all change is not growth, as all movement is not forward – e. glasgow
allo all! it’s very late and my last post from paris this time around. it’s been a fantastic trip with lots of great memories and pretty things coming home. but for the first time, it’s a little different for me. as you know i adore the flea markets and all the stories they tell. lately though, i feel a little bittersweetness about it because the subtle ‘progressive’ changes in the city are becoming more apparent and i’m not sure they’re for the best.
ok maybe at times paris can be a bit of a gilded lily, and i can understand wanting to mix the old with the new. but paris is the worlds’ muse and we come for her beauty and inspiration.
le train-bleu, in paris’ gare de lyon
and as someone who loves interior and exterior architecture, i can’t for the life of me figure out why the french allow their beautiful city to be ravaged by renovators.
the changes are everywhere, from the windows coming down and satellite dishes going up
to small details like the books being pilfered for engraving and endpapers sold as scraps
glass fronts on traditional boulangeries and boucheries are tossed aside and the storefronts are cemented over
handpainted panels are removed and separated from the grand walls they once adorned
and apparently stained glass is considered passé
why someone would want to dismantle a marble fireplace and mirror is beyond me
and why would the city allow such destruction?
i mean, i’m not complaining, it gets circulated all over the world i suppose
but it just seems that in this day and age we should preserve what we have and take care of it as stewards
these apartments will be here long after us and what will be left?
where is the love?
and why is it being replaced with ‘sanitization’of the city’ as the french are calling it?
ok maybe i am complaining just a little. it’s happening throughout the city. these beautiful old tile frames in the metro are all coming down
and the old bouquinistes kisoks are being replaced with one of the prototypes below
maybe like joni mitchell sings, paris, is old and cold and settled in its ways. but isn’t that why we love her so? if the powers that be want to make changes, i humbly suggest adding a few more escalators in the metros, make it easier to catch a cab and run a design contest for a pretty something to cover the hanging clear plastic garbage bags on the streets. of course outlawing satellite dishes and making it a crime to dismantle apartments and store facades over 100 years old wouldn’t hurt either! but some say it’s progress. i say it’s heartbreaking. what do you think?
head in the clouds
hi guys, ca va?
tomorrow’s my dernier jour en paris. one last chance to hit the fleas and a couple brocantes. it’s been all work when i’m not here blogging and i’ve been patiently waiting to flea once more encore!
we live for the hours we have to leave our laptops and stroll for a snack. every outing is an adventure. you’d think after all these years it would get a little tired. but i guess that’s how paris is; endless inspiration from every angle. going through today’s pics i noticed a recurring theme of green spaces and shooting upward. i’ve been trying to capture a paris without a time. and without all the chaos that’s going on at street level making you realize exactly what year this is!
with my head in the clouds it was heavenly
the colors were vibrant, the sky so bright.
but with feet on the ground you’re bound to find beauty too.
my petit ami took us the long way home through parc du temple.
where i’d never been. loved their green wall
eVeRyOnE was blissed out.
we passed this book in shop window on the way home. the photo is timeless and catches a perfect moment. in the park, at that instant, all was well. that’s how it felt today watching everyone enjoy life at once.
well i have an early am so i’m out. bonne rêves!
let’s eat cake
hi guys, what’s happening? for the past couple days i’ve been kind of whiny about working on you know what but thankfully it’s all over today and i’m finally free!
but my new lease on life is going to have to start tomorrow. three hours in hnr block wore me just about out!
dressdesigndecor.blogspot.com via fromme-toyou.tumblr.com
so tonite i’m not getting creative, just taking the top search term which was ’18th century decorated walls.’
since i’m personally obsessed with gorgeous french paneling on walls, i had to take the opportunity to toss out some pics to whoever it is that’s searching. to me these rooms are life sized cakes with creamy of frosting!
i love to share my passion for it
it can just be a door or frame
a panel
tone on tone
color
curves
abutterflyinyourhouse.blogspot.com
it’s a great form of expression that’s ever evolving and totally personal.
well, enjoy your night, i’m off to dreamlamd. see you there!
the perfect portrait
standing by your mantle, being photographed as has long been tradition. but this time not like the days in gowns and jewels but ready to rock and roll. who knows what she’s about to do next. and this is one wall. for me the anticipation is better than the outcome! anyway i just came across her and couldn’t resist her charms.
if anyone knows who she is (there’s a name on the image and there’s a www in the bottom right corner. i’d look it up but we’re having guests in 1/2 an hour so i better split! have a fabulous saturday night!
les fleurs are en bloom
hi everybody, hope your week is in full swing and that everything is well in your world :)
it’s funny when you go through your photos after a trip. this is the first i’ve really seen some of the shots around town. guess i still have my thing for window boxes and wish i had more but they were few and far between.
isn’t it your aesthetic obligation to have a flower box if you live in paris?
i must say, i was never a geranium fan, but am growing to love them for the way they respond to, well, light and water, the way they smell and surreal colors.
i guess i was practicing my long shot/tight shot skills. the palms were a creative surprise. and probably really low maintainence!
sometimes the wide shot just doesn’t capture the happiness and pride the flowers seem to have.
i want to smoosh my face in them!
these were just moments, behind a door, in a park.
life is so lovely, hope you’re enjoying every moment of it with the ones you love! more soon, xc
love letters from paris
bonjour everyone! hope your week is going well! having free time really gives me the chance to enjoy the details of the city. i get obsessed with little things like shooting windows, doors and lately, letters. i’m trying to get the whole alphabet but here’s the collection so far.
the rare and elusive w
some are just pretty swirls and god help me if i start with numbers! but for a font lover like me this is heaven! have a great journée!
time to face reality
apartment-story.blogspot.com/2008/10/parisian-windows.html
happy monday. it’s a gloomy rainy day here and i’m loving it. the past couple days were completely tech free so i’m about to jump back into the ether pool after a much needed recharge.
these are the last few days to tie up loose ends. i’m leaving on friday for a month in paris and am not sure how it crept up so suddenly. funny how you have all the time in the world and then you don’t.
so i have to get crackin. we’d like to ‘launch’ on may 15 and there is still a ton to do.
and for my job, i’m preparing an itinerary for my clients. since we’ll be shopping, i’m putting together a calendar of every brocante, flea market and vide grenier (attic sale) that’s happening in paris each day of the week throughout the month. may is one of the best times of the year for the markets in paris, and practically my favorite thing to do in the world. this one’s on the day i arrive.
but the work part, the prep, man, that’s tedious! ok, back to it, more soon.
it’s all in the edit
morning guys! another day in gorgeous california with once again about 30 seconds to post this. as i do it’s becoming glaringly obvious how mymy shots have a distinctly french focus, but these were my faves in a quick edit from yesterday. guess i’m just predictable!
do you always think about living in a town when you travel there? i love to imagine it, and this place is filled with details that would be inspiring to be part of on the daily.
we did walk the streets for hours and hours the other day and yesterday went up to napa to do some follow up from the fancy food show. it’s another world. like you’re in the middle of italy. or heaven.
and not to be cliche but i did have a great pain au chocolat up there ;p
today we’re running in and out of a ton of tea shops and restaurants back in san fran. but the sands thru in the hourglass are slipping and so is all my attention to work, so gotta run and get some done. have a wonderful weekend!
i got so attached
to this apartment on rue rameau! it’s been everything i could ever want in an apartment and a home. if you’re ever coming to paris and want to stay in a magnificent 2 bedroom, this has got to be one of the best in the city. and to think i have to leave it in the morning, i’m heartbroken!
well luckily there’s always something to look forward to and i’ll be headed back to st. germain so that should be fun.
waiting for genevieve today (she’s here)! gave me another free day of cruising around. i passed by one of my favorite places, the national archives, aka l’hôtel de soubise.
there was an exhibition on the history of france and it’s also the place where lots of the marie antoinette film was shot so i couldn’t resist a look. as usual, there were nooks and crannies i’d never seen. i’ve been to the apartments of the prince and princess but had never seen this little salon jewel.
i love the details in these rooms! like you could eat the icing right off the cake!
i think that’s my number one fascination with paris apartments, the architectural details. it’s so much fun to live with that sort of eye candy. of course you can bring it home by adding crown moldings and trims to doors and windows.
i tried to take lots of detail shots, cause even a tiny bit adds so much character to a room. these are pretty complicated but you have to have the fanatics go wild and then you can take it down a notch.
i hope you’ll forgive my horrible video skills, i have a flip but have zero talent with it so far. trying to hide it while i shot didn’t help, but i thought you might enjoy a tour.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfmb1aFfIro
afterward i stopped at BHV to pick up some things and dropped by the hardware section. just using a few of these pieces can give a room an authentic frenchy feel. it’s so about the doors and window hardware and trim!
these locks are a sure fire way to jazz up a window.
anyway i have to go cause gen wants to go out and we have to pack up for an early am at the flea. i’ll shoot some footage there, hopefully that will be better. and here’s one more for my grafitti lovers! sorry to rush but she’s waiting! xoc
i had to do it again
hey gang! you know, as much as i travel there’s just no place like blogland. what a world of wonder! yesterday’s high made me want to keep my wu tang strong today. working out then working in. and it got me here for another guilt free hour to blog! today brought some new friends, some i knew and others are brand new. either way they’re radically inspiring!
gardiner-draperier.blogspot.com
ok back to biz, the new boutique is going to my server tonite and i’m not done so,
have fun!
