apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

The French, as a culture, value design and beauty so it's no surprise that their main furniture maker pays such great attention to detail. Their furniture is simple with beautiful lines and is made with high quality materials. This attitude is extended to their showrooms, which for me, are the stuff of dreams: beautiful light, swaths of white, pops of color, nothing unnecessary, in fact totally clutter and stuff free.

Last Fall I got to go to some of their showrooms in Paris and marveled at the magical way that juxtaposing sleek modern furniture with cobble-stoned streets and all that history could make me feel nostalgic and inspired all at once. While that's less possible here in LA, there are ways to incorporate some of the ideas in the showroom at home. Namely that it sure is nice when there isn't stuff crowding out of every nook and cranny. Obviously the showrooms are really empty and this isn't entirely possible in real life, but the sentiment of having only those things that you love and that you use can be applied to any space. (That and some good storage). In a small space, fill it with items that you love, use walls for storage, stick to a simple color palette and allow there to be space between the items. If you have windows, let the light in. In fact this kind of living reminds me of something Gregory has mentioned about his own life philosophy: it's worth it to save up and buy quality design, even if that means buying less stuff.

It also brings up a good question: What's Your Dream Piece of Furniture?