Summers in France - Chateau's

Just back from a wonderful 3+ weeks in France... so many things to see and be inspired by.  Starting off a few days in Paris; this time I actually spent the bulk of my days at various art galleries & museums. In the past Ive preferred to wander the streets soaking in the atmosphere, taking a obsessive number of door & window photos and discovering boutiques and boulangeries.  The Louvre got a full days attention this time, I had a wonderful day with all the old masters (all of them), ancient Egypt, Rome & Greece, Napoleon (just a bit of a complex!) and more.

The most confounding thing about my visit to the Louvre was the absolute stream off people that entered and made a beeline straight for Mona; completely ignoring the Botticelli, Raphaels, Mantegna's etc and other Leonardo Da Vinci's on the walls. Went to the Louvre, saw the Mona Lisa - tick. Ugh.

After Paris came three days in the Loire valley visiting Chateau's: Vaux de Vicomte, Fontainebleau, Cheverney, Chenonceau & Azay-de-Rideau. All equally worth visiting as they all had something different to be inspired by & learn about. Just looking at the ceilings alone was worth the trip.  

If I had to pick my personal top 3, it would be Chateau Vaux, Fontainebleau & Chenonceau. 

Chateau Vaux le Vicomte

Bonaparte was here.

The Royal Palace - Chateau Fontainebleau

Chateau Chenonceau

Links to all the chateau's for visiting information.

http://www.vaux-le-vicomte.com/en/

http://www.musee-chateau-fontainebleau.fr/spip.php?lang=en

http://www.chateau-cheverny.fr

http://www.chenonceau.com

http://azay-le-rideau.monuments-nationaux.fr/en/

New website coming...

Keeping busy in France

It is well over due but we have a new website in development.  The new site will be cleaner, simpler and with all new projects to showcase.  Stay tuned this summer. Ok realistically its now likely to be autumn... maybe even winter! (update: definitely winter in fact look for it in February). Its been crazy busy over here at PJID - a trip to the south of France with Kathryn M Ireland of the Million Dollar Decorators fame, and a bunch of new projects on the go and suddenly the quiet summer I had envisaged has turned into a busy busy time.  And so I haven't had a chance to even think about websites - I am now a Twit (?) though.. after much reluctance, I didn't quite get the point of it. But now I can see the benefits especially when combined with Instagram to relay interesting design related commentary.  I am officially on Twitter @pjidesign.

And I finally get the fuss - my husband will be saying "I told you so" and yes you were right dear!

Its also the same handle on Instagram & Pinterest  (the latter Im still getting the hang of).

Sneak peek - design process

My Los Altos Hills clients have another room that I am working on - the kitchen & family lounge. The 'family hub' is an open plan room that encompasses the kitchen, informal dining area and family lounge and has access to the large deck and bbq area.   My clients have two pre-teen children & young labrador so my goal was to create a space that was fresh, vibrant, multipurpose, durable, and comfortable. We recently installed part of the project - the new sectional sofa and custom throw pillows.  Since there are still various elements to be installed, I thought Id post a few images to show how the process of choosing some of the soft furnishing elements came about.

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Le Petit Atelier de Paris

On my recent visit to Paris I visited the Petit Atelier de Paris, a sublime ceramic boutique in the Marais district.  The boutique is study in simplicity showcasing the delicate and pure beauty of the ceramic ware.  The boutique showcases a restrained palate of pale stone, soft white walls and blonde floors. If you are in Paris this store is worth a visit, as my snapshots fall well short of translating atmosphere when you are in the space.

Feel like your space is missing that special something?

Dear clients,  I know that some of you might feel you are missing that one special objet d'art, that one piece that brings all your decor together.... well, I think I found it in Paris! Polar bear anyone??