out the mock-up for me. I was sold!

When my sister comes to Paris she will be able to wear them. In the mean-time she will have to be satisfied with this post... and an early morning e.mail and a Skype video call and...

I will have to keep my fingers crossed.

I am not really that worried, they are just exquisite and she did mention looooong earrings.

Joyeux Anniversaire Joëlle!

au revoir.

INSPIRATION,WHERE DO YOU LEAD US?...

INSPIRATION, OU NOUS EMMENES-TU?

design_Toshiko_Horiuchi_MacAdam Sapporo knit playground

As all "creatives" know, a tiny little spark can light a fire under an idea. 

Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier, the 19th century French chemist, said "rien ne se créé, rien ne se perd, tout se transforme". Loosely translated it's this: Nothing is created, nothing is lost, all is transformed. He was talking about matter in general not design, but imagination is "matter" also. It's in your mind, that's all. An idea is not "created", contrary to popular belief. The word "creative" alone is a misnomer. All ideas are borne of another idea.

Then there is that fine line between inspiration and copy. Who is copying whom? who started first? does it not all start with nature anyway? 

This post is not about all that.

I'll just need to keep on working along. 

"Designing". 

"Transforming".

"Creating" nothing, surely .

We need a few new items for our winter collection. Inspiration will lead us to that idea, and then to this one, and hopefully to: "this is much better!", "that's going to be great!", etc. etc.

All these images will lead us to something else. 

To our abanjá line. 

To something concrete to produce and sell. Really mundane stuff if you think about it. And we are having fun doing it.

So, the big fat wheel of design keeps on turning. 

Au revoir.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A FEW FLOWERS MAKE

LES FLEURS, ÇA CHANGE TOUT.

A little simple bunch of tulips and the whole mantle comes alive.

au revoir.

LET THERE BE LIGHT

ET QUE LA LUMIERE FUT

The electrician is coming on Wednesday and FINALLY we will have something other than bare bulbs hanging from the ceilings of our apartment.

I have been searching left and right for something that would make a statement in our living room cum dining area, something modern and spectacular but light and airy. Something that would not block the view to the windows of the space. 

My first choice was a fabulous piece by the wonderful Billy Cotton whose designs I adore. 

But the difficulty there, is that it is made in the US and shipping would be a big challenge. I need to keep things simple, and I need lighting now. So a choice was made: the Artemide Pirce.

It's huge but not overpowering. I am pleased as it won't block the view through to the French door style windows and it won't look took busy in a space already a little "heavy on the visual".

The next decision to be made was for the hall going to our bedroom and office. I will hang 3 decorative bulbs in a row with pretty orange wire. Fun and quick.

Then, one last issue: the guest room and its adjoining hall. I decided on a Philippe Starck for Flos design; a small size for the hall and the larger model for the bedroom. Simple and graphic. Perfect for a small room.

Done.

Well, as far as lighting is concerned. 

I still have to have the linen curtains made, glass shelves installed in the bathroom "niche", and a better kitchen faucet put in to replace the annoyingly short one from Ikea that is there now. 

No, we are not quite finished yet. 

By the time the weather is warmer, I want to be able to concentrate on planting bamboos on the window "sills" of the living room's 3 French doors. No, not balconies; yes, SILLS; just small spaces between the windows and the railings. 

It is going to be tight but I.will.get.them.in.there! 

After all, no terrace, no Eiffel Tower. The least I deserve is a little greenery... 

au revoir.

THE EXTRA MILE

EN FAIRE UN PEU PLUS

The small "art buyers" company where my youngest daughter works is having a launch party today. 

As it would happen,  it coincides - almost- with Valentine's day. 

So being the creative crew that they all are (the advertising planet and its satellites are bursting with creatives, to say the least) they decided that the 2 assistants- yes my daughter and her colleague-  would create a huge centerpiece for the buffet; or should I say the bar, as they also decided they would serve candy and champagne.

Valentine candy.

What other industry would get away with serving candy at a launch party?

Very outside-the-box. This particular box has the candy on the outside. We get it...

The brief? go for it.

The budget? pretty tight. 

Hence creativity needed to be HUGELY inversly proportional to it.

This is the result as of 5:00PM, 2 hours before the "gig". 

I say: BRAVO! Job well done.

au revoir.

LOVE AND OTHER TEEN-AGE CRAZINESS

L'AMOUR ET AUTRES IDEES D'ADOS

When I was looking at old ...very old, keepsakes our mother had kept in her attic bookcases one day (our mother kept EVERYTHING!) I found a diary; well maybe more of an end of the year "cute" notebook "thingy" that teenagers signed for each other at the end of the school year in the US. (I spent 4 of my teen-age years in Grosse Pointe, Michigan).

The said "diary" had a lot of signatures- some names I definitely remember well- and of course they had the predictable, typically teenager accompanying cute/clever comment/"poems".

One read: 

"Never kiss Jay by the garden gate 

Love may be blind but the neighbors ain't".

I know, I know...

Well after all these years I remember Jay. 

Cute and fun. Different, in a very "more-interesting-than-the-average-teenager-at-the-time" kind of way.

I never kissed him at any time- and we did not have a garden gate, so there!. 

I don't remember it was ever even the beginning of an idea- a kiss I mean-. I was too young and much too shy anyway. Being raised by relatively strict French parents was not a big help on Valentine's day or any other day of the year for that matter, romantically speaking!

Whatever others in the class might have thought, I must have said something or acted in some way to inspire the comment. I LIKED him, that's all. Misinterpreted body language surely.

And yet, I remember him...

Happy Valentine's Day Jay! 

Wherever you are!

au revoir.

A FEW BLOCKS AWAY

A QUELQUES RUES D'ICI

We take a walk to Montmartre after dinner sometimes; its only a few blocks away and the view from there is exquisite. I get to see my beloved Eiffel Tower from there, the neighborhood directly around the Sacré Coeur is very quaint, the hilly area with all its steps and curling streets is quiet and pleasant in the evening- at least in winter!

It's probably the nicest place to take an evening walk around our neck of the woods- if you ignore the tacky souvenir shops and some streets in need of serious gentrification on the way there and if you don't mind the seemingly endless climb. 

I took the funicular down the other day- the first time ever. It's a very short ride but I wanted to see the very Parisian buildings and peek inside a few very "Montmartre" houses from there, some with amazing views I am sure.

I have noticed a few places where I would not mind living. 

It will be in another life probably...

au revoir.

"I AM 26 TODAY; IT'S ALL DOWNHILL FROM HERE..."-Joy

"J'AI 26 ANS AUJOURD'HUI. C'EST LA PENTE DESCENDANTE A PARTIR DE MAINTENANT..."-Joy

I know, Joy, I know...

Well, shall we celebrate in spite of the bad news...? 

Shall we still set the table with Moroccan placemats and napkins?

the Venetian glasses? 

the 50's glass plates? 

Will that be alright? 

Or, are you just too old?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY my Joy-Joy!

au revoir.

A LITTLE BIT OF ...RECOGNITION

UN PETIT BRIN DE ...RECONNAISSANCE

When my business partner Abbie and I decided to add playful water reed placemats to our summer abanjá line last October, we were miles from imagining we would have so much success with them. Most of our friends thought they were "fun" and we loved the oversized pompoms. But being "picked up" by House Beautiful for their February issue "The Best" article was not on the radar.

Yet, there it is! and we have to confess it feels very gratifying to see others sharing our enthusiasm. 

To say nothing of the repercussion on our sales. 

Ahhhhh, fame and fortune; 

Well, not exactly being nominated for an Oscar, but still...baby steps.

Sold retail by our friends at the great site www.libastyle.com

(abanjá is strictly a wholesale company)

au revoir.