Transport yourself to the French Countryside
If you’ve been meaning to give your interior déco a facelift and are feeling apprehensive about your quest for le meuble juste, you needn’t fret any longer. Vivi et Margot will have you completely and utterly charmed.
Vivi et Margot is an LA based décor brand that curates luxurious French household items. Their rustic pieces are all sourced from various regions in rural France and are the epitome of paysanne chic. These are the pieces you will want to keep by your side, no matter where you move. You may even be tempted to carry them around in your handbag, just in case you need something to brighten up your day (I mean, who hasn’t carried a baby cactus to work, right?).
Founded by Charlotte Reiss, Vivi et Margot was the result of her passion for the French way of life. After dreaming of renovating a country home in France, Charlotte and her partner Sky finally took the plunge five years ago, when they started to build their dream home. Somewhere along the way, they fell in love with little french brocantes, textile shops and markets, and decided to open up their findings to a global audience of Francophiles and design lovers.
If their gorgeous Instagram feed doesn’t get you, it’ll be their beautifully curated website, or the oh-so-effortless elegance of those pretty monogrammed torchons (cue Carla Bruni tune and a romantic backdrop of a young demoiselle gliding through fields of wheat).
And since here at YCB we just can’t do without them (I have tried to coax myself away from that homepage with the promise of biscuits, but no such luck. Those wicker baskets are absolute dreamboats), we’ve decided we don’t have to. We are bowing to the undeniable allure of French living. And so can you!
As the new season rolls in, it’s time to open your doors to some stylish new staples. Here’s how to upgrade your home for the summer (and, of course, for your entire life, because these pieces are absolute keepers).
La cuisine
We’ve all seen the Boursin ad, “Du pin, du vin, du boursin”. This lovely wooden breadboard is your chance to re-create that ad in your very own kitchen, with a delicious baguette and glass of St-Estèphe in hand. Minus the tractor, of course.
With the arrival of summer, it’s time to upgrade your indoor lighting with something a little more rétro. This artisan farmhouse light will have every other light in the vicinity looking like a paper maché basin in comparison. What’s more? Every time you look at it, you’ll be reminded that, at heart, you’re just a little French country girl with braided hair who longs for the great outdoors.
La salle de bains
Marseilles is known for producing high quality soap, and these little bars do not disappoint! The rustic outline, the cube size, and the lovely odour of roses are just sublime. What says summer more than constantly smelling of lavender or roses? Every time you air-kiss your girl-squad bonjour, get ready to leave behind a faint scent of roses and the crushing knowledge of unadulterated envy.
Vivi et Margot have somehow found a basket that will actually make you want to do the laundry. Minimalistic, simple, and steeped in style, this basket doubles up as a design feature and is a great alternative to plastic washing baskets.
La chambre
Flowers brighten up any room, especially during the lovely season that is summer. Yet somehow, it’s always impossible to find the right kind of vase. They’re either too big, too small, too dark, or too garish (sometimes to a horrifying degree. Who approves these designs??). Lorraine’s canning jar is a perfect alternative to a traditional vase: you won’t have to worry about it fitting into the décor with its seamless, translucent colour, and its style is so cool and casual that guests will be tricked into thinking you’re a real-life incarnation of Jess, from New Girl.
French embroidered pillow case
My favourite bedroom essentials, fresh white pillows can make a huge difference to how you feel about your bed. It’s true. Sleeping is important, and if you have some lovely pillows to brighten up your ‘zen-den’, you’re already halfway there.
All in all? Vivi et Margot has done a wonderful job of introducing a new, authentic French way of life to design-loving citizens worldwide. This stunning brand
is a perfect mélange of classic French elegance and sustainable, high quality pieces that you will live with and love forever. Quel bonheur!
