Paris has long been considered the world’s most elegant city, so it’s no wonder that so many of us dream of a home that looks like the chic apartments of the Rue de la Paix. And the Parisian look has never been more popular. Not only are high-end chains like John Lewis and House of Fraser including French accents in their home edits, but more affordable stores are also taking note. George at Asda, in their excellent new home collection, have a number of items designed to evoke that effortless elegance in soft colours and feminine patterns, including the Parisian Postcard duvet set pictured, starting at only £12. They have also produced a less pricey version of Graham & Green’s beautiful Eiffel Tower lamp, a stylish twist on what was once a questionable souvenir!
Art Nouveau ideal
Smaller items such as lamps and ornaments are great ways to create the theme of your room, but of course we believe that dressing the walls is the way to replicate that Art Nouveau ideal. Group prints in clusters of odd numbers to give the impression of an arty collection, mixing design classics such as Lovethywall.com‘s Bain Nocturne Eclipse or Penitence with vintage show posters, old photographs and sketches. For a more structured, elegant look, try black or gold framing for the long-limbed ladies of Printemps Commence or Nenette et ses Coussins, who ooze the languor of 20s Paris with a naughty glimpse of its sensual pleasures…
Paris as a young man
Ernest Hemingway, lover of Paris and sometime resident in the bohemian Latin Quarter, was so enamoured by the place that he claimed, “If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.” Whether you’ve had the pleasure of living in the style capital of the world or just a daydream of doing so, try moving a little of it into your home. And I’d start with the walls.
