Vive La France

MCM 1Good Morning Lacquered Lifers. Today the Vexin, France country home of Elisa de Bartillat. de Bartillat is the owner of the tres chic Paris children’s boutique Serendipity, where she and her partner carry contemporarily styled reclaimed vintage furniture – for children. So it comes as no surprise that when de Bartillat purchased a nineteenth century three story home in the northern French countryside, she styled the historic interiors with a whimsical combination of modern and vintage contemporary furniture. The paneling in the dining room and office actually came from the Rouen Palais de Justice. Bombed in April of 1944, the prior owner of de Bartillat’s home managed to acquire some of the paneling when the Palais was being restored after the war. A great example of preservation, and reuse.

This home is just a continuation of my love affair with the combination of historic interiors and modern furnishings, and in this respect the Europeans, and the French in particular, always seem to get it just right. In a space with highly decorative mouldings, paneling, and details, modern furniture and simple paint schemes allow both the architecture and the furniture to shine.

MCM 2 MCM 3 MCM 4 MCM 5Photos via Marie Claire Maison

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Cheap & Chic of the Week: Organizing My Way into 2015

OrganizeGood Morning Lacquered Lifers. What is it about January and organization? The time to pull out all those things you haven’t been using and donating them to Goodwill, and deciding that many of the things in your space are in fact in the wrong place and moving them around. This year in particular, probably because of the new addition to our family, I am going a little nuts with organization. And I’m going a little basket crazy. Baskets for my work nook in the study, baskets for puppy stuff, baskets for the mail … the place is lousy with baskets. And where have I been going for all my baskets? World Market. While we have a Pottery Barn downtown where I can buy plenty of baskets, the longer drive out to World Market has definitely been worth it for the variety of baskets and the amazing prices. Below are some of my favorites.
490876_490877_MITZY_NATURAL_FAMILYThese are the Natural Mitzy Baskets. With their very structured look, these are great for shelves, or in cabinets. Great for wrangling products in the bathroom.organize 3Lidded Janina Utility baskets. These are definitely a favorite. I love the look of natural water hyacinth, and a basket with a top can be a godsend, because you can stack them. They come in three sizes, so if you a buy a set of three you can stack three chic baskets and even use them as a side table, all the while wrangling all your shelter magazines and dog toys away from the visitors eyes.489972_489973_489974_SHARA_SOUK_

Finally, the Shara Souk Baskets. I love these. I think they look like something I could buy at Calypso for three times the price. They have both a lid and handles. I bought the largest one, and I am using it in my office for files and such, and it is working out great. I might even get a smaller one and use it to cart around paint samples. And hey, if you don’t need this for storage, it would make an incredibly chic picnic basket – don’t you think?

Top photo via ruardveltmanarchitecture.com

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Golden Globes – My Top Picks.

GG 4Good Morning Lacquered Lifers! Hope everyone enjoyed the Golden Globes last night, I know I did! I know I don’t talk about fashion here at Lacquered Life very often, but awards shows are always an exception. And while we have all seen these photos a million times this morning, I wanted to highlight two of my favorites that haven’t been popping up on all the “lists”.

First is Felicity Jones in Dior. Do I really have to say anything to accompany this photo? The color is phenomenal, the cut is so chic, and it fits her like a glove. She looks like she just stepped out of Hollywood’s golden age. I absolutely adore this dress. This is the sort of black tie gown that one could have hanging in their closet and wear it over the next 50 years and it would always look on point. Well done Felicity.

GG 7Second is Diane Kruger in Emilia Wickstead. I am really not sure whether Diane Kruger can do any wrong. She is absolutely stunning, so anything you put on her is going to look beautiful. But I love the metallic sheen in this dress, and the structure of the train. Despite looking like a princess, she also looks surprisingly comfortable being in this dress – which is probably another reason it looks so good on her. I am also a big fan of Emilia Wickstead’s designs, so it doesn’t come as a shock that I loved this one.

What were some of your favorites from the night?

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