How to add some French inspiration in your home

If you’re looking to incorporate some French-inspired style into your home, look no further. Ella from Moi Decor has put together some info that you may find handy when it comes to adding at a Francophile touch to your home.

1) ”Over the top” French Baroque style You will find this evident in Paris and Versailles all the way to the antique market Puces de Paris, found in the north of Paris. This market is my favourite spot in Paris to visit. Moi is inspired by a combination of the Baroque and vintage Parisian markets. You can achieve this look by combining old elements, luxurious décor pieces and paying attention to detail. It’s very popular for the boudoir and elegant spaces in a home. Here are a few tips on how to channel this style:

1. A crystal chandelier helps to achieve the chateau look in almost every room
2. Luxurious décor pieces such as tufted headboards or white Rococo headboards and Armoires add sophistication.
3. Silver or gold gilded mirrors hung on the walls.

4. Make a focal point out of something interesting like a giant clock, antique dresser, vintage book stacks or unique treasures such as candlesticks or other faded silverware.

5. Plush upholstered cushions in rich textured fabrics, such as velvet or silk fabrics, or ornate French words on cushions also add to an opulent feel.

6. Crystal, silverware, old books or French crockery and cutlery or even a little memento or two from France, like an Eiffel tower or a treasure picked up a French market, all add French authenticity.
7. Enlarge and frame photos of old Parisian shutters if you cannot afford a real Armoire.
8. Visit local antique markets and scout for “treasures”... you will be surprised at what you find once you know what to look out for.

2) The French Country style This style is reminiscent of Provence and many South Africans have a natural affinity for it – perhaps due to the fact that we have similar climates and space to work with in our homes. This style is effortless, comfortable, elegant and charming. It’s centred around the countryside's elements: Think Provencal landscapes, textured sandstone walls, clear blue skies, cobbled streets, lavender fields, olive trees and roosters. Use natural hues in your home or even what we call 'tired' colours (these are colours that are less saturated and have more grey in them, for example duck egg blue, sage green, deep red). It works well in kitchens and verandas. Here are a few tips:

1. Keep it simple, mix and match chunky furniture pieces.
2. Chunky white washed baskets with natural coloured linens and throws placed in the living room.

3. Repurpose vintage pieces through paint-techniques.
4. Natural flooring and walls. Use plaster on the walls or a stucco finish to add texture to the space.
5. Fresh flowers or herbs (lavender) in rustic terracotta pots dotted around the patio/ kitchen window sill/ garden.
6. Window styled mirrors, old shutters or old doors all add charm. Here you can get away with vintage and not necessarily antique.
7. Incorporate new decorative doorknobs onto furniture pieces with drawers to spruce up the look.

3) The French Romantic Style is a combination of whimsy, ornate and the country feel. This is a very popular choice for bedrooms and bathrooms.

1. Painted and distressed décor pieces with simplicity, giving attention to detail in even the most unexpected places of your home such as hanging a little wooden heart from a doorknob.
2. Brocante lace linens for either the bed or table scape.
3. Extra length sheer curtains that drape to the floor can be hung on a simple rod in cottons and voile to allow natural light in.
4. Creamy white/ whipped cream colours can be used on bed linens, layering texture with lace or broderie anglaise-edged pillowcases.
5. A bit of floral fabrics and white distressed furniture, soft muted colours once again.
6. Stacks of hat boxes with floral prints or French words also add to the feeling that you want to create.
7. French words cut out in steel or wood, books on French travel etc.
8. Ornate lanterns.

We hope these tips will help you achieve a little bit of France where ever you are!

Joyeux Noel~

It’s that wonderful time of year again when Paris looks so beautiful over Christmas and we love to see photographs of the magical lights and snow that turn the city into poetry at night. Here are some that we have found, just to share with you too.

Photo credit: http://froufroufashionista.tumblr.com
Gallery Lafayette – the most beautiful department store in the world

Photo credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/afelix/8295546654/sizes/l/in/set-72157617782413825/

Merry-Go-Round at Sacre Coeur, Montmartre

Most of us aren’t going to be spending Christmas in Paris but we can still bring that chic Parisian way of doing everything with class into our holiday decorations. This year we have selected the most beautiful fynbos decorations for decorating. We are mixing the classy French look with a product that comes from our country’s own indigenous fynbos, which has been delicately coloured and makes for an elegant ornament.

These whimsical creations come in a white-grey and a charcoal, with a little bit of sparkle. It smells amazing too and you can keep it for years as it has undergone a severe drying process.

The texture is just really wonderful and makes a stunning focal point. Our most favourite items from the Christmas collection are the heart wreaths because you can always keep them throughout the year and they won’t look like a decoration but rather a décor piece.

Another great sustainable item that you can use to bring some warmth into your home are our bold coloured hydrangeas. Many people also call them “Christmas roses” in South Africa because they bloom around December. These silk flowers always sell out and are a good investment for faux foliage because they really look like art flowers.

We do hope that you enjoy the holidays, travel safely, spend time with your loved ones and have a beautiful festive season wherever you are. We are wishing all of our clients and friends a very merry Christmas in 2014, from all three of us at Moi.

Finding a little bit of “Moi” in Paris

I was utterly spoiled with an experience to live like a Mademoiselle (I mean a Madame, I’m a spoken for lady now) as part of the most romantic honeymoon, in a real Parisian apartment for a week. I was delighted to find a few charming “Moi Décor” touches and influences, which you can incorporate into your own décor. I will be writing about the different bits over the next few weeks!

I’ve daydreamt about what one of these Parisian apartments look like on the inside since I was a little girl. Usually when we go to Paris as “Team Moi” (Ella - my mum, Carla - my sister and I) we stay in hotels. Our accommodation is always very lovely but while walking up and down the storybook streets with their signature cobblestone pavements, I’ve been fascinated as to what was behind the different doors of these impressive buildings? Were they as pretty on the inside as they looked on the outside?

So off to a very romantic and impressive start as a new husband, Mon chéri booked us an apartment for a week in the street overlooking Rue Mouffetard. Which happens to be my favourite street as well as one of the oldest streets in Paris. It is very vibrant in terms of colour, sound and smells and is filled with lively markets, perfectly presented food and yummy things that make your eyes go ooh and yum! Too much of tres jolie!

There are also the cutest little shops and Parisians strolling with their baguettes, tiny dogs in hand while looking fabulously chic. Stereotypes do exist for a reason. Rue Mouffetard is also a great place to go and people watch. I was playing the soundtrack of Amelie all day long in my head because it felt like I was alive in a subtitled movie. Fair enough, the little boy in the street below our window playing his accordion all day probably helped with this.

Our French nook for a week looked like this on the inside.

I found a few items similar to ones we keep at Moi. Which made me beam with happiness. Right now I’m focusing on the curtains, which softened the windows and provided a romantic light that helped create a softer ambience in the room.

We have just received new stock of cotton voile curtains so this is the look you can create with your window treatments.

Transparent voile curtains create unique lighting in a room, with the light it lets into the house. These curtains “voile” come from the old French word “veile” and were traditionally designed to look like veils with their delicate and sheer fabric. You can create this look by fastening them in a number of ways, like sliding them onto a curtain rail or tying them at the top. You can even double rod them place them in front of blinds or behind an opaque curtain.

Our new curtains are available in white with detailing at the top or in stone with a flourish pattern. They measure 2.7 by 1.4 metres. I hope you have fun making your windows prettier and enjoy bringing a little bit of that French flair into your home, nook or nugget of an apartment.
Bye for now. Nicci.

Lanterns, mercury votives, chalkboards and white glass bottles - all new on our rental catalogue

It's almost Spring! Hooray! And to celebrate we have updated our rental catalogue to reflect some gorgeous new goodies for your special event (wedding, birthday, kitchen tea, baby shower). For Spring/Summer weddings 2014/2015, we have noticed the following trends: lanterns are making a big comeback, especially for table centerpieces, but you can also use them to line your aisle.

We also see that chic white glass bottles are in - not only are lovely to look at, but they will be easy on your flower budget too. Mix them with a few votives and simple candelabras (MD018, MD014, MD044, MD042) and voila! Instant beautifulness!

Chalkboards for signage and quotes are also a have to have! No wedding or party is complete without them! View our range of chalkboards to rent under the "Signage and stands" section on our catalogue.

Mercury votives are simply stunning and can be used for for candles or flowers. We have 4 types that would be perfect for this look - MD017, MD018a, MD018 and MD014 - have a look under "votives" in our catalogue for pricing, pics and dimensions.

Have a look at our inspiration boards below to see how we used our new items. To view the complete catalogue, click here. We are based in Pretoria, Hatfield. Email carla@moidecor.co.za for more info.

August 2014 goodies - oh so lovely!

We got some lovely new stock in for August 2014- French new retro placemats, napkin dispensers, linen napkins, cushions and sheer voile curtains and more!