Dec 14 A Fondness for all things french

LOOK TO FRANCE WHEN SEEKING DESIGN INSPIRATION

Our affection for France was birthed, many years past, when we enjoyed a wonderful dinner in Man Ray, a cavernous restaurant that, back then certainly, was probably the coolest in all of Paris. Hey, we did well to even secure a table in the hot-ticket hang out—but imagine our surprise when, between courses, Vanessa Paradis appeared in a glamorous apparition and sat at the very next table! We jest ye not; petite and gorgeous, she looked for all the world like a young Brigitte Bardot, and was only outdone in the glamour stakes by Grande Dame Catherine Deneueve, who was also enjoying supper in the glossy eatery.
And our point in relating this star-studded tale? Well, simply to explain the defining moment of our fondness for all things French. But there’s more. Much more. During our glossy trip we laid our weary heads in a simple abode tucked discreetly behind the Pompidou Centre. And our time awake? Ah, that’s the fun bit; we toured France’s capital under the adept guidance of our good friend Yves, then personal assistant to uber designer Paco Rabanne. Yves toured us everywhere and, as he did, we became immediately smitten with the world’s most romantic city. Indeed, from the very moment we saw the mysterious steeples rising dramatically from The Pigalle, we swooned. And when we visited the stunning Touilleries we became ever more gripped. The Louvre, with its albeit tiny Mona Lisa, blew us away and when we witnessed the Eiffel Tower and the River Seine from a jaunty little Bateau Mouche, we were, to quote Bonnie Tyler‘s song, “Lost in France.”
Yves watched, consumed with pride, as we became seduced by his city, a destination we’ve subsequently visited at least 30 times. Bear in mind that, living as we previously did in London, it took only an hour and a half to fly to Paris. Less time than it takes to sail from Vancouver to Victoria! Sometimes we visited for the weekend and sometimes, as far fetched as it sounds, we’d travel there and back in one day. If only it was as easy to get there from Canada. But worry not; via our inaugural Flavours editorial, we’ll demonstrate how you can create a little Gallic magic at home without wielding your passport. We always maintain that the key to good decorating lies in careful planning. Rush your attempts and your schematic conclusions will be lackluster to say the very least. Give everything proper consideration, however, and results will be crisp and elegant every time.

In our favour, here, were adequate proportions and a family who accepted the time was right for their style-free home to enter its next stage. Our first duty, as would be the case with any clients (whether on screen or off) was to establish “mood.” Via “tears” from magazines, paint chips, colour swatches and fabric samples, we ran through options until we found a plan that made everyone happy. Because our clients are also keen Francophile’s, they loved the idea of a room that would resemble a Parisian “salon:“ acutely tailored—but utterly comfortable—and with a low key aesthetic and only occasional shots of colour. Think Chanel suits and effortless, restrained styling.
Before kicking off your proposed new scheme, it’s important to have a similar strategy. To fail to plan, after all
(as we regularly comment) is to plan to fail, so this early stage is critical. Here’s how we plundered all the R’s to make plus ça change in a perfect wee French salon. Right here in Canada! Yup, Yves would be so proud.

RE- FINISH

The existing floor was amply good for another decade and so, rather than tear it up and start from scratch, we refinished it in a much darker tone to anchor our new scheme. Floors, as far as we’re concerned, are every bit as important as walls and should be accorded the same level of attention. TIP: if you’re planning a project like this, remember that several light coats of varnish (sanded lovingly between each) are better than one heavy-handed sticky application that will chip and wear quickly.

RE-USE

We rather liked the marble dining table; although upon seeing it for the first time quipped that it was reminiscent of the slabs you’d find in a morgue. Hmm. Mind you, much of that was due to context and we knew the table would look substantially better when re-positioned after our work was done. Dressed, as it is now, as part of our final design, it looks perfectly at home and its solid lines add extra substance to the invigorated scheme.

RE-PURPOSE

In Britain we call them “centre roses”—in Canada you call them “medallions.” Whatever you want to call them, we reckon they’re pretty enough to be positioned on areas other than ceilings. Here’s a perfect case in hand; we painted ours, sourced from Rona, using dramatic black satin before gluing a small mirrored coaster in the middle to create eye-catching “artwork” with a truly reflective quality. As designers, we love looking at things differently and enjoy re-purposing basic items as exciting design components.

RE-UPHOLSTER

A bargain 450 bucks for six balloon-backed repro’ French dining chairs. Blimey—how we love consignment stores. Already boasting dreamy ebony frames, we re-upholstered using a mixture of plain and patterned fabric. If you’re planning on re-furnishing, it makes great sense to get into the habit of sourcing via consignment stores or from online sites such as Kijiji or Ebay. From our experience, destinations such as these throw up wonderful cash saving opportunities that will help you produce your scheme on budget.

RE-PLACE

Inspired by the elegant balconies that hang (often precariously) over Parisian streets, we visited an ironworker and chose an off-the-shelf product to help re-identify the stairwell. Sexy wrought iron is seriously “on trend,” and a medium that’s less likely to date than others. Sure, it wasn’t inexpensive, but come on—we’d saved loads of cash on the floors, so we paid Peter with what we’d robbed from Paul. You get the gist; every project has math to be considered and weighing up the books is as important for us as we imagine it is for you.

RE-ARRANGE

The first time we espied this room we envisaged a way in which to make it function better without spending a single dime. Itwas patently obvious, to us, certainly, that the living side of the operation was squashed into the narrower end of the room, whereas the dining area (which was used less frequently) was occupying the fatter end of the space. You can imagine just how easy it was to swap both functions around and therefore make the room work better for our clients.

RE-COLOUR

Painted yellow, the original walls weren’t, ahem, quite right for our Parisian predilections. Which is why, shock-horror, we re-coloured them cream. Think classic French tailoring with no need to fuss. It’s all, as any good seamstress will tell you, in the cut. Get the basics right and you’ll bring the rest of your scheme alive with subsequent layering and detailing. Main walls addressed, we added a raspberry accent zone above the stairs to imbue proceedings with just a touch of drama. The remaining drama would come via subtle, auspicious accessorizing.

RE-VISIT

… an old shopping favourite; Homesense. As well as their city centre stores (which often focus on small, affordable luxuries) Homesense have bigger out-of-town stores that carry larger furniture items such as these beautiful houndstooth sofas. We actually bought these long before this project commenced and stashed them in our style laboratory until the right room materialized. As a chic kick-off point and a slice of Parisian glamour, they couldn’t have been more appropriate.

RE-FRACT

The light, that is—an easy task courtesy of flexible fin window shutters that positively reek of French glamour. We chose these elegant window dressings as their slats can be moved to allow illumination to be “tailored” as and when required. Tip: for a slicker look, measure shutters into your window rebate rather than position them outside the window aperture.

RE-CLAIM

With the family computer secreted upstairs in a shared bedroom, we decreed it necessary to find a better location and, this in mind, reclaimed a spot of (previously wasted) downstairs real estate. Because there was already a phone jack and a power outlet nearby, we designed a custom home office in the dead space at the bottom of the stairs. With just enough room to position a chair without causing an obstruction, a no fuss two-inch-by-two-inch lumber structure (faced with ebony veneer) was an immediate problem solver while the floating shelves positioned above provided a perfect stash zone for various office clutter.
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