We've told you a few times about how wonderful it is to be back in Europe again, and how even the Parisians, not usually known for their exuberant warmth, have welcomed us back with open arms (and friendly elbow fists). But what you don't know but hopefully suspect is that our days are packed with projects and activities, making up for months and months of being away.
So I thought you might enjoy to see the life we lead, on a typical day, in Paris ... when we're having fun, gaining steps and working hard at the same time.
The day started off at the glorious Armagnac apartment, our latest Paris apartment renovation for our wonderful clients at
Paris Perfect. This was only my second glimpse of the apartment since back in Paris and I knew, reluctantly, that the chandelier I had bought sight unseen from 3,000 miles away, was too big for the living room and needed to be replaced. So, I hopped on to the Metro with my brand new official metro card, and headed to the source: The Puces de Clignancourt.
Luckily, we know our way around this flea market like the back of our hands, so I headed right to my trusted source, and hopped in her car to her warehouse, a few miles away.
This is our equivalent of a candy store and believe me, there is enough eye candy here to satisfy our appetite for days! Luckily, the perfect chandie just happened to be ready for us, and I quickly paid for it and headed out of the market.
Except of course I got a little distracted on the way out and found a great desk for Huff Harrington!
And determined to make a quick escape, before getting further distracted, I happened to view this gorgeous pair of Napoleon III garden armchairs. Out came the checkbook, and another purchase was made!
And then the final distraction: walking by my favorite, off the beaten path that nobody has ever heard of restaurant, I glimpsed a cucumber gaspacho that was too pretty and too yummy to pass up. I knew I needed my strength for the afternoon, so why not stop for a quick bite?
And what could be prettier as an accompaniment than a plate of fresh radishes served with butter and salt? Yummy!
Feeling refreshed and refueled, I left the flea market in time to meet Karim who was hanging the new chandelier at the Armagnac apartment.
Out with the old, which will head to Atlanta soon (where we definitely have the ceiling height to justify this beauty) ...
... And in with the new, which was perfect for the space. Phew! Check, check.
The yummy gazpacho did come with a minor casualty, and since a stained green shirt was not appropriate for the photo shoot planned later in the day, I had to run by our apartment to change.
But not without admiring the mail box with our name formally inscribed followed by a quick picture to Meg to say, "We're officially in Paris!" with a few congratulatory emoji's (yes, we are pinching ourselves - with lots of emogi's back and forth!).
And then in preparation for the photo shoot, I had to source some flowers, which is probably the most fun project of all, along the rue Cler, with no shortage of options!
I chose a selection of pink peonies that were still closed, and was assured by the florist that by the time I put them in water, set the vase in the sun and waited a couple of hours, they would be in full bloom.
I ran to the grocery store to grab some accoutrements for our photo shoot, set up a few vignettes, and by the time I was done:
Ta da! As promised, the peonies were gloriously open and smiling majestically towards the beautiful Amy Dixon painting that is now gracing the kitchen of the Armagnac apartment. Wow, what luck to have nature on our side!
Before running out I stopped by the bedroom and caught a view I'd never seen before: The reflection of the Eiffel tower in the window of the bedroom at Armagnac. How special is this?
I worked with the talented photographer
Georgianna Lane on the photo shoot for Armagnac, and then begged her to stop by and photograph another project that is dear to our heart: The
Beaujolais apartment, which we were asked to renovate over the winter last year. Luckily for us, Georgianna agreed and we'll be sharing some of her photos of this jewel in the next few weeks.
In prep for Georgianna's photo shoot, I ran by my favorite linen store on the rue de Grenelle and picked up two "tapis de table" (table runners) that will double as bed shawls. I love this curry color mixed with the black and white of the toile in this pretty Beaujolais bedroom.
Oh, and did I mention that this happened to be my (that would be "our"!) wedding anniversary? We had planned a cocktail at the Ritz to kick off the evening, but the day caught up with us so we ran to one of our favorite neighborhood haunts,
l'Ami Jean, and enjoyed everything down to the last famous bite of rice pudding for dessert. Really, rice pudding? Yep! In fact it's so incredibly delicious, and famous too, that I've devoted an entire blog to it in the past. This time did not disappoint either.
And then we needed to walk off the rice pudding so we took a quick stroll to the Right Bank ...
...where, despite being hot and exhausted, I complied to a request for a quick anniversary pose ...
... while dreaming of hopping into a 400 thread count set of Paris Perfect sheets like the ones at the Armagnac apartment!
And, 16,453 steps later, that is where I happily landed: Exhilarated, exhausted and extremely happy to be back on the continent again!
Ta ta,
HH
For more information about the apartments in this blog, visit our friends at Parisperfect.com.
