Frederic Mechiehe’s Provence Home In Hyeres
When Frederic Mechiehe arrived at this chateau in Normandy, he was faced with decaying floors and a missing roof. Everything in this home had to be reassembled or “faked”. Period style wooden stairs were installed and artificially worn and hollowed by an industrial sanding machine. The stone floor with black marble lozenges were also added. In this picture, the only thing genuinely to be period is the Louis XVI barometer on the wall. Taken From-Rooms To Remember – Interiors Inspired by the Past By Barbara Stoeltie.
Interior designer, Frederic Mechiche is known quite well in France for re-creating the old world interiors that many of us dream about. So it comes at no surprise that his own home would be fulled with beautiful French antiques, and breathtaking detail. His home is located in Hyeres, which is the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region in southeastern France. Hyères is the oldest resort on the French Riviera. His home, a fourteenth-century fisherman’s cottage which has retained much of it’s architectural elements The details which are preserved give the home warmth and depth, and a sense of story behind the charming details. The irregular walls, original plasterwork and ancient floors have all remained true to their original form and provide some interest.
Avant-Gardenist on Flicker features the chapter that covers Frederic Mechiche in the book Rooms To Remember – Interiors Inspired by the Past By Barbara Stoeltie. Here are few excerpts from the book:
“Whatever the reason, the desire for the patina of a bygone era is very powerful. Frederic Mechichc, one of France’s most prominent designers, has busied himself in his old fisherman’s house in the south of France in an attempt to “deceive the eye”, furiously attacking his walls with a hammer and having them re-stuccoed as many times as necessary to achieve an age-worn surface.Mechiche has proved over the years that he is a master of the most complicated means of achieving an illusion of age. He has stained his walls with pigment, milk, and coffee, ground away at the edges of a stone staircase to create the impression ot wear, and applied layers of paint to a wall, only to scrape them off later to obtain a multi-layered that could have been caused by centuries of repainting.”
” A few years ago, however,he managed to overcome his horror of the French Riviera for long enough to visit a friend in the area who claimed to have found a haven of peace. Strolling through the narrow, twisting streets of an ancient town with a Romanesque church, he was suddenly confronted with “a small, tall house, eaten away by time, unusually beautiful, and up for sale.” The estate agents description of “warped” floors and “appalling” condition were enough to whet his appetite. Mechiehe was on the lookout tor things authentic and deeply suspicious ot terms like “luxury,” “frilly restored,”and “impeccable,” saying “I’d rather contemplate a door and a few windows with their paint peeling off!” Where the patina of centuries did not exist, Frederic Mechiche invented it. First of all, he astonished the whole neighborhood by climbing up a ladder and plastering…… the entire surface of his facade with an ocher paste,daubing it with evil-smelling mud, and drenching the result with hundreds of gallons of greasy, opaque water to recreate the effect of age. Then a team of masons,
carpenters, and painters came and went for six months, and Mechiehe spent weeks going around the demolition yards of the region, tracking down eighteenth-century architectural salvage”
If you like the pictures featured in Rooms To Remember – Interiors Inspired by the Past consider buying the book….
More About Rooms To Remember:
The Stoelties, regular contributors to World of Interiors magazine, depict European and American interiors that use the period of their historic buildings to inspire their interiors. Rather than authentic re-creations of period decorating, these interiors have been designed to combine contemporary decorating styles with historic furniture and decorative accessories”
Barbara Stoeltie has been a regular contributor to The World of Interiors since 1984 and regularly collaborates with her husband Rene’ on magazine articles.Rene’ Stoeltie’s own interiors have been featured in Decoration Internationale, and his photographic work has appeared in magazines all over the world, including The World of Interiors, House and Garden, Elle, Country Homes and Interiors, Harper’s Bazaar, Colonial Homes, and Classic Homes.
Timeless Interiors: Rooms Inspired by the Past by Barbara Stoeltie and Rene Stoeltie– Timeless Interiors is about capturing the romance of the past without throwing away your washing machine and living in an old fashioned way. Primarily an inspirational source book, it shows how to recreate the tricks designers use: she shows why a room looks romantic and how to get that effect through colors, paint, wallpaper, flower arrangements or still-lives on a shelf. The opening chapter of the book is a detailed story of the featured houses. The following sections are divided room by room: halls, sitting rooms, studies, bathrooms, bedrooms, kitchens and dining rooms.
Picture Credits
Picture Credits are due to Sotto Il Monte Vineyards Blog, whom scanned in all these beautiful pictures below. The original source is – Mediterranean Living By Lisa Lovatt-Smith
Other Beautiful Posts By Sotte Il Monte Vineyards Blog
– Christian Tortu – Design Inspiration – Christian Tortu is one of the leading floral designers in France
– Charleston Interior Designer Amelia Handegan’s summer house at Folly Beach
Additional Links:
– French Style Authority Blog– French Decorator Frédéric Méchiche
– Elle Decor -In a former office building, French decorator Frédéric Méchiche re-creates 18th-century grandeur for a couple who also love contemporary art.
– Trouvais Blog– An 18th century Venetian églomisé mirror are from Frédéric Méchiche’s Paris apartment in the January 1994 issue of World of Interiors photographed by René Stoeltie.
–Door Sixteen Blog– Interior designer Frédéric Méchiche‘s 1712 home in le Marais, which he calls “a tribute to Bauhaus in Paris”.
–My Best Interior Design Ideas– Interior Designer Frederic Mechiche’s apartment in Paris
–Interior Archive– Interior designer Frederic Mechiche’s Parisien home was once 3 separate apartments that he has reorganized to form one light, harmonious apartment on two floors with the guiding idea of creating something of the feel of a small Directoire townhouse. Remodelled with salvaged wooden panelling, period stone floors, cornicing and mouldings the space has the laid back organic feel
Frederic Mechiche in the book Rooms To Remember – Interiors Inspired by the Past By Barbara Stoeltie.
5 Paint Color Choices For Provincial Furniture
Painting furniture can be an outstandingly satisfying craft. You can find an old, outdated piece and breathe new life into it with a simple color of paint. Once it’s in a new space, it can brighten and invigorate it, adding charm and drama all at the same time.
Sometimes the hardest decision of all is what color to use. When you want to go bold, here are some top color choices to consider.
Emerald Green
Emerald green is the hot color of 2013, according to the design industry. It connotes thoughts of riches and a recovering economy, and its lushness can bring a look of jewel luster into your home.
Because neutrals are still popular to decorate with, a splash of bright, bold, emerald green can be a lovely contrast against beiges and tans. Think about painting a chest or end table emerald green and adding some gold or silver accents or hardware. You’ll have a standout piece that will take charge.
Red
It seems red is a classic for painted furniture, one that can last through the years. Every room can hold a bold piece of red painted furniture, and the colors can range from candy apple to deep garnet. Like emerald green, a deep jewel tone will add drama, and a brighter red will add cheer.
Whether it’s a chair, table, or something else, a red accent piece of painted furniture will work well with almost any other color schemes, from neutral palettes to brighter colors ranging from blues to greens to yellows. Red can add freshness, drama, or whatever look you’re going for.
Blue
Colors of nature are very in right now, so painting a piece of furniture with the bold tones of blues in nature will be just the thing to do in 2013. Blue can be soothing like the sky, or invigorating like the sea. Choose from any blue shades to create a bold standout piece that will bring the natural world indoors.
Like red, blue tends to work well with most other color palettes and is a wonderful contrast to black and white.
Lavender
Whereas pink or purple may be too young to place in areas other than girl’s rooms in the home, lavender is like pink all grown-up. A single painted piece of lavender furniture will pop in a room and add that vintage drama that can bring the room to life.
Lavender is a great color to mix with other bold tones, like yellow and green, or use it against a white palette for extreme drama. Have fun with it – go bold – remember, it’s not a kid color anymore!
Yellow
Yellow is taking off on the runways now, so why not bring it in the home. A bold piece of yellow painted furniture, from chests to chairs to dining tables, will add a fresh new feel to any room.
Yellow can brighten darker areas and works great with natural woods or metallics. Don’t be afraid to go bold – lean towards the canaries, lemons, and golds rather than the softer butter and cream yellows.
Adding that piece of boldly painted furniture to your home will invigorate your home. Take a look around at what you have already; you never know, the very piece you want may already be in your home…just waiting.
Heather Legg is a writer who writes about small businesses and Spokeo removal, the art of creativity and keeping a positive perspective every day.
DE TONGE Provincial Table- Famous French Furniture Manufacture-Coco House, Palm Beach, FL
Wrought Iron Leaf Iron Chandelier In A Happy Yellow- dos gallos
Antique Yellow Painted Wicker Fiddelhead Chair – BG Galleries -Weymouth, MA
French Painted Tole Garden Table – Milord Antiques
Cabinet de curiosités Clément Lafaille, après 1766. Style néoclassique. Muséum d’histoire naturelle de La Rochelle. Source
Yellow Reproduction French Vaisselier- Traditional Home
Yellow Painted Provencal Armoire – Cote Jardin Antiques
Louis XV Painted Buffet – Bremermann Designs
French Commodes – Available Through Cote France
Marieclairemaison
French Painted Buffet Deux Corps- Jean Williams Antiques
Blue Painted French Furniture- European Paint Finishes
Etienne French Painted Furniture
Cote France Tables
Green Painted French Provence Styled Furniture- Available Through Cote France
Louis XV Period Painted Console Table, Bermingham and Co – New York
Au Rendez-Vous de Montmartre, Paris And Beyond Blog– Red Painted Desk Cote France
Red Painted French Louis XV Chest- Cote Jardin Antiques
10 Tips To Keeping Your French Furniture Looking New
French Bedroom- The World of Interiors Nov 2011
When it comes to expensive antique or vintage furniture, you want to keep your furniture in good shape for as long as you can. Upholstery can get messed up fast, especially if you have kids. Their sticky fingers and accidental spills can leave your furniture looking beat up and grungy. However there are some ways to keep your furniture looking nice:
1. Fix scratches – Scratches on wood can easily be fixed with something you probably already have. No it is not a chemical or stain. Instead rub the scratch with a walnut. Somehow the nut removes scratches faster and better than anything you can buy at the store.
Also consider getting Minwax wood finish stain marker to fix those small scratches on wood based furniture.
2. Remove stains – Some stains seem impossible to remove, but have no fear. Almost every satin can come out if you have the right stuff. My first go to for stains is Oxyclean. Safe to use on almost all fabrics and carpets, this miraculous cleaner helps me to get out stains like blood, wine, and even grape juice. This works well for stains in the car also, so it is well worth investing in a bucket of the wonder powder.
– You would be surprised how well plain white soap works. With a bit of water, and white soap, stains usually lift right away.
-If your upholstery starts to look dingy, or has developed stains and spots, before you do anything, it is important to vacuum it. This will lift the dirt up off the upholstery so that when you go to remove the stains with water, you won’t be grinding in dirt and dust which, when wet, can further dirty your couches and chairs.
– When a spill occurs, blot the spot, don’t scrub or rub. Clean up the spill with a dry white cloth as quickly as possible to prevent the stain from spreading. Blotting is perhaps the most crucial, and also common sense part of how to clean upholstery.
3. Use Tablecloths –The best way to keep your dining room table looking new is to prevent accidents from happening in the first place. When kids are around try to keep delicate fabrics and woods covered. A thick tablecloth will help to keep your table shiny and new looking. Exchanging out tablecloths will keep your kitchen and dining areas looking fresh. Use white linen for special dinners and beige linen for every day use.
4. Use Satin Wall Paint- This French interior walls are painted in a vibrant shade of red. This living room, designed by Miles Redd, shows the red interior we all dream about. Redd adds a feminine feel by using pelmets around the window. A red upholstered French chair brings this red room together. Use Satin Paint which can be cleaned yearly, which can brighten up dull wall paint. While flat wall paint is quite lovely to look at, it cannot be cleaned. Satin has a bit of a sheen to it, allowing you to gently wipe down the walls year to year.
5. Use The Right Outdoor Paint. Rich rattan furniture can be seen through out the French cafes. Copy this style for your own patio, by updating it with a rich cherry red. Outdoor paint is formulated differently than indoor paint and often extends the life of your furniture. Many more additives are used in outdoor paint to keep the color rich through sun exposure, and rain and the winter season. Painting wicker furniture can take a lot of time, so it is important to use the right paint. Using a paint sprayer that hooks up to a compressor will allow even coverage, as well as be able to paint all the areas the brush cannot get to. A sprayer will allow you to paint all 6 or 8 chairs in an afternoon. Spending a bit more for the right paint will ensure your furniture will last for years without peeling, or loosing its color.
6. Save Your Paint For Touch Ups. Over time, furniture will need touch ups. Save your furniture paint for future re-painting. From year to year, patio furniture will scratch or flake off. Having the extra paint on hand will allow you to re-paint table tops or areas of the furniture which tend to scratch. If you are thinking about adding an additional piece to your collection, your stored paint will save you time from matching paint and making another run to the hardware store.
7. Invest In A High Quality Vacuum Cleaner– These old fashioned mattresses have become very popular with Zentique, Home Decorators Collection and Restoration Hardware. Although this style presents a primitive look, you truly don’t want to keep mattresses exposed over time, as dust and dirt settles in quickly. Mattresses are often not cleaned in most homes, yet we spend 8 hours on them in a day. In this video, you can see how much dirt a Kirby Vacuum picks up off a clean-looking mattress. Consider investing in a high quality vacuum cleaner that is of professional quality. Kirby vacuums and Dyson Vacuums are considered the best vacuums on the market. Check out both vacuums in this video. Cleaning your mattresses, furniture, and carpets will extend their lives restore the air quality in your home.
8. Invest In Slip Covers- Joni from Cote De Texas wrote an excellent article listing the top 6 must haves for the year, and slipcovers was one of them. Slipcovers are the covers that protect the furniture from dust and stain. They can be removed and are easy to wash and clean.
Slipcovers also allow you to exchange out one pattern for another. Perhaps having two slipcover sets – one for the winter and another for the summer.
9. Use Slipcovers For Your Dining Chairs- Your kitchen or dining table is used regularly, so consider making or purchasing slip covers for your chairs. Chair seat covers come in a variety of styles that fit with any décor. Even couches can have a blanket tossed over them to prevent sticky hands from ruining it. While a blanket can be tossed into the washing machine, a couch can’t. By taking precautions you can keep your furniture looking brand new.
Items to Consider:
-ViveVita Linen Dining Room Chair Covers in Sets of 2
-Sewing Slip Cover Patterns From McCalls, Vogue and Butterick on Amazon
–Simply Slipcovers: Stylish, Practical Solutions for Tried-but-True Furniture
–Custom Slipcovers Made Easy: Weekend Projects to Dress Up Your Decor
-The Complete Photo Guide to Slipcovers: Transform Your Furniture with Fitted or Casual Covers
Ruffled Slipcovers From Tumblr
Shannon Bowers Home – Featured On Cote De Texas
10. Keep Your Furniture Out Of The Sunlight.- If you have a choice in upholstery, consider upholstering the backs of your french chairs in a different fabric if they sit near a window with sun exposure. Over time the fabric which has been exposed will fade in color. Having the front upholstery different than the back will allow the back to fade naturally, without the front looking quite a bit different.
Light is important, and you don’t want to have to close your curtains just to preserve the furniture. Slipcovers can also allow you to exchange out linens over time, giving you fresh prints and fabrics to change up your home through the seasons.
These are just a few of the ways that you can preserve and protect your furniture. From antiques to words of modern art and design, it is much easier to prevent then it is to repair. So be alert to dangers and do not be afraid to cover up delicate pieces.
About the Author:
Ken Myers is an expert advisor on in-home care & related family safety issues to many websites and groups. He is a regular contributor to www.gonannies.com. You can get in touch with him at kmyers.ceo (at) gmail.com.
Source Magazine Juliette & Victor 2012 – Photo credit Louis-Philippe Breydel
Photo Originally Appearing on Belgian Pearls Blog
18th Century French Interiors- The Essence Of Frenchness Blog
French Table Cloth Looks From Art et Decoration
Linen is a staple of French decorating. Not only does it have a wonderful texture, it also gets better with age, softer each time it’s washed. – Photo Credit Home Life
Classic French Country Decorating- Browse the full range of Mamie Carreaux
5 Tips To Combine Both Antique And Modern Styles In Your Home
Sébastien and Raphael Llado Levavasseur
There are some people, who just can’t stop gushing about their Provence inspired elegant bedrooms. You may also come across people, who hold minimalist contemporary furniture, in very high esteem. Yet, every once in a while, comes a creative soul, who wishes to incorporate furniture designs from widely varying historical ages, in his home.
The ensuing unique mix of tradition and modernity that their homes possess becomes an extension of their quirky and eclectic personalities. If you happen to be someone, who falls in this category, then the following 5 tips are sure to give you some great ideas.
1. Existing Furniture Must Be Removed
It doesn’t matter if you plan to combine tradition and modernity, in one particular room of your house. Your eclectic vision might even encompass your entire home. Whatever might be the case, a clean space is necessary in order to invite timeless design ideas to inspire your mind.
This means that rather than moving things around, and making haphazard additions and omissions to your design area, you should remove all furniture from it, and start from scratch.
2. Retain Pieces That Match Your Larger Schemes
Once you have removed all furniture from the particular room that you wish to design (or redesign, for that matter), you can proceed to think about what goes and what stays, in them. Here, you need to be objective about the furniture pieces that would mesh into your design, rather than letting your emotions rule.
Remember, only the truly deserving furniture pieces must find a place of honor in your eclectic home.
3. Rethink about Your Walls and Flooring
Sometimes, it is easy to get caught up in the larger designing scheme of your house, so that you completely ignore the finer and subtler details. If you are not careful, you can end up with all the right furniture in your eclectic home, only to realize that the color of your walls, and the material of your floor, totally kills all your efforts.
In order to avoid this, it is advisable that you dabble with neutral colors and designs that go well with all kinds of furniture, be they from the 19th century, or the current era. This will give your home the poise and balance to carry off an assorted look.
4. Add New Pieces
Once you have got the basics right, then you can proceed to adding more and more appropriate furniture pieces to your room. The key here is to maintain a delicate balance between furniture from differ rent historical periods. You can approach several furniture West Palm Beach stores that have in-house design consultants, who can help you to acquire the right look.
5. Accessorize Leniently
In order to have a really eclectic house, which also feels like home, it is essential to add some personal details to it. You home will look more and more inviting, as you inject drapery, mirrors, framed photographs and art that mix well with the larger plan of your home. For instance: a postmodernist painting can strangely work well with old-fashioned motifs on a wooden chest of drawers, beneath it.
A combination of eras, in your home, is all about experimentation. Yet, with a bit of luck, you can also chance upon customized furniture packages Miami that make your task easy.
With its elegant decor based patinas, furniture and unusual objects unearthed in the region, ” Gustave “is a small house of the sixteenth century, in the walled city of Belleme, transformed into a delightful tea room, deli and curio shop. Read the original article at Magazine e-magDECO
Raphael and his dog Donut.
Sébastien and Raphael Llado Levavasseur
18 rue Ville Close, 61130 Bellême
Telephone: 00 33 (0) 2 33 73 94 89
Website: http://www.maison-gustave.fr/
A Louis XV Style Gilt Metal Mounted Painted Side Table
At the entrance of the teahouse is the deli. Two-body Swedish early nineteenth Lisa Martino “The House Fassier” display and confectioner Louis XV style chair XIXth “Stephanie Mayeux Antiques”.
Petite Antique French Lady’s Writing Desk w/Orig. Tooled Leather
Provence Style Chest –Benjamin Wilson Antiques
Distressed paneling sits behind a Louis XVI style caned seat
Portrait of Lord Swedish Lisa Martino
Gustavian clock with a Louis XV style hunting table, with a Caned Louis XVI style bench
Pair of Louis XV Painted and Parcel Gilt Chaises a la Reine
A fruitwood table -Louis XV period
A Pair of Louis XV Style Fauteuils
Provence Style Chest Greenwich Living Antiques & Design Center
A 19th Century French Carved and Painted Provincial 3 Tier Table
5 Ways to Update French Provincial Furniture
Painted Finishes on Vintage French Provincial Furniture Using An Overhead Projector – By Meranda S.
While French Provincial furniture is beautiful to look at just by itself, it can also become dingy and old looking over time. There are ways to make it more modern and artistic though. Here are a few ideas for ways to update your French Provincial furniture into a more modern style:
1. Update the Hardware – Paint the original hardware. Look to see how this French dresser painted in a cremy white has the original handles which are updated in a brushed bronze. If you end up painting your dresser black, consider painting the pulls black and distress them to show the beautiful metal in the ornate parts of the handle. This technique works with any paint color. To make the pulls stand out a bit, consider adding a brown glaze to the painted pulls or a dark brown wax to show off the details a bit more.
2. Go Pastel – Painting your furniture in pastel colors is a great way to keep the authentic feeling while still updating the look. Distress the paint finish with a hand sander. Even brighter paint colors look antiqued with a bit of brown glaze. Paint on the brown glaze and wipe it off. Consider painting with an eggshell finish as your basecoat, which gives the glaze something to grip on to. The glaze technique leaves residue giving you an aged appearance. If a paint finish doesn’t look right, add some glaze and you will love the finished look. Glaze makes everything look nicer, and is the trick many professionals use for brighter paint finishes.
3. Black, White or Red – If you want a really modern look, you can paint your furniture bold black ,white or red. Consider going glossy for a very rich French look. Rust-Oleum has a wonderful oil based line called “Enamels Spray” that produces a rich glossy lacquered appearance that doesn’t need any priming. Consider only using this brand in the warmer weathered months.
4. Bright Colors – Fun colors can bring new life to your furniture. Neon pink, bold blue, bright yellow and glossy green make it stand out and also give a great juxtaposition to the classic style of the furniture itself.
5. Cushion Crazy –If you have chairs whose cushions are looking a bit rangy, don’t reupholster them with the same old boring stuff.
Example of Tip 1- Look how the hardware is painted blue, and slightly distressed?
6. Patterns – Add bold stripes of color to boring furniture and liven them up. You can change the whole look of a piece with just a few stripes. Use tape to make sure your paint comes out crisp and clean
7. Frames – If you have a French Provincial mirror or picture frame, do not toss it away. Make it into a centerpiece by framing something unusual like a wreath of flowers or a chalkboard. It will stand out and make your home a talking point.
These are just a few ideas on how you can update your French Provincial furniture. There are so many opportunities to make the most of this beautiful style. Just take a few minutes to think about what you could do with it!
Author Bio: Paul and his wife Julie both spend quite a bit of time coming up with ideas, blogging, and researching all things related to childcare. They take care of all the necessary information related to “babysittingjobs.com/”. He personally thinks his blog will help with finding information on all things related to a babysitter.
Breathtaking French Provincial Office Furniture
French Secretary Tiered Desk – GBP 4,295.00 by Sweetpea & Willow
In many homes, space is at a premium so many home owners need to think strategically about how to best use the space they have available. The dining room is a great option for a space that can double as a home office, while at the same time functioning as an area to eat. In many modern homes, the dining room is left unused, so why not turn it into an area that functions for a secondary business? In some homes, space is very limited after the kids all get their own rooms, so family rooms need to be thought out.
If you’re thinking about using your dining room in this way, then consider investing in a secretary desk, which can hold a computer, keyboard, which can house all the computer equipment, leaving the dining room table left clean for dinners. Slant desks are perfect for dining room furniture as they often have additional cabinet space that could house extra books and binders for school or business. At the same time, they close up so you don’t need to see the computer keyboard, and all the mess that everyone has while they are working or studying. You may also want to get a sideboard that can double up as a filing cabinet.
An antique Louis XV desk of rosewood and fruitwood with marquetry inlay and original ormolu and hardware.
Painted open front Biblitheque with barooque bonnet
Rare 18th Louis Xv Century French Oak Desk, Vintage 1950 French Secretary Desk Louis XV
French Provincial Louis XV Painted Chestnut Bibliotheque – This white painted, display cabinet or bookcase displays a moulded cornice above a conforming, paneled case enclosing open shelves, on a plinth base. It offers great display space and storage. Eron Johnson Antiques
This large and impressive French writing desk is hand-painted in antique white and rubbed down considerably to achieve a heavily distressed vintage look. It features four small drawers below four classic pigeon holes. The shapely legs and scalloped underside make this a wonderfully sophisticated piece of French furniture
Louis XV Polychrome Painted Two Part Breakfronted Bibliotheque– A French Louis XV Polychrome Painted Two Part Walnut, Beech and Oak Breakfronted Bibliotheque C1780, the uppermost with molded conforming cornice above the paneled and scrolled sides with a pair of inset screened doors flanked by outer conforming screened doors, each with thumb molded decoration and with arched asymmetrical tops and center panels enclosing shelves, above a base section with four solid arched panel doors on a plinth base.