Dah, dah, daaaah…ta-da! Our lustre or chandelier! Now, I’ll leave it to you design folk to call this a reveal but those of you who have been reading for any length of time will know that this has been one long, long search. Ah me, the good things are worth waiting for aren’t they. Because, truly the universe threw us a bone this time. One for me to think about when I claim with a blustery sigh that my luck is no more.
I found it on French ebay. All of the branches detach from the base and the patina is sublime. It is rusted and the wood is cracked, the real thing. We are guessing mid-1800s. Right away my alarm starting ringing so hard that I could barely sit still but I am no fool. I know that beauties like this don’t go unperceived by the professionals. Except that for some reason, it did. It is one yard by one yard, absolutely giantly gorgeous and we got it for…90€. Yeah, you read that correctly, baby! Ding, ding, ding we have a winner!!
And it arrived like the elegant lady that she is, right on time before my Sister’s arrival, just when I was hoping to spruce up les environs a little bit (although I know that Robin and I could have a great time in a tent in the wilderness, still, bah I can’t help it). I then turned towards our pair of bridge chairs (from the 50s and 30s if you are looking left to right) and finally bought some wonderful cream fabric with a slight stretch in it from my wonderful seller at the market (more of her soon) for 10€. I do not have a hand for this type of thing but between tacks, sewing and even moving tape (!), they look a fine spot better than they did with the “temporary” getup that has been in place for a year!
So one plus two equals something much more pulled together on our non-existent budget. All that remained were a few more touches…
…gathering the most winsome lavender roses to make a girl sigh…
…stocking up on regional specialities until the refrigerator door would barely close…airing the vintage linen sheets…but most importantly…
…ramping up the welcoming committee!
As I have most likely made clear by now, a lovely time was had by all and I will be sharing more of our time together soon. Robin, come back soon! I love you, Sister!
Thanks to all of you that were so appreciative of my last post about our shooting an ad for Apple in Botswana. For those of you that for some crazy reason were not glued to your computers this weekend, you can see it here. And yes, I will happily continue with our Past Adventures, including reposting the initial two for all of you wonderful new readers.
Have a fantastic week everyone!
Your home is looking so lovely, Heather! Love this chandelier – just divine!
~ Clare x
Beautiful post .. love that third picture down. Your roses are gorgeous against the silver and your living room is stunning. Gorgeous chandelier and such a cute pup!
xxleslie
After I posted my comment, I thought to myself, of course she knows how Paris is. Everyone has to pay their Paris dues before wising up and moving out! I still have a few more Paris years to go until I enjoy the luxuries of space, cheaper rent, sunshine, and beauty. For now, I'll just live vicariously through blogs like yours. 🙂
Thank you so much Ann. We have been searching for a year! We would find things (like a beautiful Italian lustre at the Montpellier deballage for 1600 €) and then couldn't afford them and find nothing when we could. So we are relieved. Merci as well for the compliment. We have travelled a lot and always tried to bring things back when we could. 🙂
Totally different from the crystal giant that I had found not too long ago but we are thrilled with it Contessa. I do love me some sparkles though…
I should have known that you would appreciate this especially Debra! Will keep my fingers crossed for your find too… 🙂
Oh David, somehow this comment got lost in the blog void and so I am just seeing it now. Titania! You certainly know how to make a girl swoon. Shakespeare was my special focus when I was acting. Imagine my red hair in curls nearly half way down my arm and even paler (pre-Africa!) skin. That was a world of words and emotions I never tired of diving in to, over and over again. Actually, I used to do one of her speeches for auditions ("These are the forgeries of jealousy" Act II, scene II) and would have loved to have played her. It is a small role but how much fun it would be to put self-righteous Oberon in his place once and for all!
As for the geegaws, I am especially delighted that the Princess curtains have found such a wonderful home and have full confidence that the rest, by hook or by crook, will also find freedom from the oppression of their competitive surroundings!
What a beautiful lustre — and what a steal! I'm still reeling from shopping for a chandelier six months ago. Your salon has so much personality, I love all the quiet, quirky touches. Enjoy your new furniture!
DEEE~~~~~VINE!
I'm screaming…you lucky, lucky girl to have gotten that gorgeous chandelier for only ninety euros! Sometimes you have to love ebay I've got my eye on a lovely thing from France too. I'm so glad you had a wonderful time with your sister and Ben looks handsome as ever. I've been away from my computer for a few days so will have to go visit about your shoot.
XX
Debra~
what a beautiful chandelier…and the colour of those roses…love… xv
Not surprisingly, Heather, there are several friends who would LOVE to have one or another of the individual fixtures from Miss Kitty's bathroom. I do have a few female friends who have sufficient irony to carry-off, so to speak, that chandelier…..and the curtains are perfect for my friends', Cyrus and Michelle, 8 year-old daughter. She's at the age when "Princess curtains" in her girly bedroom would thrill her. The bathtub, in and of itself, wouldn't be BAD….if it weren't combined with everything else, so I'll be giving it, also, to one of the three friends (all women) who seen the photograph and sincerely love it. The final fact is that everything is expensive, and nothing would seem untowardly if it were the ONLY thing of its sort in the room. As things stand, the bathroom-situation is rather like having five very-drunk folks at the same, small cocktail party, when just one would seem amusing.
Proportion and restraint are all….don't you agree?
By the way (and to be honest), I finally saw the pictures of you in Africa. For some reason, I'd imagined you as looking differently. Take it as a compliment that I took one look and thought "Oh….that's a face any director with good sense would immediately cast as Titania".
No wonder Our Remi is so smitten…..
—–david terry
How did I know in advance that the tub would be in the center of the room? But I did. I think that it was the words "hunter-green" that did it. Oh my, David this is another to add to my favorite David Terry comments of all time. Whew. Although I shouldn't be laughing as holy cannoli is this atrocity going to set you both back a pretty penny in renovations. And no need to send a photo–there is no way it could come close to the fantastically detailed picture you have already painted for me so wonderfully. I am still trying to decide which detail is my favorite.
As for Gunsmoke, you have clearly forgotten that French television planning runs about 20 years behind schedule, hence the enooormous popularity of "Murder She Wrote"…
More good karma for you Mr. Terry for making me laugh today…
xo
H
Well, that's a lovely (and just quirky enough for my tastes) chandelier, and the previous commentators were right in saying that you have one elegant, airy, very CALMING room.
Have I told you about my new chandelier des horreurs?
I'm sure I've told you that this 220 year-old house was, only about fifteen years ago, renovated and turned into an "upscale" B&B. One of the improvements (the only one which isn't completely wonderful) is the truly dreadful (plain out EMBARASSING, to be more precise) master-bathroom, which used to be the old smokehouse until it was moved to the back of the house and joined-on.
The room is only technically a "master" bathroom. Essentially,it's the least "masterly" room I've ever been in. In short?….it was designed/decorated to service "The Bridal Suite" (they used to hold a lot of fancy, foo-foo weddings here for folks who wanted their Ye Olde Colonial Experience).
Oh, Heather….I'll send you a photograph, but for now?….the room is 15' x 18' (that's a bigass bathroom by anyone's standards). The walls are painted a glossy hunter-green. the sinks and counters are glossy marble with white, curlicue enamel trim. the floor to ceiling cabinets are an equally glossy fake mahogany with fake-silver, "Victorian" fixtures. The enormous bathtub is situated in the EXACT MIDDLE of this preposterous room, and has loops of ribbons and lush red roses painted all around its base. The curtains on the two windows are hung with dainty, beaded panels of flowery lace (yes, they look like wedding veils) and suspended from their silvery rods (with rose finials) by individual ceramic rosebuds.
And directly above it ALL (this is a very high-celinged room) hangs a three-tiered, 13-branched, pale-green, metal chandelier…cast in a floral/vine motif and absolutely DRIPPING with loops of crystal, beaded gee-gaws, with extra-bonus, rose-colored crystals hung…presumably just to make sure you don't miss the effect.
We're horrified by this entire business, particularly in that it's obviously very expensive. My mother's comment (she saw a photograph) was "Well, that's certainly all the ugly that money can buy". Herve's comment was "I feel like I'm in Miss Kitty's bathroom, from 'Gunsmoke'…" (don't ask me how a Frenchman who's just turned only forty would know about "Gunsmoke", but he always does surprise me). When I was moving in, I apologized about the room and made it CLEAR that nothing about it was my idea. I asked "What's the first thing you think when you see this bathroom?". A twenty-something black guy from Durham immedaitely said "This here a bathroom to have SEX in! Ladies gone to LOVE it, man!!! You one Lucky Dude!!!"
I don't regard myself as being particularly "lucky", at least not in regard to this chandeliered chamber of decorative horrors (for which I'll very soon be obliged to cough up a lot of money in order to have the whole thing gutted…and that'll entail taking out a window to get the damned rose-bower bridal tub out of the room.
Oh well. This is lengthy, but I thought a little contrast might bolster your already-obvious appreciation of your own chandelier.
Advisedly yours as ever,
David Terry
http://www.davidterryart.com
It's so much fun to be à la recherche, and then find the perfect treasure. Your place looks lovely and gracious and the roses are a wonderful touch. (But my favorite part is the smiling dog, I must say.)
Merci Laura! Hoping that you are having a beautiful summer in Rome…
Yet another thing we have in common, Jeanne. I practically DID have them in every room in our old house but the buyer's one stipulation was that they got to keep all of the lighting! And since they paid our asking price (and were the first to visit even before it was on the market) we agreed. So poof! Time to start from scratch!
I couldn't help it but jump in the air Sister!! I was so thrilled to see pretty you (fresh as a daisy) coming out of customs!!! Yippeee!!!
Linda, I never want anyone to feel pressured to leave a comment and am so happy that it resonated with you. 🙂
Ella, we did our time in Paris and so know verrry well what it means to have a 100m2 apartment! If I told you what our rent is you would fall off your divan!
Thank you so much, Helen–coming from your painterly perspective I am quite thrilled by your compliments! The rug is one of my favorite pieces. I can't tell you how hard it was to find one that was faded! And yet that is another example of great luck. I do believe that is precisely why no one else wanted it and so with shipping it was only 200€. Another ebay score.
I hope that you have a wonderful time with your out of town company and I am sure that your home will be gorgeous and welcoming.
xo,
H
Judith! That is a pretty crazy deal too! Wow. You must have been so thrilled. 🙂
And funny you should mention it because out of nowhere we have big winds a blowin' through town–muuuch better than the frying pan heat of the past month. Hope that you are Karina are staying cool…
I totally adore the chandelier (what a great finding!) and how it blends with the other items of your living. Everything looks so elegant, chic, sophisticated and faithful to the Provence and French taste.
Bonne journéee et à très bientot!
laura
How perfectly muted and gorgeous. Right up my chemin. Beautiful, Heather.
aidan x
Your chandelier is just beautiful and, budget or no budget, your living room is perfect! x Sharon
Oh, it is trés magnifique! Definitely worth the wait for this lovely lady to find her way to you. Heather, I too am a chandelier connoisseur (I would have at least one in every room of the house if I had my way) and I am absolutely smitten with this one. You lucky, lucky, girl! Your sister must have felt like a queen with all the special touches you rolled out for her — and who wouldn't feel special with such a fine welcoming committee. Thanks for sharing your find with us! XO
Wait – scuse me, you sewed those chair covers?? Or, should I say, you made them?? I truly didn't understand that – I think I thought those were Ikea chairs that you ordered new covers for – I'm serious!!! You did a damn fine job on them – I am so impressed! But of course, the chandelier takes the cake!! It is more awesome in person; thank you for sitting on your find so that I could see it in person before reading about it on your blog!! Lovely pictures and reminders of all that you did to make my visit special, but you forgot the most enthusiastic member of the welcoming committee – YOU!!!
this is such a beautiful post – with your weathered chandelier and your smokey purple roses!! Love the chairs and the welcome committee – !!!!!
That is a BEAUTY, you lucky girl! It looks so perfect in your room, too.
I didn't comment on your last post…I didn't want to break the spell that the story cast over me. It was fabulous – not only because you were working under pressure and pulled it off beautifully – but also because 60 Minutes had the interview on last night with Steve Jobs' biographer. I was spellbound by that interview, and then first thing this morning here is YOUR post about the shoot for him and that elephant and 6 degrees…
You have such an elegant home! I'm envious of all that space you have! Wow! I'm sure it will come as no surprise when I tell you that Paris doesn't offer such accommodations, well at least in our price bracket. 🙂
And 90euros for the chandelier?! What a steal! It's absolutely gorgeous. Bravo!
That chandelier Heather was worth waiting for. The right bells and whistles, thrown in the great price…Lady Luck was on your side. You did a great job with the chair covers. Love the other half of the welcome committee. You both did a great job spiffing up for your sister's visit. It was sad to read your post when she left. xxx
Hello Heather
The chandelier is incredibly beautiful, gracious and elegant. I love the feeling of the entire space. It is airy and tranquil and the light is beautiful. The faded elegance of the rug, Florentine coffee tables and your covered chairs are sit like good companions, waiting to welcome friends. The roses are divine. We have out of town company coming this week and I have been saving my pennies for fresh flowers.
Thank you for sharing. Now I can envision you as you live.
Wishing you a week of joy
Helen xx
That's one lovely chandelier and it was well worth the wait. It looks awesome. Those roses are swoon-worthy too.
Mighty fabulous that Chandelier. And so is the rest of the room including your beautiful dog and the lovely lavender roses. The chairs are all right too. ox, Gina
Oh congratulations Heather, what a wonderful find! It is even more exciting than my own personal best: the Aalto dining table I found at a yard sale for $15. That's right, $15! When I first saw the tag, I assumed that there was at least one more zero there — especially because these puppies usually go for over $1000.
Sometimes we do have great luck in the design sphere. Luckily (ha, ha) our luck in other parts of our lives — such as in love and in pets — is pretty darn good!
It is blazing hot here in the Boston area. I hope you are finding some cool breezes in Arles this week.