According to the very busy schedule here at Cocotte Design, this week is my turn to write a blog entry about a new cocotte. But, as you all probably know, we are at the end of July and most of us are desperately trying to finish up projects and preparing for our August vacations. I'm sure we all prefer lying on that lounge chair with a good book and a glass of rosé "on the rocks" than typing on a keyboard!

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It all happened when I was on vacation in Ile de Ré (France), in 2000, at the end of a walk in St-Martin-en-Ré. My husband and I fell for a painting in the window at the Galerie Glineur.

A rounded, pink dresser within a pink backdrop, this painting reminded me of Botero. White daisies liven the atmosphere and add softness to this piece of art.

The artist, Partricia Simsa, and this particular painting were a part of the collection shown in Paris, Place des Vosges. You may find more of her work on this site.

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Lara de Greef is a young designer from Eindhoven, The Netherlands. Her company, Studio Lara de Greef, is very active launching a wide range of designs, from glasswork, ceramic vases to bamboo furniture.

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With or without realizing it, we all try to improve our interior décor to facilitate the shared space at home. Instead of creating an individualist interior, we try to accommodate the needs of all in the family. The kids need their space, parents theirs, kitchen for mom or dad and the office often for both.

However there is no rule of thumb in a household where everyone needs to express themselves, you do need to find a certain harmony. Cold colors like black, blue and green awaken the family energy and can be used in conjunction with warmer colors to soften the atmosphere.

Lighting, sound and furnishings add to the harmony you are trying to achieve. But what happens when the kids go to school and find themselves in closed, constrained environments with little natural light and user-friendly furnishings?

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It’s been a few years now that I discovered Marie Christophe through Stephanie Boisset, a talented web designer.  Marie Christophe was presented as one of her references. It was love at first sight and therefore one of the first women that I had to interview for Cocotte Design!

Her fantasy animals and her chandeliers carved from wire immediately seduced me. I also love the mix of materials and color accents that reinforce the interpretation and the character of each piece.

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As Philippe Delerm said it so well in his book La Première Gorgée de Bière (The First Sip of Beer), there are aromas, tastes, perfumes, or even objects which evoke a sense of sweet nostalgia....that of our childhood....

When I was 5 years old, I was surrounded by typical 1970's interior design at home. In our living room, I always recall a specific piece: a table lamp with a black metal stand and topped with a hat-like form with 4 flower petals. The light was soft and warm but most of all it was the highlight of the room, much like a sculpture that reigns in the living room.

Pipistrello, 1965-1966

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What does a Fashion Designer do when she doesn’t want to design clothes? She makes dolls for adults…..not those kind…..Designer Dolls!

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I love the refreshing and exciting designs generally found in the ‘young talent zone’ of the Salone Satellite at the Salon Internazionale del Mobile in Milan. I was not able to go this year, but thanks to the numerous blogs out there, I was able to read about it. From these first-hand reports, I was inspirited by the platform, Young Serbian Designers, which is a strategic promotion of the new Serbian design scene. Ana Kraš, 26-year old Serbian designer and project lead particularly impressed me.

Born and raised during a tumultuous time of political repression in a war torn Belgrade, Ana brings beauty and life to her designs. Her minimalistic approach and practicality intrigued me as her bohemian style and use of color captivated my heart.

Ana is also an artist and photographer. Her handwriting and drawings were used for the logo on the Young Serbian Designers stand. I am also taken with the way Ana has photographed her pieces in real settings. What can I say; I love everything about this talented designer!

I hope that you will agree that there is something special about her designs.

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Anne Hubert launched her own business, La Cerise sur le Gâteau (The icing on the cake), a collection of household linens with an unexpected bit of humor and poetry, which makes you want to know more!
When I found the collection two years ago, I said to myself “Wow! Simply Superb! We can now appreciate our guilty pleasure, "Shoes", among other things on a tea towel!”
So I wanted to know more ... I had the pleasure to speak with designer Anne Hubert, who has willingly shared her story...

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Interview with Sarah Setton, a Feng Shui expert

When we attended the Kelly Hoppen School of Design in London, Kelly had shared a Feng Shui success story with us that we wanted to explore further. At the beginning of renovating her loft apartment in London she’d had encountered every problem imaginable and was about to give up when she called in a Feng Shui expert. The expert told her that she lacked spheres within the construction site and so Kelly installed chain-mail into the window dressings and lighting which allowed an immediate turn around and balanced all the negative energy to get the project back on track. “All went as planned and very smoothly following, it was like magic”, Kelly told us.  
So, we found our local Feng Shui expert and she helped us understand this technique.

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Most females in the animal kingdom experience the primal instinct of “nesting” when expecting babies. My nesting phase started in my fifth month of pregnancy, kicking my maternal instinct into high gear. Suddenly I found myself cleaning out the cupboards, baking cookies, and folding baby clothes as my husband stared at me in bewilderment. My evenings were spent surfing the web for ideas to decorate the nursery but also ways to make the apartment cozier. This is when I stumbled upon the website www.apartmenttherapy.com and the young, dynamic Brooklyn artist, Este Lewis.

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I met Stephanie Doliguez in 2007 when she worked for Studio Andrée Putman. I was fortunate enough, along with the Atelier Martin Berger, to collaborate with her on several projects for which she was responsible.  At the studio, it’s like one big family.  As such, everyone, from the stylist to the project manager, is emotionally invested and takes a great interest in ongoing projects.

Two-story apartment, Brussels - View of helical staircase

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These past few years, with my husband, we have taken a great interest in buying locally grown foods and buying locally made products. This is the first reason the Atelier NL struck a chord with me. Lonny van Rijswijck and Nadine Sterk, who together make up Atelier NL, create pottery with clay dug from Dutch farms. They then label these pieces with the precise coordinates from where the clay was obtained. This leads me to the second reason the Atelier NL caught my eye, this pottery could potentially be made from the same soil my forefathers once cultivated.

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Is it worth spending £ 3000 to attend the Kelly Hoppen School of Design?

Axelle and I, decided to try out the internationally renowned decorator’s school of interior design in London. Main objective: to overcome our fear of neutral linens and find out just how Kelly has been so successful and just what her secret is to rising to the top.

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A contemporary shift on traditional ceramics

It was during the “d’Après Nature” exposition, organized by Françoise Vanel in St Martin d’Uriage, that I met Blanche de Bodinat to see her new pieces.

Blanche in front of “Black Boy” (in black sandstone), my favourite during the exposition.

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Was it by chance that Dominique Picquier, chose to organize a “cocotte” diner when Cocotte-Design launched the blog? Well, this talented fabric designer in Paris was actually referring to culinary Dutch ovens and not to little hens (Côté Paris, Hiver 2010-Janvier 2010). The Cocottes think it was destiny!
Cocotte Design voted unanimously when seeking our first design guest: the up & coming Dominique Picquier.

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