Meet Philippine. You might know her as founder of C'est Beau Chez Toi, a home styling studio based in San Francisco. Or you may know her as a creative director working with some brands you know and love.
We know her as our cool friend with great taste. We've worked with Philippine for years developing our sourcing trips in the French countryside and she always brings us something new. This summer, she is spending time in France with friends and family as she does each year.
Lucky for us, she's sharing some of her favorite places and experiences from her summer travels.
| Photography by Philippine Scali |
Village life in Montrozier
Every year I return to Montrozier, a village in the southwest of France where my family has spent their holidays for twelve generations. My ancestor Maurice Fenaille brought many artists and intellectuals to this rural area, including Auguste Rodin. He worked to preserve local culture and established the Fenaille Museum in nearby Rodez. Growing up in Paris and spending every summer in this creative environment shaped how I see homes - an approach that now defines my styling work.
Growing up between Paris apartments and these stone houses showed me two approaches to space. Paris taught precision and editing. Montrozier taught me about texture and layering.
| Photography by Philippine Scali |
Inherited Style
Our family houses here contain layers I have always known since I was a child. Serving pieces from different decades, mixed without self-consciousness. Furniture chosen for what appeals rather than pure function - it's often worth waiting for the right thing to come along. Items that travel from generation to the next, and even from one house to the next.
This approach - keeping what works, adding only what improves daily life - became central to my styling philosophy. I edit down to pieces I actually love and use, rather than filling spaces with things that merely look right.
| Photography by Philippine Scali |
Village Entertaining
Village life taught me about effortless hospitality. Tables get set up at the last minute. Neighbors arrive without specific invitation. Food comes from whatever looked best at market that morning, not from predetermined menus.
Mismatched chairs that somehow work perfectly together. Vintage linens used as tablecloths because they're the right size, not because they're precious. This approach taught me to use my best things daily rather than saving them for occasions that never come.
| Photography by Philippine Scali |
Design Principles
Each family member owns their own house here, from cottage size to the castle. Each home reflects its owner's eye, but they all share certain elements: style, texture, textiles, color, accumulations, family paintings.
| Photography by Philippine Scali |
Treasure hunting has always been a favorite family pastime. This is why I prioritize vintage and secondhand pieces - they bring character that new furniture can't match. Working with Elsie Green, I've spent years traveling through France finding these pieces, then seeing people discover them in the showroom. The purchasing aspect of my work connects directly to what I learned here - recognizing quality that improves with age.
| Photography by Philippine Scali |
What the Village Taught
These childhood summers shaped my professional eye. The confidence in mixing periods, the trust in natural materials, the understanding that real beauty serves daily life.
Growing up between Paris precision and village ease created my approach to homes - sophisticated but not precious, curated but comfortable. The village taught me that real style isn't about having perfect things, it's about using good things well.
| Photography by Philippine Scali |
This understanding that beautiful homes develop through daily choices made over time, not through shopping decisions, became the foundation of my styling work. I focus on seeing what's already there, editing down to what I actually love, then living confidently with those choices.
