Hello Lovely

Louis Benech is passionate

about plants and flowers.

Although trained in law, Benech became

a garden designer and was commissioned with

Pascal Cribier and Francois Roubaud in the '90s

to restore the ancient part of a

famous garden you may have visited.

Have you visited this treasure in Paris?

my photo

Benech has created

over 300 garden and park projects

and is humbly more comfortable

with the designation

'gardener' than 'landscape designer.'

 To learn more about the famous artful Benech,
take a peek at this interview at Architectural Digest
where he reveals his favorite flower...
mountain-laurel.


photography - Bjorn Wallender

Benech designs private gardens as well,
such as the home of fashion designer
Stefano Pilati, whose Paris duplex
above makes one faible dans les genoux
(weak in the knees).

Louis Benech: Twelve French Gardens
Are you seeing what I'm seeing? Erik, Eric, and Eric collaborated.

Intrigued by Benech's work? You are soooo in luck.

The gorgeous volume
Louis Benech: Twelve French Gardens
by Eric Jansen and Eric Sander
(Gourcuff Gradenigo, October 2013)
showcases a dozen harmonious
projects by the master
and can be ordered here:
Louis Benech: Twelve French Gardens.

If Benech's work fascinates you, put
this title on your list...I'll be reminding
you when it gets closer to its launch date.



In other news, our summer has
been rich and full of wonder
like Benech's gardens.
* * *
Fully recovered, my body has mostly healed.
I find myself still learning to adapt to
lifestyle changes and new spiritual eyes
through which I view my world.
There are days I don't accomplish a thing and
feel like a complete dweeb; others I feel like Beyonce...

Are you savoring your gardens and summer?

Peace to you right where you are.

 

This shabby shack in Malibu can only belong
to Rachel Ashwell, who never fails
to capture my heart and imagination
with her understated and soulful
lovely.

She is still rocking my world
with her brand's
comfort, beauty, and function.
And what a treat to chat
with her on the phone
this week...more bout
that later.
She has a new book comin' out, donchaknow.


me in my wedges and apron from Shabby Chic Couture



So chic, so nostalgique!



May I please have a word with folks who
have yet to grasp the fab of the shab
and the enduring beauty of the nearly
25 years of Rachel's Shabby Chic brand?

Nahhhhhh, forget it.

This is not one of those blogs
to duke it out over faded florals
and chippy fleamarket treasures.

It's about ROMANCE, playas.
Effortless, artful, strokes of
funky-fresh-dressed-to-impress-
ready-to-party style.

I'm certain a more hormonally balanced
human would phrase it more eloquently.

 

A sight like this from Rachel Ashwell's
beachy haven makes m'heart soar and
ignites my passion for gorgeous
natural light and a dream
to live by the sea.

 That's her Malibu place, and
stay tuned to see and hear more
about Rachel's B&B property
the Prairie and her forthcoming book

Who craves a romantic Marie Antoinette-ish
moment or ten?

Peace to you right where you are.

images via here and here

A home in Camden, England to

rent for shoots and stuff.
I want the illuminated drapery so badly
I'd trade my lil' ballet slippers for it.

Isn't this place spare and zen?

Linen, hide, grainsack,
chunky knits...a quartet of lovely.

Loving how weathered the floors are.
No fuss.

I've strung rosaries round everything in our home for years,
yet above the tub seems genius.
Which reminds me.

As a teen occasionally bored in church,
my friend Cairena taught me to skim the hymnal
and simply add the words in the bathtub
to song titles...
HOW GREAT THOU ART in the bathtub.
JESUS LOVES ME in the bathtub.
HE LIVES in the bathtub.

While this place might bore the devil
out of some of you, I hear choirs of angels.

What a heavenly breeze this spare place
would be to scrub clean, yes?

photos via

When you walk into our home,

little pale pink touches don't

jump out at you; they whisper.

The Laduree box with macarons is

from my sis, brought home recently from Paris,

and pink stripey straws...I mean. 

You are probably so tired of seeing

the quiet European pink of 'dead'

pointe shoes on this blog, but I

could view images of them all day.



Some new threads for me!

The larger spools were purchased

at Fanciful Designs, and the littles

are from Fahrenheit Vintage,

(a wondrous shop offering excellent

customer service on etsy) offering

silk thread, lace, ribbon, and more lovely.

I plan to use the vintage pink Belding Corticelli

pure silk twist for creating jewelry/art pieces.

Find similar silk thread at Fahrenheit Vintage here.



 Sugar and Spice Washi Tape Trio

I love my pale pink striped kitty

hanging out with these pink washi tapes

from Le Paper Cafe on etsy: offering

washi, packing, and decor tapes.

How much do we like the sound of

'little paperlings?'

Brilliant.

So feminine and fabulous.



Love Poems (New Directions Paperbook)

I could not resist this pale pink

book of love poems from bhldn

or the empty egg I picked up

on the beach the other day in La Jolla.

Did I tell you I took a little trip to

San Diego just 10 days after my

surgery and reconstruction?

This was maybe my favorite place

we visited...Old Point Loma lighthouse.





Love Poems (New Directions Paperbook)

Back to pink!



These are the scents my husband and I

bought in Paris at Diptyque.

Yes, yes, you can buy them at Nordstrom

online, but we loved finding them at the

original Diptyque on Saint Germain.



I would love to discover the source of the pale

blush pink tissue Bhldn uses and make

giant pom poms in this gorgeous hue.

Have your people call my people (that's moi)

if you happen to know.



So many of you responded favorably
to my post about i gigi and the amazing new book.



After buying a copy, I have been savoring
the contents...simply luxuriating
in the quiet humility
and wisdom of
A Life Less Ordinary: interiors and inspirations
by
Zoe Ellison and Alex Legendre.




I highly recommend this enchanting
book by these talented women!

A Life Less Ordinary: interiors and inspirations

Though summer is bursting with happy color,
in my heart it is the faded i gigi neutrals
that soothe. 


'A life less ordinary' certainly applies
to my personal BRCA2 journey right now.
I'm still healing and allowing
this experience to deepen my compassion
and teach me greater humility.


The authors offer all sorts of wisdom
for creating beautiful interiors by
shunning convention and ignoring the rules.


The love and attention to detail
the designers apply to their lives
and i gigi is infectious.





 Oh, this book is a gem you should not miss!