Roche Bobois Puts the French in Furniture

One of my downfalls is that I really like stores like Roche Bobois. I count that in and of itself is a drawback because they have the best furniture styles but at the absolute (okay, yes, I have seen more expensive, don't ask) high end of the scale. In addition to that their showrooms are few and far between.

I am not really a modern person for my own home but I do like the Roche Bobois style. My favorite of their collections, though, has to be Les Provinciales collection. This collection has the traditional French lines and many choices of furniture pieces. I love to go into the showrooms and just browse. Call me crazy but it gives me many ideas, many which I cannot afford to implement, I might add. But that does not mean I cannot look.

Now, maybe, just maybe, when I receive the updated versions of my books from Kim Causey at Smart Decorating I can swing a designer's discount there, too. Have I mentioned that I cannot justify paying retail prices for furniture and accessories?

A Potential Furniture Source

Last week when I was groaning about finding good deals on quality furniture and accessories I came across this website, The Elysee Collection, that has many great finds that may not fit every style but, as the name suggests, many of their offerings fit my style just perfectly. I like the bookcase that I show, above.

Now that I have clicked around the site I see that they are wholesale only, well if I follow the process outlines in Kimberly Causey's book, The Insider's Guide to Buying Home Furnishings, I can buy wholesale but in the meantime I checked for a store near my home and there are none. However, I have the option of buying online at The French Mix which unfortunately went out of business as of June 8, 2008, which is unfortunate because their web site, at least, looks quite intriguing. The only other option is Layla Grayce that carries many home accessory items as well as furniture. While the offerings on the site are not the usual fare, the furniture prices seem to be a little pricey.

I think I'll wait...but at least there is some food for thought here.

Country French Accessories

Do you like the Country French look? I do but I do not necessarily like the prices of Pierre Deux. I was in Boston a few weeks ago and stumbled upon a little store called Comptoir de Famille. They have a wonderful selection of accessories and furniture at most reasonable prices. Their candles smell really nice and they have a lot of linens, glassware, pottery, pewter, etc. I, of course, bought a few accessories and had them shipped home.

Color by Art

One of my favorite artists for her whimsical illustrations of French scenes is Ellyna Berglund. She also does many other themes but her scenes of Paris and other French cafes are favorites of mine.