Saturday, November 22, 2014

My Girlfriend's Wedding….




I recently had dinner with a friend and  sharing over Sushi at Nobu' bar (our get together cantina), our thoughts about life, infinity, black hole, religion and…girlfriends.

I cannot envision my life without my girlfriends. We are always there for each other, with quite a few years behind us, we all have experienced the roller coaster that is life…our joy, our fears, our defeats and successes, but above all the incredible support and love we have for each other.
I am truly blessed with the most loving friends and their trust in me.

While walking in the woods near my house, my friend Cheryl announced in passing that…YES! she was getting married to my good friend Tom….I introduced them to each other a year ago at one of our Interieurs' party. Then I asked: where are you getting married? We looked at each other and without saying we knew…at the house, right? The house being our home in Connecticut where we celebrated my friend's Suzanne's (referred to at the time as my kids' second mom) wedding… a beautiful affair 10 years ago. On a side note, my husband is a lucky man, having been surrounded all these years by these beautiful, kind, funny, generous women, the women in my life.

Cheryl and Tom said yes on a glorious autumn day….not a dry eye under the tent… there was so much happiness, love, tears and laughter. This was a very intimate wedding,  lunch in our living room, where we spent so many moments together, Christmases, Thanksgiving, celebrations, always great food and wine, compliments of my husband, the chef and patriarch who knows how to take care of "his girls".

My friend Judith and Francesca (she really is a med student..) helped me with the flowers, my sons  moved all the furniture out of the house, Julie baked the most amazing cake. Everyone was there to celebrate. To Tom, this is an official sealed welcome into our crazy, fun, loving  family.


The setting




The preparation: flowers in season


Lunch for 40





The beautiful ceremony officiated by Tom's sister


Austin gave his mom away…


mom and daughter


The dashing boys…Austin and my sons








Tuesday, November 11, 2014

A PERFECT DAY in a life….






Our dear friend Marsha Harris of Splenderosa is asking us to pick one of the 
best days of our life, for this month's "By Invitation Only" post.

The timing of this post is so perfect as I am living in a personal turmoil, having made some big (but very positive) changes in my professional life that will impact my work and my family.

For a moment, I will leave all worries and demands aside, take time out and relieve some synopsis of my life…flashbacks…moments of pure joy…moments of pure freedom…A vision of my children on the day of their birth flash immediately in front of my eyes, however I must pick one day, one day so perfect that it  ecapsulates the very best life can bring us.

Instantly a vision comes to me,  the sounds,  the colors, the scents, the humidity, the calm and heaviness of the air, a moment in time as far away from civilization and culture as I have ever experienced.

That glorious day started with my two children, husband Luke and myself waking up in the early hours of the morning to the sounds of chattering Proboscis monkeys, aboard a boat on a Kalimantan black water river, in the heart of the rainforest of Borneo's Tanjung Puting National Park. Writing these sentences,  transports me back ten years and I even now feel the pure moment of joy and elation as if I was experiencing the moment now, surrounded by so much life, serenity, beauty with the man and two boys I so intensely love.

We were alone (save our boat's captain and our guide of course) in a world about to vanish, and the awareness of that moment in time, the fragility of all the beauty surrounding us made this moment even more powerful. I had wanted for my children to understand how precarious all the world's beauty really is. My son Hadrian completed his sciences project, communicating with Seeswee, a beautiful orangutan whose life is in jeopardy due to the loss of habitat.


Living on the deck of our little boat

The amazingly beautiful, fast disappearing rain forest


 After  days and endless patience, Hadrian became close to Seswee, he made her a necklace which she proceeded to place around her neck, after watching him do so.




A bientôt,

Francine



Saturday, September 27, 2014

Staying ZEN….




I have entered a period of great change and restlessness … so much so that even my two wonderful rescue dogs are picking up on my moods. 

I wish that after the numerous trips I've taken to Asia, I would have spent more time listening and absorbing the teaching of Buddhism. My heart and soul gravitates to the Zen philosophy.

Change is scary … in such times, ones needs to find their own peace and reality. My surroundings deeply affect my moods and I find refuge in nature and my home. I am able to capture moments of great but simple beauty, be it a sun ray of pure morning light casting shadows of tree leaves on my walls, the sound of morning dove, the thought of a friend.

All the emotions and feelings are part of the personal journey reflected in my design work.

Share with me a few moments of Bliss, Zen and Beauty ….













These images are from my various Interior Design projects.

Soon InterieursDesign Studio by Francine Gardner is too launch.

Join us on October 14th at Interieurs, 228 East 58th Street for an intimate gathering celebrating our design work and our new website.

Dreaming of a Zen refuge…email me: fgardner@interieurs.com








Monday, September 15, 2014

AD INTERIEURS 2014 AT MUSEE DES ARTS DECORATIFS




September in Paris is always a treat. The weather was gorgeous, dinner with Jose Esteves and Monique Duveau- Cote Sud- an amazing culinary experience at their favorite bistro Paul Bert…not to be missed next time you are in Paris.
I cut my visit  to Maisons et Objets down to one day, just enough time to meet with my vendors and be on the look out for new interesting ideas, pieces. The inspirations from Elizabeth Leriche were brilliant…a post to follow.

The highlight of my whirlwind trip to Paris was the AD INTERIEURS 2014 show at the Arts Decoratifs. For the 5th year, AD magazine invited 16 top french designers to create a room based on a piece from The Arts Decoratifs Museum. This show objective is to elevate "l'art De Vivre" to its highest level, reaching out to the most skills artisans and talented architects designers. This is the best representation of French Design.


 The dressing room "Dandy" by Christian Auer is based on Michel Boyer monumental chandelier, 1972




The Reading Room by Architects  Bismut et Bismut was designed around Jacques Adnet's desk and chair, 1950






The Piano Bar by studio Alberto Pinto was inspired by the Museum piece"Gueridon" by Philippe Hiquily, 1960's





Amazing texture and color of the piano



Vincent Darre imagined a living room within a crate, based on Armand Sculpture#1






Noe Duchaufour Lawrence's design room, a twist on the original piece by George de Feure vitrine, 1900



Beautiful details of the fabric draping 



Gilles and Boissier duo desk inspired by an 1860 vitrine "Fleuves"






Jean Francois Graff's inspiration cam from an exquisite Ming Dynastie 14th century vase.




My favorite room by Chahan Minassian, a presidential desk from Cesar,1966









Luis Laplace imagined a latin lover refuge, inspired by a Clement Mere desk, 1923





Isabelle Stanislas room is simply amazing, juxtaposing dorian, marble, glass…modern luxury in its pure form. Her inspiration, a 16th century venetian trunk is housed under glass.








Pierre  Yovanovitch living room is inspired by a Biaritz garden chair from Pierre Dariel, 1926



The amazing Bathroom by Charles Zana incorporates an Ettore Scottsass chandelier, 1957




Hope you are inspired...

A Bientot,

Francine



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