A Home That Speaks French

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Living without more and surround yourself with simplicity adding a balance like none other. I am sympathetic to an overly used and abused cast off, leaving me to pick it up and brush off the dirt recycling it into my homes design style. Recycled finds need to be displayed in a simple space where all there aged imperfections show off. I like to feature larger pieces for a bold statement and smaller flea market brocante finds for a quiet understated rustic French elegance. I have always been attracted to pieces with evidence of being well loved and to often not appreciated for what it was and what has become of it. There is such excitement in taking a piece and breathing new life into it giving the piece a new resting place in a recycled euro chic home. I never look for a find, I let the piece find me like this worn-out ladder with just the right amount of white and cream paint to it.

This French Chair was gifted to me from one of the developers I design for in there custom home building. I design all the interior designs of there estate model homes as an interior designer and construction corrections. This French chair was finished in a dark wood stain and blue fabric, it was in need of a face lift that I could not wait to get my hands on after there own years of personal use. Spending a great number of years in the home fashion industry and designer marts I have had the opportunity to pick up a furniture piece that would wow most, but for me it just does not satisfy my need to salvage and create charm that only a recycled piece can offer.

Recycling for your homes charm adds to the beauty of your unique style in choosing the right furniture pieces in your hunt to rescue, re-style and reuse. By looking for inspiration at local flea markets, thrift shops and salvage yards, someone else's cast offs can be the perfect piece that encourages your style. It was a perfect fit when I spyed this ladder, the tone and age added charm to the imported French pieces I already had.

I never look at a piece for where it would be placed as much as what role it will play in each room with its function. I then look at a piece with what history has it acquired with the texture and paint finish it has peeking through the soul of the piece. If a piece needs to be stripped down and re-painted I let the piece tell me what it wants to become and where it should rest in my home.

A French imported storage chest that not too long ago had layers of aged French blue paint to it, having a great need to fit it in with my colour tones I stripped it down to see the life it started out with. Loving the outcome of its natural tone while leaving traces of the old to it, I fell in love with it speaking French to me and the storage it offers.

The Anthropologie wire basket on the left was one of there found objects and mine to, the wire galvanized egg basket was a perfect companion fit adding extra storage when need be.

The mirror used as a back drop beautifully aged with scratches needed a nudge with its aging, it was another recycled find at my local thrift for .99 cents. I took it apart painted its dark frame and applied stripper to the back of the mirrors foil removing areas as if it had aged with time. I then cleaned both sides of the mirror, to then apply a stone gray spray paint finish to the back side spraying over the missing foil of the mirror, giving it a hauntingly aged feel to its creamy whites and gray home.

A French Chest with a French iron bed adds to the love of French flea market style in my daughter Hannah's room, along with added distress whites.

My daughter Hannah's boots, one of a few pairs of cowboy boots she wears often even if she is in feminine whites with ruffles, or jeans and a tee her boots are her first choice of footwear next to ballet flats.

A recycled bevelled mirror had a dark frame finish and embellishments I removed to not date the piece making it less recognizable to its era, another find from my favorite thrift for $14.00 dollars. I then painted and distressed it to go over a costly piece I owned for many years and a new look was a given, I had no problem getting to work on this piece making it a new old white for my daughters room. Finding ones own style is a celebration of individuality and creating your own place of peace, letting your design choices do there job.

A salvage wood box placed on a white chest in front of our sofa celebrates a recycled home.

A hand made frame I created from salvage wood house molding and a vintage postcard of roses make for flea market style framed art, adding romance to hanging over a wood box that contains herbal teas on a kitchen counter.