It’s a Tough Job but Someone’s Gotta Do It…

We always kidding that our little businesses are all work and no play. And we mean it when we say we’re kidding. How lucky are we to be doing what we love?

So, a couple weeks ago, we jumped on the 6 p.m. Air France flight (our favorite flight: pretty good food, we can usually get a good seat and Air France is generous with the bubbly) and headed to Paris for some serious spring shopping.

We went to one of the Europe’s best-known gift, furniture and design shows. Eight enormous buildings were filled to the brim with thousands of people from all over the place and hundreds and hundreds of vendors and manufacturers.

It was a feast for the eyes and we’re thrilled with what we saw, loved and decided we can’t live without at Huff Harrington Home.

Nothing says La Belle France like toile de jouy and we couldn’t resist a sampling of clever items, like these cute sling chairs that will work perfectly in the garden and in the house:

What about this adorable little hat, which the French call “le bob femme” (“le bob homme” is for the guys…)

We love the idea that toile is getting hip and cool and we’re predicting these will be a big hit.

Would Air France have upgraded us if we strolled on board carrying these super-chic carry-ons?

We picked up some fabulous linen, canvas and leather luggage from a lovely old company based in Southwest France (we’re anticipating a smack-down over these classic totes which are perfect for beach, country, mountains, carry-ons…you name it…)

(We realized we might be turning into a bag store….)

And, we’d been searching and searching for the famous Ice Bag which, in France, is always chilling bottles of wine in a perfect mixture of ice and water. It’s a totally handy, plastic tote that keeps your wine perfectly refreshing.

We picked out some fun and Frenchy patterns and also a great Stars and Stripes design that we’re picturing in good use for the Fourth of July.

We fell in love with a luxe line of cashmere and faux fur that we’re holding off on until the fall, but the colors had us drooling:

We saw lots of glass accessories with polished nickel and leather or rope accents:

We met a nice lady from whom we buy our favorite foutas. Foutas are amazing Tunisian cotton towels/throws/tablecloths/sarongs that we are simply nuts about. We went crazy over the juicy line of colors we saw. Can’t wait to have these monogrammed at HHH. They will look so sensational by the pool or on the porch this summer:

In between all the shopping, we had to have lunch, of course. And, even in a very businesslike setting, we were delighted to find this:

A real menu!

A darling waiter who kept our glasses full…

What were we saying about it being a tough job?

After lunch, we had to visit our new BFF, Tina Frey. Tina creates the most amazing pieces in resin and we are CRAZY about her stuff:

A very jet-lagged Meg and adorable Tina Frey

Among other fabulous objects, Tina creates the ultimate cool cuff. We love the crisp white one.

Tina’s designs are so sleek, elegant and clean and we’re all over this cool wine bucket: smokey gray resin with leather handles.

There was plenty of stuff you definitely won’t be seeing at Huff Harrington Home like this over-the-top riot of bad florals.

After all that shopping, talking and looking, we took a couple hours off and headed to Les Puces, the famous French flea market (where we heard we missed Rod Stewart and his wife by minutes. Darn!) We wanted to go to Paul Bert, one of many little sections that make up Les Puces – mostly because there’s a great restaurant there that Meg was dying to try and Ann had promised we could go. But before lunch, there was more exploring to do:

Oh, the glorious crunchy, crusty, beat-up and beautifully Frenchy stuff that was all around.

At the bus-stop (yes, we absolutely took the bus and it was so much fun) we made friends with a stall-owner. The stall had been in her family for decades and she was just lovely.

It turns out Ann had bought some pieces from her on the last pre-HHH opening in the summer. Friends reunited!

We look like twins but we were warm…

oh la la! How French can you get? Look at the little pet rodent the pug has sitting next to him.

And, we were drooling over these gorgeous, mossy and old looking pieces.

There was plenty of weird stuff, too, like this giant skull made from lots of small jaws, skulls and bones.

And the bowl of glass eyeballs:

After that, it was back to business and we had the excellent fortune to run into a nice group of young, smart, ambitious and very, very cute Frenchmen selling a cute line that we simply couldn’t (ahem…) resist.

We loved the concept of fun and sassy eyeglasses that sit in a handy little stand wherever you need them…but maybe it was the glass or two of bubbly they persuaded us with that sealed the deal:

And, to end the day in true French fashion, we stopped at the local outpost of Fauchon for a restorative (how could you possibly guess?) glass of champagne:

Then it was back to Ann’s adorable little jewel of an apartment to review and work on all the special things we decided to buy for Huff Harrington Home.

This is really and truly the view from Ann’s kitchen:

It was time to head home after that but we are excited and happy about the wonderful things that will be filling the floor at Huff Harrington Home.

Yes, it’s a tough job…and we’re so glad we have to do it.

Ta Ta.

P.S. we were absolutely head-over-heels with joy when we saw this in our favorite magazine, Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles: http://www.atlantahomesmag.com/frenchfinds

A Little HHH Make-Over…

Imagine our excitement when a dear friend (and art-loving client) came to us and told us that, according to the elves, she has been a very good girl. Santa had agreed to give her a mini-makeover for her living and dining room. Would Huff Harrington Home like to help? There were a few pieces that had already caught her eye…

Of course, we said oui, oui and oui and spun our little selves to sleep for many nights imagining what we could send her way.Now, the first thing you need to know is that this client’s home is already fabulous, gorgeous and filled to the brim with one-of-a-kind antiques, art and special “found” pieces that she has picked up in her many travels. The home has been photographed and published numerous times. This Madame possesses a very keen eye and has wonderful taste so we were anxious to listen carefully to what she had to say.

The Living Room: Before. It’s elegant, sophisticated and full of special, one-of-a-kind objets. We were worried…how could we possibly improve upon this?

The Living Room: Before. We love the lines of the pretty antique bench and the glass side tables that sit on the wall opposite wall to the armoire.

Our client spent an hour or so with Sam (our interiors wizard) and the two of them came up with a nice little wish-list of what the homeowner would love to see.

She wanted a new look for her dining room and was willing to replace the light fixture and the table and chairs for something with a little more oomph. She also requested something that was a little more “user-friendly” for her pretty living room, although we were having a hard time envisioning anything prettier than what was already there.

The Dining Room: Before. Our client was preparing for a party so the rest of the chairs had been moved out. We love the existing Italian slipped chairs.

(And, by the way, what made this even more fun is that the Madame was going out of town for a few days. We had carte blanche to do as we wished while she was gone…)

So, first on the list was a long, clean-lined white linen sofa that we had custom ordered for HHH several months ago. It’s bench-made by a small California company, took forever to arrive but when it did, we all fell in love with it. It’s squishy and comfy but very, very good-looking. We would constantly find clients lounging on it, texting furiously as they took a little break from the madness. To us, that is the sign of a good sofa.Then there was a crunchy and texturey low-slung coffee table that looked and felt like driftwood. The client adores the the beach and we loved that she wanted to incorporate that passion into the room. And, to pick up on that beachy, casual and relaxed vibe, there were two extraordinary chandeliers that she immediately gravitated to.

We weren’t sure which one the client would end up with….

Madame, our client, had spotted some other things at the store. There was a fantastic, 19th century oak dining table that seats twelve at the drop of the hat. Ann and Linda found it in Belgium and recognized it immediately as the perfect example of the authentic Belgian-Dutch design that is so hot right now. Aged and limed oak, graceful but strong lines and incredibly functional and strong: this is a table to linger at and pass down to future generations. Our client spotted a set of nicely-shaped neutral upholstered chairs to go with the table. (We recommended new chairs as opposed to antiques because we find the old styles simply aren’t as comfortable for lounging around the table as we know this client likes to do.)

We thought these would be a nice counter-point to the woodsy Dutch dining table our client fell in love with.So, in a pouring December rain, we packed up the truck (our loyal guys from Distinguished Transport in Atlanta helped us out) and drove off to the client’s home. And then the fun began.With Sam leading the charge, we rearranged, rehung, repositioned and then sprinkled the whole concoction with a smattering of gorgeous accoutrements.

The pretty living room, before. Pretty darn gorgeous and hard to improve.

And, after…

The new living room: the yummy linen sofa sits where the armoire used to be and is flanked by two scrolled iron lamps. And there’s the texture-y driftwood coffee table now accessorized with some of the the client’s books, a horn bowl and two mounted tortoise shells. The client’s own abstract (by Bonnie Beauchamp Cooke) hangs over the sofa. We’re crazy about the interior Frenchy shutters and couldn’t resist adding a walnut table topped by another mixed media figurative painting by Tracy Sharp. And, we do adore the trio of crystal obelisks and the African antelope horns, all framed by graceful windows.

The armoire moved to the opposite wall and is now flanked by two slip covered armchairs…one of them sports our very favorite Union Jack pillows (done in a very cheeky pale blue…)

Looking into the dining room….

Here’s the impressive 19th century Dutch dining table, the homeowner’s own rustic buffet and lovely Louis Philippe mirror…and an edgy abstract by George Marks. We love the pattern that the driftwood lantern throws up on the ceiling. Sam also insisted that we remove the seagrass rug…and voila: the room feels even more spacious. The French doors lead to a cozy little porch that the owners use all the time.

We couldn’t live without the existing Italian armchairs having a major role in the room…we love the play of curvy Italianate married with chunky and strong Dutch. Quite the European union.

The homeowner already had the crusty buffet and Sam had the brilliant inspiration to pair it with an elegant Louis Philippe mirror that the client already owned.

The dining room with George Marx’s abstract hanging behind the table.

Flanked by two floor-to-ceiling windows, this curvy French table is the perfect backdrop for crystal, African antelope horns and a sexy painting by Tracy Sharp.

The story has a happy ending: the client arrived home with lamps softly glowing, candles lit and everything looking cozy and inviting. She was happy and loves her new spaces. And we were thrilled with the results of our very first professional “install” -- and can’t wait for the next chance to mix, marry and merge all the things we love.Ta ta.