A Ritzy and Glamorous Parisian Bathroom

 

Can you believe this is a guest bathroom?  It makes me wonder

what the master bathroom of this home looks like... I can definitely

see that the inspiration comes from the famous and ritzy Parisian

hotels.  Doesn't this bathroom look divine?

 

Super tall ceilings (marble tiling from floor to ceiling - 

even the crown molding seems to be in marble!  Love

the gorgeous chandelier and the tiled in design that says

"Monsieur" and "Madame."

 

 

The shower is well lit.  The designer (Betty Lou Phillips)

shows a twist on tradition by using baby pink towels instead

of the white towels that hotels and spas usually use.

 

The fixtures are what totally make the place high end

(along with the tons of Carrara marble which literally

covers the entire bathroom.)

 The inspiration came from a pair of napkin rings the designer 

bought 15 years ago in Paris.  She used the design as an inspiration

for the bathroom.

          Get the look:

• Polished Carrara marble tiles, Candide tub, étoile tub filler, faucets, and showerhead, Normandy sinks, and vanity mirrors from Waterworks: waterworks.com.
• Large leaning mirror from Found Antiques: dallas-antiques.com.
• Vintage pharmacy chest from Scott Antique Market: scottantiquemarket.com.
• Crystal and silvered French chandelier from Jacqueline Adams Antiques: jacqueline?adamsantiques.com.
• Milagro towels in Pink from Matouk: matouk.com.
  
  

The Luxury Bathroom

Lately I've been really into bathroom books.  If you'd like more

inspiration for high end bathrooms, The Luxury Bathroom is one to 

check out.

 Photos and "Get the look" information from House Beautiful

New Rules for Small Space Decorating - A 1,000 Square Foot Parisian Hideaway in Illionois

 

Lizzie Carney of Euro Trash has this amazing 1,000 square foot bungalow

in Jacksonville, Illinois.  Lizzie is the stylist and designer for the furniture

import firm.  The firm imports furniture from Europe for clients.

 As you can see, Lizzie has impeccable taste.  I adore what she has done 

with her pad.  Gray is one of my favorite colors for interiors.  It would

seem like a drab color but you can do a lot with it.  What a gorgeous 

color scheme - Gray with Coral.  The tufted bed antique French bed

frame, curtains and chandelier really make the room.  Duvet cover 

from Anthropologie.

 

Lizzie in her gorgeous home.

 

 I love that she has shutters on the inside of this room that are in its 

natural wood color.  She upholstered the French Bergere chair in 

luxurious velvet.  The charcoal walls make for a perfect backdrop

for hanging up framed images and paintings.

 

 

 A better look at the space.

 

Her entire home is painted in the same charcoal color.   It really makes

for a dramatic effect.  There's a fun pop of color with the refrigerator

and of course another "to-die-for" chandelier in the kitchen.  The bar

stools are from Ikea and it's so clever that she used a piece of a side

board mounted onto the island as a dining counter top.

 

 Her dining room has a ton of character with an old French wine room 

feel.  It literally feels like you're in the French country side.  Lizzy was

super clever and used her basement as a wine cellar and dining space.

Now that's what I call beautiful and functional.

Lizzie decided to turn the second bedroom into an indulgence... her 

very own dressing room.  I must say that I am totally jealous.  It's

very lovely.  Again as with everything in her home, it's very tastefully

done. 

To recap on the new rules for designing in a small space and Lizzie's tips:

Lizzie's Tips for Designing a Small Space

1.) Old Rule:  White Walls are a must in a small space.

     New Rule:  Dark colors create the illusion of depth in small rooms.

2.)  Old Rule:  Cramped quarters call for clean lines.

      New Rule:  Ornate embellished details give even the tightest spots a sense of grandeur.

3.)  Old rule:  Hidden storage is key to keeping a tiny house tidy.

      New Rule:  Why waste precious basement space on boxes when you could have a dining room    

      and a wine cellar?

4.)  Old Rule:  Get extra mileage of a guest room by having it double as an office or den.

      New Rule:  Turn over the entire room to a single indulgence like a walk-in closet.

5.)  Old Rule:  Small spaces require small or furniture.

      New Rule:  Bitsy often leads to busy.  Instead, opt for fewer, larger pieces.

 Parisian Hideaways
Exquisite Rooms in Enchanting Hotels

 If you like Parisian and French inspired spaces as I do, I highly

 recommend this book.  Even though it is hotels and homes, it

features gorgeously decorated rooms in Paris which is great for

inspiration.

The Flea Markets of France

If you love to rummage in flea markets, this is a great

book that gives a very good introduction and lists the

major in all of France.

So did you like Lizzie Carney's bungalow?  What were

your favorite spaces, items or points in how she designed 

her space?  Do you agree with her tips?

If you like Lizzie's bungalow, definitely also check out

Molly Sim's Parisian Soho pad if you haven't already seen 

it.  Here's a peak:

Photos & Rules from Country Living Magazine

Hotel Keppler - A Posh Boutique Hotel in Romantic Paris

As many of you know, I love showcasing boutique and chicly designed hotels.
Hotel Keppler in Paris is a wonderful gem of a place off of Champs Elysees.

It's recommended by Mr & Mrs Smith of London fame (hotel booking service
specializing in boutique and unique properties.)  Isn't the lobby sumptiously
and comfortably decorated?  I could just sink right into that couch.

The hotel was designed by French interior designer Pierre Yves Rochon.

Love the black and white diamond marble floor in the hallways.

A gorgeous office area with a fantastic oversized black and white framed mirror.

Close attention was paid to all of the flooring whether it be marble floors
or gorgeous rugs.  Love the white chairs with dark nail head trim.

The rooms are tastefully decorated.

With beautiful crown molding and fabrics.

A standard room in brilliant yellow and black on a neutral cream palette.

Or perhaps a 2 bedroom suite in crimson red.

You've got to love the bold use of color.

Mr & Mrs Smith Boutique Hotel Collection

The Global Shortlist

Mr & Mrs Smith Hotel Collection: France

If you love boutique and unique hotels, you should definitely
check out the Mr & Mrs Smith Hotel Collection series. Let
me know what you think of this hotel - would you venture a
 stay?  I really loved how the public areas of the lobby, living
area and hallways are designed (even more so than the rooms
themselves.)

Photos from Hotel Keppler

Small Space Living Inspirations - A 431 Sq Ft Apartment in Paris

This magazine article was originally published by French magazine

Cote Maison and picked up by Apartment Therapy.  It's a fantastic 

example of small space living.  We're talking a family of four and 

a dog living in a 430 sq ft apartment.  Amazing isn't it?  We never

think about it living with space is definitely a luxury.  A luxury that

Americans are used to but not necessarily all places in the world have.

 

Your average apartment for a family of 4-5 in Hong Kong is around

400 sq ft.  This isn't because they just happen to love living in small

spaces - there isn't any available land and square footage is seriously

expensive.  Most families simply cannot afford more space.  There's

a saying in Hong Kong that real estate is worth its weight in gold by

the square Inch!  The above bedroom very cleverly utilizes the tiny

closet-like space very well.

Every available amount of space in the apartment 

is  used. Isn't this cubby in the ground great?

A Tibetan tapestry hangs in the doorway.  The cupboards

and built in storage space is from the ground to the ceiling.

Here's the kitchen area with a dine in table.  

Notice the stairs going up to another room.

Those same steps are actually built in drawers.  Now this is what

I'm talking about.  The Japanese also design in this incredibly 

functional way as your average living space for a single person in 

Tokyo is often no more than a small room.

What a lovely dining and living space.  The windows almost extend 

from floor to ceiling.  I just love the exposed brick like floor.  Hanging 

curtains from floor to the ceiling creates the feeling that the room and 

ceiling is higher than it actually is.  Also using clear furniture like the 

glass table is a great way to expand a space visually.

Here's the other side of the room which also leads into the kitchen.

The living and dining room double as the master bedroom.

The bed you see is a Murphy bed which is folded into the wall.

 

Here is the floor plan to this incredibly functional space.

You can see the dotted lines where the Murphy bed pulls

down for the living/dining room to become the Master 

bedroom.

Apartment Therapy's Big Book 

of Small, Cool Spaces

I recently purchased this book which I love!  What's great about

Apartment Therapy's book Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces is 

that it showcases real homes and apartments that are small and 

what owners and designers have done with their space.  I highly 

recommend it.  

As of late, there seems to be a trend to downsizing and 

living with less space.  What are your thoughts?  Less is

more?  Or more is more?

All photos from Apartment Therapy and Cote Maison

Photos by Alexandre Bailhache

Au Revoir Paris

Images - Brabourne Farm