In a Charming Atelier Under the Rooftops of Isle-sur-la-Sorgue...

...magic is created by the beautiful and spirited artist Aurelie Alvarez... come with me on a private visit to her incredible atelier, where time stands still while she takes layers and colors and textures and patterns and creates wondrous works of art...for all to behold. So taken was anthropologie buyer Keith Johnson that her work was used for their famous window displays... and countless other clients have been lucky enough to own one of her works.

Influenced greatly by the top floor atelier itself... in her home, which dates to the 15th C....with its peeling layers of plaster and paint, Aurelie's work is a living extension of where she lives in the heart of the ancient village of Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, France... in Provence, bien sur!  

Steven and I were scouting brocantes for next week's Chic Provence Design Tour when I spied Aurelie's work hanging in one of the very chic shops:  La Princess au Petit Pois.. Laurence invited me to meet Aurelie and within the hour we found ourselves in Aurelie's engaging studio itself chatting with her about her art and her life. She is a most creative and refreshing artistic soul. 

Aurelie's mailbox with its peeling 
ayers of paint gives a hint of
the atelier to come...

one of the first rooms in the rambling, many-room workshop Aurelie is
lucky enough to call her own

a pretty work in progress for a client features vintage wallpaper, paint, pastels

at La Princesse au Petit Pois, Aurelie's lovely hanging meant to be the head of
a twin bed, attracted lots of attention while I was there

an ancient fireplace in her 15th C. home in Isle sur la Sorgue

the largest room in the under-the-eaves atelier

the massive beams dating from centuries earlier, Aurelie thinks 16th C.... make a wonderful counterpoint
to the delicates works for art

many surfaces are covered with Aurelie's work

a collage of samples of Aurelie's lighthearted works

and this is the lovely Aurelie!

all photos taken by kit golson with iPhone

If you would like more information about Aurelie's work, 

contact me and I can help you place a custom order

Chez Pascal Palun: Recoup' & Treasure

Love it or leave it, the Provencale "brocante, linen and found object" look is here to stay. Maybe as a reaction to the frantic, digitized and depersonalized world we all inhabit now, and certainly fueled by an economy that encourages us to all "make do with what we have", as well as a desire to save the environment, people respond warmly to old things that are resurrected, refashioned, and given place of honor in homes.

Pascal Palun has long been a favorite of mine for her wire sculpture chandeliers. She lives in and works in Avignon; her influence is worldwide. Her chandeliers hang at l'Escale and adorn the home of John Malkovich. And according to my friend, Jaclyn at the gorgeous blog Haute Home, even Anthropologie taps her immensely creative ways with old things for their imaginative store displays and identity.

Now a peek into her own home. She has furnished it with things she has found at flea markets, garage sales and on the street; found objects that have weathered through to find their way into her heart and home. For Pascal, living with old things is "not looking backwards..on the contrary, it's a way to reconnect with a history, to give to old things new value and another dimension..it's the mysterious difference that exists between an electric lightbulb and the light from a wax candle."

Her glamorous wire and fantasmagoric creations are the result of an aesthetic formed in Pascal by her grandfather, who was a bricoleur (handyman) and taught her to repair beautiful old things, and her father, whose passion for automobiles gave her a taste for mechanics and manual work.

What do you think of her home in Avignon? Do you love it or leave it?

photos above are of Pascal Palun's home in

Avignon and are the work of Joanna Maclennan for

Living Inside

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above are photos of Pascal Palun's

atelier in Avignon where she does her

magical work

these photos appears in

Cote Sud, December 2007

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for help creating a beautiful new look

for your home or event virtually

anywhere call or email me

kit@kitgolson.com

650.302.6883

Kit Golson Design

for elegant, sustainable and pragmatic

Chic Provence Interior Design

The Wisteria: Inspiration for an Easter Brunch

Even though it's still Lent, I had to go outside and design an Easter Brunch table beneath our incredible showing of wisteria early this morning. Who can blame me for these gentle excesses?

I started by covering two square tables with a long white cloth, then topping that with my grandmother's lace bedspread (which I noticed needs some attention: mending and cleaning!). On top of the lace, to take some of the sweetness out and to give a little edge, I tossed a lavender cowhide left over from a design project, suede side up. I thought it would be great with the color of the wisteria, and it is!

I then tried a couple of different centerpieces: an arrangement of Lenten Roses in my chinoiserie tea canisters was casual and elegant. Then I tried the Easter Egg Tree I made last year, and I like it too. I guess it's nice to have a couple of choices next Sunday.

Place settings are Malvina Golson's embroidered pink placemats (my husband's grandmother), Limoges luncheon plates, and bread & butter plates from my grandmother Amie in yellow paisley pattern I adore. I used the silver I bought at a vide grenier just outside the front door of my dear friend Camilla's house in Rians, France last year. The adorable straw domes are from Anthropologie, and I placed a French sacerdotal relic at the head table, for Easter.

Voila! A little bit ready for our big Easter celebration with lots of family and friends coming over..let's just hope it is nice enough to be outside. They're forecasting rain for the next several days. We might be sitting inside around the fireplace roasting marshmallows!

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in 2010, it's:

Kit Golson Design

for elegant, sustainable and pragmatic

Chic Provence Interior Design

Springtime Inspiration: Breakfast in the Garden on St. Patrick's Day

" When Irish Eyes are Smiling...

What better way to herald early spring than with the cheer of the Irish as St. Patrick's Day is upon us? I can just hear the lilting voices and see the bounce in the step. Irish soda bread with lots of butter and hot strong coffee with cream..ah! In a garden setting with snow bells bloomin' and a carpet of moss beneath your feet.

Enjoy! Top 'o the Mornin' to ya!

embroidered table linens handmade by Malvina Golson

my husband's amazing grandmother

many years ago in France

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Anthropologie cockatiel teapot and

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miniature daisies in vintage Chinoiserie tea canister

....You Can Hear the Angels Sing! "

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in 2010, it's:

Kit Golson Design

for elegant, sustainable and pragmatic

Chic Provence Interior Design