For
me, no decorating style can match that with a vintage and antique French shabby
chic flair. I love the elegance in the fine detail, the romance of the French,
and the overall cozy, comfy feel of shabby chic. So, this week, let's decorate
our Parisian apartment with lovely shabby French and French-style decor, just
in time for Spring!
Let's begin by throwing open these gorgeous, sky-blue French doors.
Let's prop them open with this sweet Hubley French
Basket of Flowers cast iron door stop. Even though this piece was manufactured
in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, the cast iron basket fits perfectly with our theme and adds a
hint of nostalgia to our apartment decor.
The apartment foyer will seem so inviting, with this sweet, 18th century Louis XV style shabby settee to welcome guests.
No shabby French apartment can do without comfy, cozy furniture to nestle into. This lovely slipcover, with its loose fit and deep ruffle and elegant white-on-white embroidered pillow shouts out to visitors to come sit a while.
A small, beautifully worked needlepoint bench can act as a side table for sitting a cup of tea or a footstool for weary feet. This one fits perfectly in our apartment, with its rose colored background and floral motif in pink, yellow, and white. The vintage gimp finished the look off with an antique touch.
No French apartment would be complete without lots of art lining its walls. Let's start with this wonderful antique French print etching by E. Decizy, taken from the Claude Joseph Bail painting, "After a Day's Work." Haven't we all felt like this - taking that precious moment to sit, relax, and contemplate the day? Decizy's etching of Bail's painting offers a study in realism in darkness and light and adds a fine touch to our apartment.
Complementing the soft textures in the Decizy etching, is this joyfully colorful needlepoint tapestry from the 1980s. The deep red and maroon, surrounded by multiple shades of brown lend this piece a rich and vibrant look for our place.
Finally, what shabby French apartment would be without an artistic rendering of the Moulin Rouge? This antique painting by Caroline Burnett, the American artist, who lived and worked in Paris for a number of years, depicts the renowned cabaret and high-class brothel in all its glory. Its impressionist style lends a lovely touch to our vintage, shabby art gallery.
Having entered our beautiful blue doors, passed though our foyer and settled into our comfy, cozy chair, our visitor will need a cup of warm tea to complete the day. This darling, mod teapot, titled after the Edith Piaf song, "La Vie en Rose," gives our decor a bit of whimsy and humor, as she spies us with her sultry and slightly sad eyes.
As our guest sips a bit of tea, a good read is definitely in order! What better than a collection of French classical romances for forgetting the worries of the day? Choices abound from Dumas, to Gautier, to Hugo and many more. What's more, this set's chartreuse covers with the fleur-de-lis and crown gracing the volumes' spines look marvelous with the color scheme.
So, we have decorated our shabby French apartment and made it a lovely, welcoming, and cozy space to live and share with friends. Thanks for coming along, and I hope you will join me next Wednesday for a brand new adventure.
Have happy days!
Betty
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