Before Everyone Else Is Up in Isle-sur-la-Sorgue

One early morning in April we found ourselves walking through the roads and alleyways in l'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, in Provence. We stopped in for un cafe et une croissant, then wandered through the quiet streets before the hustle and bustle of the day. Peeking into store windows and watching the locals get the day going, here is what we saw:

a sweet topiary window display

coffee and croissant

and the newspaper to start the day

I love a lot about this window; the lamps, the table

the colors, the shadowy painting... my reflection:)

the burly gendarme and his burly dog

get their morning going

couldn't wait 'til this antiquaire opened!

General Charles de Gaulle's speech in 1940

the "general store" in town before the day's rush

of customers

the Easter delectables in the window

of one of the confiseries

what's so funny chocolate bunny? :)

this antiquaries was just setting things up on

their terrace by the river

pillow covers pieced together from vintage French

linens of many types

the coolness of cement in a shaded garden terrace

peeking in another antiquaire

a doorway of local home; the colors

of apricot and lavender I love!

a cool spot to stop and rest a moment

a stolen kiss between the betrothed!

***

{all photos taken with my iPhone}

merci pour la visite! .. Kit

Dessert Blanc Bleu

HELLO EVERYONE!

This evening is the first real summer one we've had. All summer long we have been freezing as soon as the sun goes down. But this evening... at le crepescule, it was lovely.

How could we NOT have dessert in the far back corner of the garden? How could we not use the beautiful hand-stitched blue and white throw over the table? how could we not cut dahlias and roses from the garden and toss them into a silver pitcher? and of course we had to bring out the beautiful Rosenthal bone china we use so infrequently. Then we realized we must bring out the old French fauteuil that is covered in needlepoint blue & white by Chris's own grand-mere with her own two hands. Incroyable!

The result is this little vignette that will forever remind me of our first warm evening of 2011.

merci pour la visite! ... Kit

I'm linking up with Between Naps on the Porch

for Tablescape Thursday!

A Little Southern Beach Cottage...

...would be a lot fun right about now... a tall icy drink, palm trees swaying in the breeze, the screened-in sleeping porch, laughter and dogs barking in the distance... these are the things of the endless summers of my childhood. Although our cottage wasn't quite this adorable, it was the real thing... wooden cottage on stilts set back in the dunes in the palmettos at Indian Pass Beach on the Gulf Coast, with a wooden walkway leading to the front screened porch. With the sun hot overhead, as children we were not allowed outside between 10 am and 3 pm, so my four brothers and I played endless games of monopoly and cards, built forts and put on plays and art shows.

Those summer vacations are now more a state of mind than anything else. Wanna come play?

colorful vintage beach pails

pale seafoam breadboard walls trimmed in

white are the quintessential beach look

simple shelves made from found beach wood

cooling blues and whites among the mossy beach oaks

Fifi Flowers painted this very cottage; you can

buy this at her etsy shop here!

painted floor screened porch with colorful rattan furniture

is charming; the porch ceiling is painted blue to scare

away the spirits... of course!

the adorable cottage above is

one of the Mermaid Cottages on

Tybee Island, Georgia, near
Savannah where my dear
cousin Claire lives and

my mother was born

halfway between

Saint Vincent Island

and Cape San Blas

lies Indian Pass Beach

where we spent long

summer vacations

the incomparable white powdery sand of my

childhood summers on the Gulf Coast

St. George Island

***

Thanks for visiting!..... Kit

l'âne bleu Brings a Smile :)

If you use color, pattern, shape and texture in unexpected ways you will create an element of surprise and delight in your interiors. Caravane, available at l'âne bleu... l'Art de Vivre au Sud in Marseilles, has put together an irresistible collection of pieces that are at once young at heart and sophisticated a la one.

Their cheeky, playful designs will always bring a smile, and what could be better for the spirit?

a fantastic rendition of a kilim-covered fauteuil

would lighten the mood of any room a

few notches!

this is my favorite color of blue; and I love the

pearly round shapes on the wall

the sculptural shape, light feel and

gorgeous color make this canapé

a star!

***

merci pour la visite! .. Kit

Maison de Campagne

I am researching authentic Provence remodeling projects for new clients here in California. This couple is ready to create the certain feeling of an old maison de campagne in Provence, a la Coté Sud, in their home. Translating the Provençal look from the south of France to south of San Francisco will be a collaborative effort with my clients, who are themselves transplanted French citizens. I am so excited to work with them!

Coté Maison provided a wonderful jumping off point today. This featured home carries many strong characteristics of the renovated Provençal maison, such as use of the existing stonework, exposed ceiling beams, stone floors, polished and waxed concrete, iron door and window frames, and lots of re-use of old wood and materials. A completely relaxing atmosphere is created devoid of fussiness or extraneous embellishment for a simple, chic and livable home.

detail of the coffee tabletop arrangement

stone floors and walls, touches of linen,

leather seating and exposed beams all

express a simple chic Provençal life

the guest room is upstairs, thus the wooden floorboards; the

iron bed is a flea market find; the overhead beams are

lightened to a soft grey so they are not overbearing

the chic and simple Italian shower, open to

the room, is partitioned by an old found

wooden shutter and finished in concrete

the roughness of the limestone sink and the cut stone

floor is offset by the 19th C. gilded round mirror

the rustic long farmer's table in the dining room

has rusted metal lights hanging overhead, chic

wire-frame chairs and an old porch chair

from Cuba

weathered Cuban rockers with cowhide rug and very rustic

coffee table softened with the pearls; note the simple cantilevered

bench with the linen cushion

the concrete floor and iron framed doors

lead you directly into the garden outside;

old wood and wicker create comfort

***

thanks for visiting! Kit

The White Dinner in Paris

I wasn't there, but wish I had been. This looks otherworldly divine! The annual "everything is white" dinner is held in Paris in the summer, and this year was in front of Notre Dame cathedral. Isn't it beautiful?

all images via Yahoo... yep Yahoo News!

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thanks for visiting! Kit