• Cure Clock: 4 weeks remaining
• Assignment: Read Week 5: Getting Into the Thick of It
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This past week I took a few days off and flew to Paris with Sara Kate (Ursula stayed behind with her grandmother). It was my birthday present to both of us, and we both went to soak up French design and food, relax and interview a couple of folks who we are fans of. While not a typical Cure week for us, I thought I'd share with you all some inspiring pictures that helped me to get a new perspective on our own home (ie. eye candy). Enjoy and don't worry if you're experiencing difficulty with your Cure right now. Everyone is. Next week gets much better.
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The Hotel Verneuil
We stayed at the Hotel Verneuil twice in the past five years, and even though they can be quite testy and awkward at the front desk, the rooms are small, lovely jewel boxes that really show how much you can do with a tiny, well organized space.
I love the two tall hanging closets that frame the bed. The closets, in addition to holding a lot, and the ceiling "fringe" make this small bed feel very grand.
All of the walls are covered in padded fabric, which keeps it very quiet and cozy.
Here's a closeup of the ceiling fixture.
I also love how they cover their windows with white linen in Paris. It allows the light through, while providing privacy. Note, as well, the great hardware for holding the two windows open just the right amount.
Notre Dame Last Thursday
Paris is a few weeks behind New York in it's springtime right now. But it was still warm, sunny and lovely.
Green Walls at Musee du Quai Branly
These were amazing looking and the second installation that we saw Paris in our short visit. I particularly liked how wild the plants get toward the roof.
Big Polar Bear
The French are great at surprising oppositions. This stuffed polar bear was spotted in a small shop window around the corner from our hotel.
Small Cars
Cars are simply a lot smaller in Paris, but these vintage designs really stood out. I love taking pics like this.
This Week's Assignment
In the Deep Treatment, among other things you are diving into the home office and tackling all the computer and electrical tangles that you may have. You are also considering a Media Fast, which is a rather radical part of our household cleaning binge.
As for wireless technology, this simply offers a tremendous design advantage that eliminates wires and clutter for those who work at home on laptops, which is also now easy and inexpensive to set up. Our Unplggd site was started specifically to aid in this area...
In the One Room Workout you will be getting into real color, painting color that is. I had a great time writing this part of the book and remembering all that I had learned over the years about painting. In particular, I liked being able to lay out some healthier paint alternatives, and found lately that it's finally getting easier to buy healthy paints, no matter where you live.
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what's the tassle for? looks like, um, well, it looks like a toy.
I've stayed there! Actually I used to live around the corner and my parents stayed there when they visited. Beautiful rooms but the size is really something to get used to! And the elevator... so teeny and it begins on the 2nd floor, doesn't it??
Kimg924, I think it's the key.
Cute but with that ceiling reminds me too much that the original need for the canopy was to keep all sorts of unpleasant things from falling on your head while you slept.
I love that hotel room!
This week i'm working on fixing my dining room. ... Wish me luck!
I've just got back from a few days in Paris too. Great weekend to visit - awesome weather. Seen lots of Figaros (the little green car) in London too.
I stayed here on my honeymoon. And I do not agree about the front desk staff - they were fabulous!
the weather got better in Paris...? bah! i was just there, and experienced such gloomy days. and HAIL! :/
wish we stayed in a hotel this cute!
I'm not doing the cure this year, but am heading to Paris this week so I really enjoyed this post. Your hotel room looked beautiful. I laughed at the remark about the people being "testy" at he front desk. That is one element of Paris I am not looking forward to.
The hotel room is a reminder to question our pre-conceived notions of how rooms should be laid out. If the room had been empty of furniture, how many of us would have visualized the bed working out in that small alcove? We have images in our minds of the ideal living room, dining room, and so on. I love it when someone turns their formal living room into a place for family games, or a dining room into a homework center. Use the space you have: that's the lesson.
Loved all the images, but the dead polar bear depressed the heck out of me.
The tassle is bothering me in those photos of the bed. Why is it there?
I got my daughter's new bedding. Have added color to the living room with new pillows and lampshades. I still have to order fabric, but I see Purl has free shipping this week, so I am glad I procrastinated!
I finished moving the boxes out of the dining room, and am almost done dealing with the kitchen boxes (there is just one bin left, and I keep putting it off, for some reason).
This week, I plan to finish washing my floors (yes, I am still working on that), unpack the kitchen bin and finish setting up the play room (need to look for paint, too) and the eating area in the kitchen. If I somehow finish all of that and am feeling really ambitious, I will dig out my sewing machine and start on the dining room curtains.
Hi all, I'm glad you like the pics and sorry for throwing you such a curveball in the middle of the Cure. I have to admit to not doing too much work last week on our own home.
That said, getting away from home was inspiring and ultimately helpful I think. I came back with renewed energy.
THE TASSLE is the fob on the end of the room key. I didn't realize that it would be so confusing.
La France me manque!!!!! :( Merci Maxwell.
I have to say that my previous comment was written while still rather influenced by a shitty (am I allowed to speak in profanities here?) email from my previous landlord, who treated me like dirt for a whole year during all kinds of nasty problems that appeared in the apartment. I enjoyed the post when it finally was posted and miss Paris immensely, even more so now :) I just care so much about the cure and this time I'm doing it on my real home, not the flat which my said ex landlord so grossly left uncared for - which is a huge shame since it's in my favourite part of Copenhagen, an extremely cosy villa area.
And what's up with the tassle; for the love of just about anything I can't grasp the flood of comments that it has caused. Poor tassle. There are many of them in Paris, you know, but judged solely on this discussion thread it might be an alien on the planet... *grin*
kinky...
@cafegurl19...I'm working on my dining room/library, too. Best of luck to you. The adjacent kitchen is getting more attention this week as well. We are in the middle of stripping and repainting the nasty door that leads from the kitchen hallway to the basement. It's in really bad shape. Also waiting for the $40 vintage Bertoia chairs I found over the Easter holiday back home in Pittsburgh to come back from the powder-coating shop. (Tons of good, cheap mid-century stuff in Pgh as it was home to Knoll manufacturers Westinghouse and Alcoa back in the fifties.)
i asked my hubby to photograph our place when it is done. def putting a tassel on the bed... so interesting.
I forget the name, but I love that shop that has the polar bear. It has some really unusual and macabre stuff.
Love the pics, especially of the little cars and the river. Thanks for sharing. I miss Paris...
@mikroma your post made me smile - thank you for that!
Now that I FINALLY put together a landing area (with great help from the AT idea post!), I can now catch up to the rest of the gang. :)
My desk space could really use some serious attention and I look forward to getting it cleaned up and organized. Maybe! Just maybe, I'll actually be able to study at my desk for a change. I know the media fast will help with that...
Can't wait to take the After pictures, with a tassel inconspicuously placed somewhere in the apartment. ;)
no no no! i need postings regarding the cure ... it is not much fun this year to read.
nice hotel, nevertheless.
Honestly, I'm so surprised at how many people missed what the tassle is for... what were you thinking, guys?! (@mikroma: LOL)
Btw my personal nightmare with the therapy so far is picking colours for the walls... how can somebody be so bad at this?
Loved the Paris photos. I am even giving a pass to the stuffed polar bear.
I finally know what kind of a curtain I need, thanks to this post. The tassel started cooking in my head yesterday and finally it boiled over about an hour ago when I was strolling through Stockmann's "Crazy Days" - saw a bunch of tassels and one of them is a gorgeous, large violet one, which I just have to have. I'll sew a white curtain with two thick layers, then will attach the tassel onto it permanently. Thank you thank you! And I agree with previous comment to mikroma; made me laugh out loud.
I made absolutely no progress in the last week due to having visitors. Actually, that's not true, I got some help today to get the door hinges oiled so they no longer annoyingly squeak. Even the fridge was squeaky.
But I still need a (good, cheap) desk so I don't use the laptop literally on my lap (like I am right now). Also, I'm still waiting on borrowing a drill so I can hang some coat hooks, and drill new holes for knobs on a dresser I'm fixing up.
Those are the most pressing fixes, but a coffee or sidetable for the living room, maybe a rug and a comfy chair too, would all be nice additions. Some plants for the balcony and a patio table are also on my list as summer approaches.
Basically, I feel like I'm a long ways off from a photogenic apartment.
Angorian - It doesn't have to be photogenic--in fact, that's half the fun! My living room looks like something out of that show Hoarders in one picture I posted of it, and I really regret not taking before shots of all of my rooms.