l'œil de boeuf - the oh-so-French window

The French term 'œil de boeuf' literally means 'bulls eye', but in architecture refers to the round or oval window most often found peeking out of a slate grey roof.

My favourite œil de boeuf are zinc, sometimes simple and sometimes gloriously ornate, with motifs such as this oak wreath.

 There are country versions of the window too, more modest, less imposing but just as French and equally charming.

I love this shot with the curtains behind, makes you wonder what sweet room is hidden here.

In Paris if you walk around with your nose in the air as much as I do, you'll spot œil de boeuf carved into the stone facades.

 

or in symmetrical rows

Tomorrow I'll show you some great ways to use œil de boeuf indoors, and tell you where you can buy the real thing!

living with patina

One thing I have learnt through buying beautiful brocante pieces full of character and patina is that it's one thing to buy, it's another to use the treasures in a home without looking like a showroom or an antiques mall!

The pictures are from a home south of Paris, belonging to two devoted collectors.  They bought and restored the house with their brocante pieces in mind.  There are good ideas to borrow in every picture.

 In the bedroom they use at least four gold mirrors , the colours are kept soft and provide a perfect backdrop for the shine of silver candlesticks  and gold frames.

In the kitchen they have made a backsplash to the sink with an iron decorative plaque orginally designed for a fireplace.  Central to the wall, above the tiles, is a 'fronton', a piece of carved wood that has been taken from the top of an armoire.

A lot of 'things' in this room, maybe a little too many.  I spy fishing floats on the side table, gold frames inside gold frames on the wall, antlers, antique paintings and lamps.  Still the soft colours to keep it calm.

I love the use of this large urn, designed for the garden but brought inside and used as a planter on the table.

How pretty are these turquoise plates urns and bottles!  Used in the wrong way they would just look cluttered, here they stand out beautifully against the muted grey of the open armoire.

My favourite part of this inviting vignette is the zinc 'faitage' originally used to decorate rooftops and used here to disguise the join between the glass veranda and the rest of the room.

Thank you for stopping by, hope your week is off to a good start.

all photos with thanks to Campagne et Decoration

dashing French actors

I know your fascination with good looking French mutts, so with the Oscars coming up this evening I couldn't resist taking you by the collar and leading you to  France's hairiest star ...  Uggy.

Don't know if he'll be trotting up the red carpet tonight,  after all he has already taken the biscuit with his Golden Collar award as well as the Dog's award at Cannes, and I've heard he's enjoying putting his paws up for  a while.

The producers of the film were told they were barking mad to make a silent movie.   So far  it seems the critics were barking up the wrong tree.   I'm sure the ceremony will be as enjoyable as ever, and I wish the best of luck to The Artist, the most daring film on our screens this year!

blogging vs. pinterest or the importance of instant gratification

People keep telling me that blogs are on their way out, swept aside by the allure of pinterest and tumblr; an instant fix of happiness through pictures only......

Hmmm....

We all know that blogging is fun, otherwise I wouldn't be sitting here typing these words, and you wouldn't have come over to check me out.  But are we getting lazy?  Do we have shorter and shorter attention spans?



There are some amazing tumblr blogs, where the author collects fantastic pictures and simply posts them: no text, no opportunity to comment, no interaction.  It seems to me that Tumblr is about a quick fix of instant beauty, while Blogger gives more entertainment and a real chance to interact.   Pinterest seems close to Tumblr, although the board system is very revealing about the author, and of course the source of the pictures is out in public, providing a useful tool to blogs trying to drive new traffic in.

Personally, I love to blog and to interact with my readers.  I love to visit blogs that are well written, they make me think, they make me laugh,  and sometimes they make me cry;  the quality of blogs in our blogosphere is truly impressive.

I pin a little ... because I feel I should.  I don't like everything about Pinterest, and mostly I prefer to file pictures on my computer rather than showing the world what interests me.

I use the facebook page for the blog to give a daily, or thrice daily shot of beauty.  I show pictures with extra appeal, that compliment the blog.

I can only say what I do personally,.....but how are you adapting to the new choices and offers that seem to evolve daily?

 One thing is for sure, in a years time there'll be something new and we'll all be scurrying to adapt.   At least it keeps us on our toes!

Bon weekend mes amis!

PS  Thank you for all the input and great comments, also for the emails.  Something that not everybody seems to realise that is kind of fun:  if you have a blog you can find the page that shows exactly what is being pinned from your blog, very interesting to see how readers interact with each post and which are their favourite pics!  :)

To find your page just enter http://pinterest.com/source/YOUR BLOG ADDRESS/

Have fun!  :)

a potato bake for the weekend and a giveaway winner

 Comfort food can be a good idea for this dreary end of winter season; a favourite comforter in our home is the traditional French Gratin Dauphinois.  Sliced potatoes in cream,  cooked long and slow in the oven until the cream is absorbed and the potatoes just melt in your mouth.

Another easy recipe, here the ingredients are for a good sized shallow oven dish.  Ostensibly for 8, but with the appetites around my table I reckon on 6 servings!

2kg or 5 pounds of potatoes

2/3 cloves of garlic

2 cups of cream or cream and milk mix

100 g butter

salt and pepper

grated nutmeg

  Peel and slice thinly the potatoes, but don't rinse them, the starch in the potatoes adds to the creaminess of the dish.

In a pan heat the cream or the cream and milk mix, drop in the potatoes slices and let them cook, very gently,  for less than 10 minutes.

Rub the garlic and part of the butter around your oven dish, then pour the potatoes and cream into the dish, making sure that there is enough cream to cover the potatoes.  Cut the remaining butter into little cubes and dot over the surface.  (I know, I know, I never said this was a slimming dish!)

 Bake in a preheated oven (180°, gas mark 4) for about an hour.  The top should be crispy golden brown, and the potatoes soft and creamy.  

This dish is perfect with red meat and a good side salad.

Finally, I am happy to announce that the winner of the Parisienne Farmgirl giveaway is Jeanne of I Dream Of.    If you don't know her lovely blog, then I invite you to pop over and say hello.   And Jeanne, if you want to email me with your address you'll receive your scented candle and the subscription to the Parisienne Farmgirl magazine!  Lucky girl!!

I hope you all have something wonderful planned for this weekend, thank you for reading me, à demain!

the piano in a french kitchen

I must have grown up some because I am beginning to realise how dangerous it can be to assume.  You see I always assumed I would one day play the piano   ...  the musical piano of course, but also the culinary piano.

'Le Piano' the crown to any self respecting kitchen, hub of the homestead, pride of the family  in all its shining glory.

Strangely these assumptions haven't been realised, and of course I have survived.  I can tinkle out a little tune on the musical piano in our dining room, and I have cooked huge meals for years quite happily on a regular hob and separate ovens, but in a dark, seldom revealed, corner of my heart there is still a little hankering going on!

It's not only the allure of the sleek steel, and shiny enamel, nor even the brass knobs and buttons.  It's also the huge oven space and the challenge of learning how to tame the beast!  

So to console myself and to inspire you to hanker too, here are a few of my favourite piano pics....and a question - please tell me .....

what did you always assume you would achieve or possess one day that simply hasn't come to pass?

martha's shutters

Yesterday I shared with you some of my favourite shutter shots, and today as promised I want to tell you about a talented lady, a friend of mine, who repurposes old shutters for use inside the home, as well as creating other beautiful screens and bedheads.

Martha Alberti works from her Linen Flower Studios in Marietta, and uses her expertise in paint finishes to create and restore.   This beautiful fire screen is a new item to her store, don't you love the personalised monogram?

She also applies monograms to the bedheads she makes, and can supply the letters required by each client.

Martha is married to the French artist Fabrice Alberti, and although they lived near us  in France for many years, they are now based in Marietta, US.  Their home is witness to their incredible talent and sure eye.

Martha lives by the motto,  "Start where you are, Use what you have, Do what you can".  She loves to rescue old and unremarkable furntiure and transform it into something special.  In her own home she has painted her kitchen cabinets, tables, shelves as well as larger items such as armoires.

Clients bring her pieces of furniture that are too good to throw out, and that can be transformed by Martha into beautiful 'antiques' with real age and character.   She spends a lot of time, using a combination of paint and waxes to give real depth and patina to each piece she produces.

If you have an old pair of shutters at home that you would like to use as a bedhead, Martha will transform them for you, painting and distressing until they are perfectly shabby chic.

Hope you feel inspired, if you would like to contact Martha about her work, just check her out at Linen Flower Studio.

(PS  Don't forget about the Parisienne Farmgirl giveaway if you haven't entered yet, last day tomorrow!)