Bruxelles Antiques: a home/ boutique in France

You must see this gorgeous farmhouse/ live-in boutique in the North of France! One family turned this large sprawling home in Ennevelin into a place to showcase and sell  some of the things they love. Filled with furniture, industrial objects and old pieces, they combined their passion for living in the country with selling antiques.  To me, this is the Belgian look done really well- not a touch of over-the-top or fake about the look.  I really love the stonework inside, especially the limestone mantel...and that kitchen! That brick vaulted ceiling is so unique. (This article with photos is from Cote Ouest some years ago, and the lower 7 photos are from the Bruxelles Antiques website.)

a Provencal collector: Michel Biehn

  

 

 

In World of Interiors, I recently read about Michel Biehn, a Provencal dealer of antiques and textiles and collector of objects amassed from his travels throughout Asia and the East. He seems like a real Provencal character.  His home in L'Isle sur la Sorgue (snapshots below) is a hodge podge of eye-catching things: beads, gourds and calabashes, costumes, embroidred fabrics, and everything else that he's brought along from his travels.  Collecting must be in his blood: over a span of 140 years, several generations of his family collected a variety of freshwater bird eggs! How unusual! He inherited this collection, and added to it his own varieties of eggshells he happened to have. They are each labeled with the type and where they were found. I love the way they are presented, so clean and uniform.

As it turns out, Mr. Biehn is also a interior designer and author of several books about lifestyle, cuisine and culture Provence.  Below are a few photos of his home.

His story made me immediately think of different people I've known through my life who've collected various things. I tend to be a collector myself, though my collections are often hidden away in drawers. But I do think the best way to get something out of your collections is to display them.  Almost anything collected, displayed well and with uniformity, can become a work of art. (photos by Bruno Suet in World of Interiors, May 2009)

French farmhouse obsession continues: a home in Gard, Provence

  

   

all photos by Bob Smith

I'll stop posting converted farmhouse homes at some point, I'm sure. But for now, I keep finding such gorgeous country homes that I just can't help it.  Plus the people who attempt this kind of thing tend to be interesting, adventurous types. The owners of this one are New Zealanders  living in London who one day decided they wanted to work for themselves. So they picked up and moved to France, opened  a restaurant and bravely renovated this dwelling. Perhaps this is my own dream too. So cool! You'll be able to see more detail if you click the photos. (photography by Bob Smith, in Living Etc. August, 2008)

A converted farmhouse home in Provence

This wing of a farmhouse was converted to a home in Cap Canaille, between Cassis and Marseille (which, as the highest maritime cliffs in Europe, looks absolutely stunning). What I like most about converted farmhouses are the proportions and the interesting shape of the spaces that have to be transformed into something liveable. (photos from House and Garden Sept. 2009)

A special shop in Paris: Astier de Villatte

Last Tuesday I returned from an inspiring and delicious week in Paris. At the suggestion of this lovely blogger Leigh, I used this little book, by the blogger/ stylist extraodinaire Pia Jane Bijkerk, as a guide to find many of the places I wanted to go see. I would certainly recommend this book if you want a glimpse into some special places!

The last day I was there, I decided to make a trip to Astier de Villatte. Though it was out of my way, and on a street where I had absolutly no other ambitions (swanky Rue St. Honore), I went. And I was so glad I did. The shop is gorgeous. I read that the shop is in the former home of Napoleon's silversmith, and so it has kept an 17th century-feel: dimly lit with are low ceilings, uneven floors and small doorways. It's such a charming place, but not in the manufactured sense, you know?

Piled high on tall antique dark wood bibliotheques with are the stacks of white handmade pottery in perfectly uneven and beautiful little shapes. Some embellished, and some completely simple- these are a joy to look at. The pieces look handmade, and I loved them all. The small bowl I chose as a souvenir of my trip now sits in my kitchen window and makes me happy every time I see it.

French home in the Paris suburbs

I loved April's issue of Marie Claire Maison! So many inspiring spaces. Here are a few photos of the home of Christophe and artistic director Valerie. They used flea market treasures here found at Clignancourt, and they made cushions and coverings with textiles from the famous Montmartre fabric shop, Marché Saint-Pierre.  Their terrace is my favorite space of the day, likely because I'm dreaming of terrace-friendly weather! (photos from Nicolas Matheus in Marie Claire Maison April 2010)

Hand-stitched home of Aurélie Mathigot

Aurélie Mathigot is a visual artist who takes sewing to a new level. She embroiders, knits, stitches and crochets coverings for objects and colorful decorations, and her touches are visible all over her home! (Look closely at the piano in the first photo!) She says her art is an expression of the idea of recovery (a theme, I think) and the need for talking about everyday objects in another, new way. (Photos by Eric Flogny in Marie Claire Maison, April 2010)

p.s. I see that Famille Summerbelle has also posted about her this month. Take a look at their blog for some more photos.