Poivre

Poivre means pepper in French. It is also the name of La Bonne Etape's (LBE) new kitchen paint color.

Since purchasing a new couch for LBE I have shifted the object of my obsession to a paint color for LBE's kitchen. Poivre, Elephant's Breath, Joah's White, I was open to a few different directions.

However, while pouring over a gazillion inspiration images that have been piling up and weighing down my hard drive, it became pretty clear.

I have a crush on dark kitchens. This should come as no surprise considering I had painted the dining room in my Portland house a similar color, DownPipe.

As I was looking through old photos to find one of the Portland house's dining room, I came across photos of my old office in Portland. And guess what color those walls are? Yep. I guess I have a deep rooted affinity with the Poivre hue.

As per usual, I second guessed my color choice right up to the last minute. There are naysayers who were quick to say it is too dark, that I must try and bring in more light, it would be too hard to course correct to a lighter color later, etc.  But no matter which color direction I pursued, anything was better than the yellow-country-flower-wallpaper-extravaganza that was there when I began this kitchen beautification process. 

Lucky for me, I have a great support system to help me navigate the naysayer trip wires. RDW is the first to not only say "go for it", but he follows up with his own inspirational photos as if to say "I get you. Let's do this, immediately."

And then before I have a chance to change my mind, 

he is there with a roller, 

a bottle of pink bubbles,

and Boom!

LBE has got some Poivre kitchen walls. 

la poste

Is there anything better than receiving mail? And by mail I mean actually receiving something physical by postal mail-- from the United States!

I spent this weekend in Paris and got caught up on city life. In addition to meeting with friends, running errands, and cleaning my apartment from top to bottom, it meant sorting through my mailbox. There tucked away between my bills, sushi delivery brochures, and a large envelope from the Notaire's office (YAY! I recieved the official deed to my house) was a little yellow postal delivery receipt telling me that I had a package that was too large to fit in my teeny tiny mailbox.

So today I went to my local post office retrieve it, completely unsure what I would find.

The anticipation of opening a surprise package was so delicious that I waited as long as I could to tear into it. And for the record, that was all of 6 minutes. Apparently, I wasn't the only one who wanted to tear into this package.

Imagine my surprise to find that my thoughtful Aunt in Texas made me a quilt for me and my new house.  I was overwhelmed by her thoughfulness, not just because I know that quilts are a time-consuming endeavor, or that she anticipated that  I would be in need of blankets for the new country house (where cold winters are usually the norm), but that she remembered my aversion for bright colors. And this neutral color palette is perfect, white with tan accents-- she just GETS me!

My heart just burst from so much gratitude and love.

Les Pigeons

I have been working form the country all week. "Normally" I would set up my work computers in the larger stone-coved living room. However, it is winter and hard to keep that room heated. So instead, I set up camp in the kitchen which looks out into the garden. Besides, that keeps myself and fresh cups of coffee within arms length. Dangerous, yet convenient.

I have noticed that everyday around 1pm, a colorful assortment of pigeons visit my garden and root around my gout de lait, aka pierced snow, flowers. Every time they descend onto my garden I find myself getting up from my computer and going to the window to spy, and if the truth be told, talk to them.

I realize that this is a very common event, And from some perspectives, a bit "crazy-old-country-lady-ish". I am certain that if I told the boys that this was a daily highlight for me, they would prohibit me from spending weekdays in the country. What would really send them over the edge is to learn that sometimes I try and take photos of the cuter pigeons, in my own twisted version of Hot or Not.

Today, as I was photographing the "hotter" pigeons,  it occurred to me that one day I will look back on the days when I watched the pigeons from my French country house's kitchen window, with fondness and nostalgia.

What is one man's "bat shit crazy" is another man's "appreciating the present moment" loveliness.

When I am a little old lady, I am pretty sure that daily events like these will be one of the things that I wax poetic about. Why not start now?

So, how did you spend your Valentine's Day? Geesh.

Weekend Reverse Bucket List

The front door of La Bonne Etape, my house in Burgundy.

I just read an article that describes the process of writing one's bucket list-- in reverse. This is not intended to be a list of the audacious goals that one hopes to accomplish before dying. But rather it is a list of things that you have already accomplished. You can read some tips for writing your Reverse Bucket List here. 

One way to structure your reverse bucket list is to define a period of time that you want to capture. Be it one year, five years, ten years or a single day, it is meant to highlight amazing milestones that have already occurred.  It had me thinking about this weekend's Reverse Bucket List:

Septime Wine Cave

Friday night:

Apertif at Septime Wine Cav with the Englishman. Once again, I found myself drinking from the Kool Aid as he convinced me to write poetry about my country house. His theory is that if you talk about your house from the standpoint of the personalities that it has and the events that have/or will occur, you will start to see it' essence and therefore it's "poetic mood board". The good news is that I don't have to write my own house poetry because over a few glasses of wine,  he waxed poetic about my house right then and there. It resulted in some easily executable projects that I can knock out over the week ahead. And some new inspiration courtesy of Septime's restaurant which is across the street.

Rod iron, glass, white candles, off white walls, and exposed wood counter tops, courtesy of Septime's restaurant.

Then I went to meet friends at another nearby neighborhood favorite.

Bistrot Paul Bert (photo by The Paris Kitchen)

Dinner at Bistrot Paul Bert with some lovely friends who were visiting Paris from Brussels. They were enjoying a weekend away to celebrate their one year anniversary. One year ago, Patrick laid eyes on Anne at a boutique in Brussels, and within minutes he spontaneously gifted her a hat that he thought looked beautiful on her. During dinner we laughed, told stories, and drank amazing Bordeaux, all the while they infused me with much hope and an overall sense of possibilities. At one point, Patrick leaned over and told me that he waited 53-years to meet the love of his life, my lovely friend Anne, who coincidentally, seemed to be radiating more than usual.

Saturday:

Train ride from Paris to Burgundy with Carlina.

Upon arriving to La Bonne Etape, Carlina and I parked ourselves on my new couch (FINALLY!) and got fully caught up over a bottle of Olivier Morin.

We put my new Pasta making contraption to use and made raviolis with spinach/ricotta filling from scratch. (We called Carlina's mum in Argentina for stuffing tips)

Carlina is knee deep in Game of Thrones (about time!), so I happily helped her kill a couple of episodes with the help of a glass of Goisot. Reminding me how freaking excited I am for GoT Season 4 to begin.

At bedtime, I laid there staring out my bedroom window at the village rooftops and noticed that that the cloud cover had dissipated and made way to one of my favorite sites in the village-- a star filled sky. Just breathtaking. 

I slept like a baby.

Sunday:

It's really fun to wake up with one of your girlfriends sleeping in a nearby bedroom. So I made coffee and brought a cup up to her so she could linger in bed a while longer.

The sun shone all day and the temperatures continue to be relatively mild.

Goût du lait is sprouting up all over my garden.. in February.

We took a walk along the backside of the village and to visit our friend Diane's garden which  is nestled right up to the pine trees and the Serein river. So many plans for D's garden... kale crops, lettuce,  picnics on blankets, bbq's, etc. We need Rod to return from the states so he can captain this project.

After I dropped her at the train station, I returned to the house to knock off a "small" painting project. I painted one of the living room radiators.

Before; yellow

After: Blanc calcaire

Whoa. Although small in dimension, painting radiators is no quick task, lots of nooks and crannies. Only one way to turn that task into a mind blowing, spiritual awakening...

Nina Simone Live at Montreux, 1976. One word- damn.

And now I sit in front of my fire, in my house in the French wine country. (still pinching myself every time I mutter these words)

If you would have asked me on Thursday, what my weekend bucket list was, I doubt I would have predicted that it would have been filled with this many amazing checklists.

Year of the Wood Horse

"Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning." – Gloria Steinem

My double deck tarot card reading confirms that this next year is going to be an wild ride with lots of change and pursuing of dreams. Not sure what exactly that says about 2013.

2013 dreams that came true:
- my very apartment in Paris. In a neighborhood that I LOVE!
- a house with two barns and a garden in Burgundy.
- selling one of the barns to my dear friends so they can join me on this wild French ride.
- deepening of new and old friendships.
- cleaning out my stateside storage unit (whoa!) and selling my beloved Saab.
- a slump was busted
- trips to new places (like Belgium and Spain) and revisiting some favorites (Carreyes,Mexico and Cinque Terre, Italy)



2014 dreams:
- French fluency (or something close to it)
- a couch for the country house. Seriously, how hard can this be?
- visiting a new country/city that I have never been to.
- hosting my teenage nephew for his first trip to Europe.
- re-igniting my creativity.
- more slump busting
- embracing change and uncertainty with a sense of excitement and wonder which is obviously inevitable now that it is Year of the Wood Horse.

idée fixe: canapé

idée fixe (Fr.) noun: an idea or desire that dominates the mind; an obsession.

Obviously this stone-coved ceiling is very high, unlike mine. But serves as an inspirational direction to move in none-the-less.

Because I inherited a house full of granny-style furniture, much of which is from the 50's, I am desperate to find a new canapé (couch) that will bring this house into my modern monastic-chic vision. This is only exacerbated by the fact that I have a fireplace that I am anxious to snuggle up in front of, especially during these winter months. I find myself stuck in a purgatory of sorts, where I feel a sense of urgency, yet don't want to make a panic purchase and accidentally buy a canape that doesn't fit my current inspiration criteria.

There are January sales right around the corner. And if I get my ducks in a row and select my target, I can hopefully pull the trigger when the prices temporarily drop.

Canapé criteria:

• needs to be low (no high backs) as my living room is a stone-coved low ceiling.
• light in color to help brighten the room (my ideal color is oatmeal since white is just begging for a wine spill)
• comfy
• would be nice if the material was stain proof, and or removable/washable cover
• modular (can be broken apart and reconfigured) which allows me some future options if I were to open up the full lemgth of the living room. That way I can re-create a formal space with multiple canapes.
• no buttons on the upholstery, just simple and timeless, with a hint of modern design
• linen fabric is preferred, and suede/velvet/leather is a total deal breaker.

I have a dream canape in mind, yet I have no idea where I can find it. Here is a shot of it that was found on a design blog. Love everything about this one:

This next one is also nice, especially if it came in a lighter/oatmeal shade, and had a matching ottoman (not required). But where? I found this one on a design blog as well. Why don't they ever tell you where you can buy them? Sigh.

Here's the Newman from Habitat. Not modular, but comfy. The metal legs are not doing much for me. I am pretty sure that monastic-chic demands wood.

And yet another one that is not modular, but super comfy with removable covers that can be washed. It is spendy-- it comes from Merci in Paris afterall.

Then there is this modular solution from Muji. It comes in grey, which is not oatmeal. I am also not totally feeling the metal legs. But it is affordable and can be transformed. You can also order more pieces and extra pillows as needed. God, I hope I don't settle for this one.

Let's consider this post as preparation for the January sales. Although my target has not been identified as of yet.

Transition ritual

I have been spending a lot of time in the country. There is so much to do to the house, yet I am still taking time to enjoy my friends and the village before the extremity of winter.

It seems that I have a transition ritual when I return to Paris after having been in Burgundy.

• Discard any plant casualties.

• Turn on KEXP to drown out the sounds of the neighbors.
• Order Thai food
• File my nails and oil my cuticles. Twice.
• Dust. The lack of movement in the apartment for periods of time can produce an obscene amount of dust.
• Bathe (vaporize) my scarves and coat in the Diptyque Vinaigre tonic to remove the smell of firewood. 

• Text my Paris friends to remind them that I am still alive and (somewhat) relevant.
• Lament the country house before and after photos that I forgot to take.
• Plan my return.

The upstairs WC before and after:

The mint green WC was unbearable.

Gris Gallet is much more tolerable. I only wish I hadn't run out of paint. It desperately needs another coat, and white baseboards.

The living room enduit before and after:

Living room enduit before (notice the discoloration which seemed like a dusty/cottony film)

I think it is important to put intentions into a new home. Here are some of the energy words that we painted into the walls of La Bonne Etape.

Living room enduit after. The Blanc Caisse color gives a modern feel and really brightens things up. The stone-coved ceiling now has a chance to be the star again.