Saturday, December 28, 2013

A White Affair..





Christmas passed... I reflect on a perfect, beautiful day.
Morning was hectic as we were in full preparation for our very late Christmas 5pm lunch.Our friends gathered in the kitchen, drinking fabulous Bordeaux Pomerol, while my husband was preparing his famous beef Wellington for 16 of us.

I enjoy arranging flowers and setting tables. I have a different design concept every year, and the table is an extension of the tree, gift wrapping and living room accessorizing.


This year, All is white...





A Bientôt,

Francine

Check my Pinterest board for my favorite Tablescapes


Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Joyeux Noel!


Christmas is a joyful celebration, a moment in the year when I leave everything behind, the worries, the stress, the material things , the needs, and embrace the true meaning of Christmas… embrace your loved ones, reach out to friends and strangers, be generous of heart … 




My heart will be with my parents as I will quietly, reflectively think of them, and yes…probably shed a tear while singing to Silent night.

"Nous pensons très fort a vous"






Joyeux Noel!

Peace,

Francine



Friday, December 20, 2013

Holidays Shine with Interieurs

Interieurs

Make Your Holidays Shine!

This winter at Interieurs, all that glitters is Gold, Brass & Bronze! Featuring our eclectic collection of bronze, brass and gold leaf furnishings, lighting and accessories as the perfect compliment to warm up any Contemporary, Industrial, Hamptons or Modern style home. Whether solid forged, finish detailing or leafed accents, these tones set trends this season in all areas of design. Stop by the showroom to view any of these featured items, visit our website or email info@interieurs.com for further information.
Stop by the showroom to view any of these featured items, visit our website or email info@interieurs.com for further information.
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Saturday, December 14, 2013

Romo and Interieurs…a collaboration

 Romo window by Interieurs


Ever since Romo started to distribute their fabrics to the US, I have been relying on their luxurious, colorful, soft textiles. Romo is now one of the leading textile company with the most amazing talents designing, creating and weaving textiles.
I have developed a close working relationship with Romo, and this holiday season, Interieurs designed the Romo Holiday window, on view in the New York Design and Decorators Building entrance windows.

The purpose was to evocate a mental image of a winter wonderland…..


Please, stop by and  browse


The Romo team, drill in hand

 Jennifer  (Interieurs)  following instruction from Anthony…something wrong with this pic? us ladies are doing all the manual labor.. I need to mention that I basically flew from an all day stressful loft installation in Tribeca to the Romo window instal….Jennifer saved me as I ridiculously fell off the ladder...


Unveiling of the window. Jessica treated us all to some wonderful bubbly back in her Showroom


Welcome winter!


A Bientôt,

Francine

Monday, December 9, 2013

In the mood…for a little romance, dream and beauty


Quite a long title, but it indeed encompenses our unveiling of my Showroom INTERIEURS holiday windows and the latest Jose Esteves Show.

I could not have dreamed of a more festive, happy,beautiful party. Champagne flowing, editors, clients and friends talking and laughing into the night. Everyone chatting with Jose about his inspiration and work.

We transformed the showroom into a "cabinet de Curiosite" with webs and stars floating. Exhausted but thrilled, after the last guest and member of team Interieurs left, I closed the door, shut down the light, sat in my favorite chaise and closed my eyes. 2013 is almost over, the thrills, the pains, the worries, my african adventure, the constant fear of the unknown… is it really all worth it? Then I summoned all energy left in my body, YES it is! How lucky I am to have met creative brilliant kind talent such as Jose, my team…yes we bicker, yes I get upset and demanding, but we laugh (especially when I start dancing the twist to loud vintage rock music past 8pm… trying to crunch the last invoice) and I truly love everyone in my team, my work and the little moments of pure elation when we make a difference in our client's life by bringing beauty, peace and joy.


MERCI!











A Bientôt,



Happy Holidays!

xx Francine










Tuesday, December 3, 2013

By Invitation Only...Cocktail time!



It hard to believe, this will be our last "By invitation Only" group post of the year....
A toast to you Marsha, our inspiration behind our fun, caring, creative group.
"Bienvenue" to our cyber cocktail party.

In lieu of hosting a cocktail party in my home in Connecticut, I decided on a different venue...my Interieurs Atelier, my second home, a place of work and  inspiration where clients and friends meet.
Invitations are out..... the Showroom transformed into an intimate space with soft lights and candles glittering, champagne chilled, my favorite cocktail will be prepared and served by our faithful bartenders, canapés warming, music selected.

Most importantly, what should I wear? My dress will dictate the tone and mood of the environment . It has been a rather tasking year, so let's celebrate in style! Thankfully, I am very decisive and picked my dress in a flash...how can one go wrong with Chanel?



Red will set the tone.

Entry


Red roses

Center piece

I collect venetian glasses, love their jewel tones, unfortunately so fragile... 


My favorite cocktail

Vodka, passion fruit, fresh squeezed lime juice, sugar syrup and Champaign
Shake softly in a shaker all ingredients (except the champaign)
Serve in a flute and add champagne. Stir from top to bottom






A heart for every guest

Happy Holidays!
A bientôt,

Francine










Saturday, November 30, 2013

Unveiling Jose Esteves latest creations



The Christmas windows are up and Interieurs' atelier is "joujed" to inspiration perfection.

If you are in NewYork, please do come and meet Jose and have a toast to the Holidays,

Francine


If you would like me to create your personal and ideal home, contact me about our Interior Design Services

Thursday, November 28, 2013

URBAN ZEN


I attending Karen Lehrman Block's book signing last week: The Inspired Home, at the extraordinary space of Dona Karan's foundation Urban Zen. 
Karen's book is a must on your bookshelf, each page equally beautiful, unpretentious soothing beauty. I realized that one of the images of the book was actually from Dona Karan's home in New York. I based an entire design project from this one close up shot, project on which I have been intensely working for two years.

I have been to a few fundraisers at urban Zen, having recently bought a camel for a Masaii family in Kenya and thought that in the spirit of giving and thanking, this would be a very appropriate post.
Thanking others for the grand and small acts of generosity, for their time and passion in giving back.

Do go to Urban Zen, and read about the work Donna Karan is spearheading. Meanwhile, I wish you, my blogging friends a very Happy Thanksgiving and will leave you with these zen dreamy images from my evening at urban Zen.













Currently, on display, Discover Haiti Exhibition

A Bientôt,
Francine

If you would like me to create your personal and ideal home, contact me about our Interior Design Services



Tuesday, November 5, 2013

By Invitation Only - Guest Post - Luke Gardner

I think this is my second ever post on Francine's blog. I try hard to keep my nose out of here so that my more to the point and all too often lawyerly style doesn't contaminate Francine's more romantic and evocative prose. But I was drafted into it, so if this post is lacking, you know who to complain to. 

As it happens, Francine is attending the Leaders in Design Conference this week in New York. Events are so tightly scheduled during this conference that we thought it might be best if Francine camped in town for the duration so she's staying with her dear college friend Michelle while I hold down the fort here in Connecticut.

Now to the meat of this post. Recently, both Francine and I have taken to trying to capture the play of light at different times of day. Fall light tends to be clean strong light that burns in low from just above the horizon. The durational effects of early morning Fall light come and go in mere minutes and the same scene photographed just two or three minutes apart can often yield quite a different image.

Here's a shot I took just this morning in our hallway:

 Camera: iPhone 5s (High Dynamic Range mode)



Same as above, processed through NIK Software's
Color Effects Pro (Bleach Bypass) Filter

I really like both of the images, but the second processed file makes for a far more dramatic photograph.

Some images just work better in B&W, while others, like Francine's "Waking Up" image from this past Sunday's post, demand full color presentation to get its message across.


Hope you enjoyed my post....

Au revoir,

Luc

Monday, November 4, 2013

A Pinterest sale




If you happen to be in New York City, you may notice the word SALE on store window after store window. New York has really been suffering from retail depression. Being in the center of New York design district, facing store windows with "Going out of business Sale", "Grand opening Sale",can really be depressing, especially when business is on the more "morose" side. Time for a  FLOOR MOVE ! These two words, floor move, mean floor planning, bringing furniture in from the warehouse, moving furniture, re -arranging, changing our mind, this armoire (300 plus pounds) goes upstairs...it looks out of place, back downstairs... keeping in mind our furniture is not lightweight, heavy steel, solid wood, large sofas, tables, buffet. Finally we have a plan that works, enhancing the mood and lines of the furniture, showing the possibilities of beautifully appointed eclectic rooms. At that point, we are starved, no time to eat, exhausted and our backs are wrecked... Movers gone, we now need to "merchandise". Pacing back and forth, throws piled up, lamps and accessories on tables, we must create  a visual that is both enticing and yet restrained. The goal is not to pile up accessories on tables as in a table tops show, but present each piece as a unique important and curated object. this is actually the most challenging part of the day's turmoil...late into the evening, exhausted to the point of not wanting to move a muscle any more, we take one last look...This was worth it! the showroom feels revived, welcoming the fall and winter to come with its warm soothing tones, its soft thick cashmere throws and pillows, Chaises and sofas to nap or read..warm glow of handmade lamps .

Now time to advertise our SALE to our clients, no huge sign on the window, simply an email blast with a link to our Pinterest flash sale board. I am border line addicted to Pinterest and actually use the secret boards to collect inspirations for my clients... We worked on a secret board with all items on sale with description and pricing and made it live yesterday. Clients called, came in, kept commenting how beautiful the showroom is and...YES, they did buy!


Want to see our sale?

Click Here


Follow me on Pinterest


Follow Interieurs on Pinterest



A Bientôt,

Francine


If you would like me to create your personal and ideal home, contact me about our Interior Design Services

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Waking up....


I woke up to a glorious fall morning, my new iPhone by my side, I captured the morning's first ray of light.
I am a rather poor sleeper, anxiety ridden into the night... my bedroom is my retreat, my refuge of sorts. As I wake up, my eyes will open to this image, an antique chinese scroll once belonging to the grand son of the last emperor of China, a centuries old goddess statue from Cambodia, a glass necklace from Botswana and flowers from my garden. Waking up to this image encapsulates my life. I clearly recall the moment I laid my eyes on the scroll in an art gallery in the forbidden city in Beijing,  when I fell in love with this ancient statue in Cambodia and when I could not resist the colors of these glass stones while in Africa.
The walls of my bedroom are covered with artwork, soft oil paintings, ancient Indian works on paper, my dearest friend Michelle's paintings, simple drawings bought on the streets of Hanoi, an antique Buddha from Burma on my nightstand.
Every morning, I remind myself that the past is truly enriching my soul, making me stronger to accept the present and live every moment.
My bed is a cocoon with its woven cotton canopy from Bali, dressed in soft embroidered white linens passed on from my grand mother, and a soft luscious thick cashmere blanket. From my bed, I have an open view of the courtyard in its fall splendor, the wall beeing made of glass only, immersing the room into nature, gardens, the sounds of birds...

Enjoy the day,

Francine







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