A beautiful bohemian retreat in Marseille

Hello! I feel like I've really been mixing up the styles (and locations) this week with home tours in Sweden and Australia and even some festive AW15 ideas. It's been fun - I hope it's felt inspiring to you too?! To keep up the spirit of the week I thought we'd go all out bohemian today with the fabulous 19th century French retreat of Emma Francis, owner of French fashion label Sessun.  Located in Marseille, the home has been decorated inside and out with items collected from all over the world including Laos, Japan, Morocco and Scandinavia. The rich browns, oranges and reds of handmade kilim textiles have been combined with the natural materials and fresh white walls, creating a lovely warm and relaxed vibe. And there's of course that view of the sea...

© Hervé Goluza for Glamour France. Shared with kind permission.

© Hervé Goluza for Glamour France. Shared with kind permission.

© Hervé Goluza for Glamour France. Shared with kind permission.

© Hervé Goluza for Glamour France. Shared with kind permission.

© Hervé Goluza for Glamour France. Shared with kind permission.

© Hervé Goluza for Glamour France. Shared with kind permission.

© Hervé Goluza for Glamour France. Shared with kind permission.

© Hervé Goluza for Glamour France. Shared with kind permission.

I wouldn't mind waking up to that view, how about you?! In fact, I get the sense that it would be hard to feel anything but relaxed here. Beautiful!

There are so many details and unusual items in this home, the more I look the more I find (look at those pendants over the outdoor table for example?!).  

Quick guide: Source handmade kilim pillows / cushions here, this original miliatary army cot from the 1940's is similar (and fab).

More bohemian homes include a Swedish fashion photographer's summer retreat, a Mexican house high up on a hill and the home of a Melbourne florist.
 
A side note before I shoot off: for all North American friends on here - I got word that one of my favourite Danish brands Hay is now available in your neck of the woods - via the wonderful shop Blackthumb. Hooray!

Have a lovely day!

READ MORE...

1

A Charming Swedish Family Home in the South of France

Tjena! It's long been known that Swedes love their summer cottages - usually somewhere rural and near water for morning dips. But when you can enjoy a summer cottage lifestyle year-round like Kristin Lagerqvist does at her home in Varberg, West Sweden - a holiday home needs to offer something different. And Kristin and her family, found their paradise in Languedoc-Roussillon, Southeast France. True to Kristin's signature style, the home is decorated with local vintage and flea market finds and earthy tones which look beautiful beside the original French floor tiles and architecture of the old town house. On warmer days, life moves up to a rooftop terrace with a dining area and daybed. Bienvenue!

How lovely!! 

And what a wonderful change of scene! They must feel like they've really landed when they arrive. And I bet there's no end to the enjoyment Kristin gets from those French antique markets and curiosity stores. magnifique! 

Her house is charming too, pared back, relaxed, full of charm!

Is there anything that stands out to you? 

See more pictures of Kristin's home in Varberg and house in France here. She also has a wonderful boutique and offers inspiring workshops here. 

Would you like to take a peek inside a few other homes in France belonging to Swedes? 

A Swedish photographer and French hatmakers home in France

A Swedish bed & breakfast in France

A Swedish family home in the French alps

Have a great start to the week! 

Niki

Photography Kristin Lagerqvist - shared with kind permission 

READ MORE...

8

Sara Silm's Fairy-tale Chateau in Southwest France

Is there such a thing as the perfect place to live? If there is, I think this could be it! At least, I'm sure Sara Silm - author of the book How To Country French Country would say so. 

Sara describes herself as an Aussie girl, with a pinch of the Middle East, a spoonful of Africa and marinaded in Russia - now simmering in Southwest France! As you might have guessed, Sara is passionate about cooking, and her journal contains droolworthy recipes from every corner of the world.

Naturally, a lady into cooking, needs a beautiful kitchen - and Chateau Montford - her home in France which she shares with her husband and children certainly has this in spades!

But there's more to this wonderful home too. Hundreds of years ago, a French general scoured the Bearnaise countryside in search of the perfect place to build a chateau. He settled on Montfort, a charming village nestled amid the foothills of the Pyrenees. 

Sara and her husband bought the chateau in April 2015 and have gradually been reawakening the property, after years of dormancy. Today, room after room reveals a story of vintage and antique finds, lovely Farrow & Ball hues and nature themed wallpaper (much of which is from the Swedish brand Sandberg).  

Ready to fall in love? Here are a few snapshots of Sara's French dream! 

Wow! It's like something out of a fairy-tale. 

I will be dreaming about owning a chateau in the south of France all week how about you? 

Is there anything that stood out to you in particular? 

You can read all about Chateau Montford, Sara's book and her recipes here. If you're curious about particular wallpaper, colours and items - Sara is great at listing them on her instagram feed. You are also welcome to ask away in the comment section below and I'll do my best to help! 

Would you like to take a look around a few other French homes today? Mes oui! 

A relaxed, vintage inspired home in the French countryside

Kristin's current rustic French home and her former home in the south of france. 

Old meets new in a Paris apartment

An 18th century former basketry workshop

A Swedish photographer and hat-maker's home in France

Alexandra's vintage inspired home in the French countryside

I hope this has filled you with inspiration for the start of the week! 

Bisous! 

Niki

Photography by Sara Silm, shared with kind permission

READ MORE...

4

Have You Ever Dreamed Of Running a B&B?

On the dreariest of work days, when the rain is pelting against the window and you've got a pile of stuff to get through, moving to the South of France or rural Tuscany and opening up a bed and breakfast suddenly feels very appealing - don't you think?! Meet Yvonne, a writer and communications expert and partner Micke, a former national middle-distance runner and PE teacher who live in Neffiés, Languedoc, South of France. The Swedish pair looked at over 60 houses before falling in love with this late 19th century former winery. Enticed by the original mouth-blown windows, high ceilings, stucco features, countless fireplaces and handmade tiles, the duo painstakingly renovated the space before opening it up as La Belle Vue guest house. Today visitors are treated to relaxing bedrooms and communal areas furnished with local antique and market finds, a cuddle with their dog Sigge and a pool area with breathtaking views over the surrounding vineyards and the Pyrenees.

Hats make great 'relaxed' wall art (as also seen in the bedroom of Elin's summer cottage) and if the sun gets too much - you can always pluck one off the wall!

When the sun shines (which I can imagine is often!) this lovely, rustic outdoor kitchen is used to serve breakfast.

A Thonet style chair (source vintage ones here*) fits in perfectly in the dining room - and just how pretty are the handmade tiles?!

This rose and khaki colour combination is so pretty! Definitely adding this to the colour charts for my own home! 

FYI I stayed in a hotel recently and they had left basket bags like this for us to use too, they were so handy for the beach and going to the local market - I've now got an entire collection at home! Perhaps something to leave out if you have guests at home too? You can source similar here*.

There's something truly romantic about this bathroom area - imagine a soak looking out over the vineyards?! 

Perhaps we all need to check this place out in in person? See you there summer 2019?!

Check out more pictures here and book here. And a full tour over over on photographer Anna Malmberg's blog.

Or maybe you'll have opened your own bed and breakfast by then? If you already have one, feel free to share the link in the comment section below! And if you're dreaming about starting something entirely different we'd love to hear about that too! My husband would like to sail the world one day... I may need some persuading but I guess it's not entirely impossible.

If you're looking for other lovely places to stay in France I love the look of this idyllic holiday home and in Paris - Hotel Henriette is wonderful. It's where I stayed for the launch of the French version of my book Lagom, the swedish art of Living a Balanced, Happy Life and it was like a real home from home.

Vive La France - and Monday morning dreams!

Niki

Photos courtesy of La Belle Vue / Some taken by Anna Malmberg and styled by Mari Strengheim

READ MORE...

6