Sometimes there is a lifetime between a dream and making that dream a reality. Here’s an excerpt from a recent interview describing my move to France and becoming an accidental “on-purpose” entrepreneur.
Creating a French Potager
Here in southwest France, the fresh greens of spring are replacing the dull gray shades of winter. Sunshine streams through our front door noting longer days across the stone floor. The rains have slowed and the garden beds are waiting to be turned and planted. Nature's cues are telling me that it's time to attend to the potager.
The Gift of Time
Over the past year, I gathered plant materials to create a collection of handmade natural inks. Each represents one of the four seasons. This 2020 “vintage” documents our stay here in our small hamlet in southwest France. Much like a vintage in winemaking tells you when the grapes have been harvested and processed, my ink’s vintage also captures a particular moment of time and place.
A Home Worth Living In
I am drawn to a house that has been forgotten. There is something about her plea to be cared for again that pulls me in . . . every time. I want to remove layers that have covered the authenticity of its structure to reveal its history. Restoration is a process of both preservation as well as an integration of our own new stories into the house.
Becoming a Forager
The Opening and Closing of French Shutters
In France, every morning the shutters are opened. Every evening they are closed. Like clockwork, you can tell when the new day begins and when it is time to say goodnight to the world. Everyone goes through this ritual each day. Everyone. Everyday. Volets serve several practical purposes but they also are an effective communication system.
Brocante Season: The Art of the Hunt
Vintage FindsA Maker's Life
A reflection on how my Hawaii coffee farm prepared me for a life in France
When one decides to make a major shift in one’s life path, the uncertainty can be unnerving. Moving to or from a remote island demands determination and wherewithal. Surprisingly, I found that the actual leaving was not as difficult as I thought. Our Hawaii coffee farm prepared us for our next adventure . . . living in France.
The Inherent Beauty of Everyday Objects
Creating Your Vintage French Design Style
Interior DesignCommentI am inspired by my love of France. The importance of beauty and quality and history over price point and accumulation and replacement. For me, there is a balance between a refined, well-edited design, and the sensuousness of texture and warmth of comfort. French style is about livability first and foremost.