| image courtesy of Cindy Chesney |
Philippine has worked with us for years on sourcing our vintage treasures all over the French countryside. We've been in haylofts, we've been in basements, we've passed big boxes of linens through kitchen windows. One of the reasons we hired Philippine for this job - she's resourceful and relentless. Another reason - Philippine has a beautiful, effortless style that I've always admired. And when I started thinking about the vintage part of our collection 15 years ago, I wanted someone to help who wasn't a typical sourcing agent caught up in the typical sourcing SOP. I wanted someone with great taste. I knew the rest would come.
Over the years, I've tried to decode Philippine's style - how does she do it? Take a peek at her San Francisco Apartment to see what I mean. While impeccable taste is her secret weapon, I think I've figured out a few more tangible secrets to her style.
Shop Philippine's Essentials of the French Home
Mix modern and traditional in the same vignette, the same room and the same house (also the same outfit). The French begin with design pedigree rather than period, so one will find mid-century modern, Louis XVI, Louis Philippe and Napoleon III living comfortably in the same room.
Shop our Philippine approved collection of mid-century modern pieces to add to your traditional room. You'll see what we mean.
When vintage works, it's always the first choice. Especially with furniture. French homes are filled with vintage stools, vintage farm benches, and instead of a built in island, the centerpiece of the kitchen is usually an antique farm table or work table of some sort. And don't get me started on the dining chairs. Some of the most beautiful dining chairs I've ever seen are in the kitchens of my French friends. And rarely do they match. A mixed set of dining chairs collected over a lifetime is a French design signature.
Understand how lighting affects the mood. Rarely have I been in a French home and found all the overhead lighting to be on. Instead, the French rely on natural light and eye level lighting to set a beautiful mood.
When we're shopping in the French markets Philippine gravitates toward vintage lighting and always finds the prettiest examples.
Develop an art collection. The French tend to buy art and mirrors, almost before they'll buy furniture. In a French home, you'll find art in the kitchen, the entry, the bathroom. Sometimes in the garden. And beautiful vintage mirrors serve the same purpose of adding a soulful, personal touch to a room.
Philippine is partial to more modern art, portraits, and classic Louis Philippe mirrors with their graceful tombstone shape. But the beauty of art is that its purpose is to reflect your own personality.
Accent with useful things. You'll never find faux fruit or a carved wood chain or string of beads in a French living room. Instead you'll find books, candles, bowls or vessels that serve as art, fresh flowers, keys, glasses and other signs of life. I will always remember visiting Philippine's father Philippe's apartment in Paris and finding 20 pair of reading glasses in different colors lined up on his desk. Useful and beautiful. That's the trick. And the vintage wood shoe forms found in the markets are not just decorative. The French know that the toe is just the right size and shape to serve as a doorstop.
If you'd like a little of Philippine's magic in your own home, you can engage her team at C'est Beau Chez Toi for a home styling session to bring that je ne sais quoi to your room.