The Paris 2024 Olympics have put the red, white, and blue (or if you’re French, blue white and red!) front and center again. At breakfast this morning, that thought made these lovely, perfect wonders
Read MoreTime slips away doesn’t it? I’ve always had wanderlust, and visiting Paris seemed inevitable after studying French. Of course I’d go. But the years disappeared. My 40s came along. I started a Coastal French
Read MoreIf you somehow missed the elderflower liqueur boat when it sped along 10-15 years ago, let’s get you aboard now with the St-Germain Spritz! St-Germain is a lovely botanical liqueur named after one of
Read MoreI’ll admit it. I’m a sucker for a good paint name. So, when the winning color from dozens of paint chips turned out to be Benjamin Moore Amazon Green, I was disappointed. I knew
Read MoreIt’s known for the landscape, lifestyle and luxe goods of its villages and shores, but you shouldn’t overlook the cities in Provence … especially in the Luberon region. Arles, Avignon, and Aix-en-Provence each have
Read MoreTo me, nothing screams summer or Coastal French like navy blue and white stripes. Whether you’re on a pier in Chicago or St. Tropez, the stark contrast of those crisp colors signals sunshine and
Read MoreIn this Coastal French powder room makeover, we started with finding a tiny vanity to make this half bath feel bigger and more inviting. The other major component was finding a small, but stylish
Read MoreYou can have a slice of Provence village life by growing your own lavender. And that could be enough. But if you got the chance to see those famous purple fields and charming little
Read MoreFrom the moment we met, I knew our 1980s half bath was destined for the dump. Like a big hair rock band that didn’t know when to hang it up, this powder room had
Read MoreMy heart bleeds lavender. A Coastal French country home needs it scattered throughout! But growing lavender in New England isn’t straightforward. Our very shady acre in southern Connecticut is not hospitable to it. Downright
Read MoreThe brain doesn’t know overwhelmed until you try to buy some white paint. Who knew there were a 1,001 options?! If you need a true white paint — a goldilocks white .. not too
Read MoreFinding a way to DIY driftwood finish on old furniture was inspired by desire: I love Restoration Hardware’s furniture, but I don’t love the prices (or that ridiculous tree-killing catalog they send out). Their
Read MoreLooking for a girls weekend in Vermont, or a grownup getaway for you and a significant other? While traipsing around in the White River Junction area with my sons for a certain solar event,
Read MoreSimple soil tests? You may be thinking, ‘I’m not a scientist! Nothing sounds simple about that!’ But believe me. Simple soil tests are the quick and dirty (and CHEAP) way to get answers you
Read MoreOnce upon a time, there was a young girl from Fairfield, Connecticut who wanted to go to the Fashion Institute of Technology. She had her sights set on becoming a buyer for fabulous stores
Read MoreIf you want quick Coastal French change in your home, color is the easiest place to start. As we touched on in our paint colors post, there isn’t a color combo more Coastal French
Read MoreI’m not going to mince words. Taking my kids to swim in a bioluminescent bay was a dream come true. Many moons ago, as a marine biology student, my semester-at-sea ship anchored in Mosquito
Read MoreIt’s hard to choose just one. And in selecting Coastal French metals, we don’t. We mix it up! Like adding textures, mixing the metals in Coastal French design adds some interest for the eye.
Read MoreI love a stand of tulips. They are simple, yet bold. They come in colors to match every mood. They are simply delightful. Planting them in Connecticut is painstaking task. (So. Many. Rocks.) But
Read MoreAfter moving, we couldn’t afford to renovate our kitchen, so painting the cabinets was the way to make it more likable until we could. At the time, we were just starting toward Coastal French
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