French Mother in Law in Town

French mother in law

My oh so chic French mother in law is in town. 

Everyone thinks she is my sister. 

My Belle Mere (Mother in Law, in English. Though literally Belle Mere means: Beautiful Mother.)

She is.

We went shopping for the Paris apartment's kitchen today.

We picked out cabinets, floor tiles, a counter top and all the appliances.

 

Kitchen

 

The kitchen cabinets are going to be made out of rough pine wood. Though they won't feel rough, just look like it. No drawer handles, a contemporary old look.

 

My Belle Mere saw them first and fell in love. Can you imagine how surprised I was that she liked these cabinets? Her kitchen is very modern. It is floor to ceiling bright yellow shellac. 

It felt so good to have someone with me. Especially since we were seeing alike… maybe we are sisters?

 

 

Stone floor tiles

 

The kitchen and bathroom floor are grey small stone square tiles, with a slightly lighter grey mortar. The stone tiles are about three inches x three inches, and they are uneven cut, unlike the photo shows. The floor board around the cabinets will be in inox. I held the three elements in place, while my belle mere got on her knees to take this photo.

Got on her knees, without holding on to anything! She is amazing at 83!!

I am the younger sister, even if I do not look it.

 

Concrete counter top

 

The counter top.

Well, I wanted to hug my Belle Mere when she exclaimed, "Oh this, this is it! What do you call this?"

"Concrete. Made to look like concrete. Fabulous." Three decisions made in a heartbeat. 

I think I gotta have her by my side throughout the project.

 

Old shutter

 

Later at home I showed her the photo I took of an old shutter, "My color scheme is:

"Sand, pavement and slices of silver. What do you think?"

Giggling, "Oui Oui Oui!" was her reponse. I wonder if Yann is paying her to agree with me?

 

Scalloped-crystals

Tomorrow we are wiring the chandeliers I bought at the brocante.

I should say, "My older sister knows how to do the electric thing."

 

 

Wouldn't This be the Best Sink

 

Next on the list is the bathroom. My Belle Mere said, "Old marble is best."

Wait until I show her the sink. 

 

 

What project are you working on?

 



Comments

36 responses to “French Mother in Law in Town”

  1. Love it! I can see where you are going and it’s going to be a stunner!
    Great tension between modern and antique and awesome textures.

  2. I love what you and Belle Mere chose, especially the flooring. OUI!!! This post made me giggle. I cannot imagine picking out house redo items with my Mom. We are opposites in every sense of the word. The apartment is going to be tres chic!

  3. I’m terrible at making decisions of that nature. What a boon to have your Belle Mere with you and to be in agreement as well! Good for her that she is so able to take photos on the floor; I think she might be my sister too!
    Love all the decisions you’ve made so far and can’t wait to see the pictures once they are installed.

  4. Everything looks wonderful! It’s going to be so beautiful!
    I think those colors are somewhat similar to the ones I’m presently using. I’m working on a bracelet, pendant and earrings for my sister-in-law to wear for her son’s wedding. She is wearing a gorgeous gray, hematite colored beaded dress. She didn’t like how dark the dress was for a May wedding, so I put shades of silver, hematite and bronzy gold together.The colors looked beautiful together. Lots of crystals, pearls. She loved the color combo and it looks great with the dress.
    Can’t wait to see your finished apartment.

  5. Nancy in Solana Beach

    I can’t wait to see the progress… love this part of a project!

  6. Well, she also has beautiful blonde hair like you!
    I love what you two have picked out for the apartment.

  7. Leigh NZ

    A woman of taste and style just like you!! I love that you two are on the same wavelength and are having fun on this project together, so much easier to make quick design decisions. Your relationship has come so far and this must make you both very happy. Looking forward to more of your Paris apartment shopping expeditions!! I bet she loved your new painting of the beautiful bubble girl.

  8. kathleen in OR

    Yes, so nice to have help with these kinds of decisions–an added bonus, if Yann questions any of your decisions you can say it was his mother’s idea.

  9. OH wow, perfect timing, to see your choices for the Paris Apt. Kitchen, I love it….I love the concrete look, we have lots of cinder block houses here on the coast with original terrazzo flooring….great for the sand we track in all the time…. and they have withstood so many hurricanes…..yall’s color combo I love too! How fun is this and to share a great day with your Belle Mere (another new word for me)……. :-))) XO

  10. Oh my, I kept reading further, Old Marble, sublime ~ XO

  11. So glad that you two are having a good time 🙂
    Projects: current sermon, knitting a pair of socks, and knitting a sweater for a project that will send sweaters to girls starting school in Afghanistan.

  12. THAT’S YOUR MOTHER-IN-LAW???????? No way. the side shot appears as if she was in her 50’s. if she 83,then i am 115. her hair is even perfect. Bestest

  13. Oh, your Belle Mere is “formidable”!!
    Love all the choices the two of you have made, and specially admire French women with strong opinions — they are always right in my experience!

  14. Beautiful!
    I am planting some california native plants in my yard. I started with a few plants in the fall and am gradually adding a few more.

  15. Corey, I love all the stuff you are choosing for your new apartment in PARIS. It is going to be beautiful. Your mother in law looks stunning, can she give us a lesson on how to be young forever?
    BTW, I am so glad that Annie is fine, you gave me a scare yesterday.
    All is well.

  16. It is going to be gorgeous! How lovely to have your “sister” to share in the shopping experience. No projects yet, need to do my bookkeeping, then onto some sewing projects.

  17. Janet with Eiffel

    The apartment is looking fab so far.
    Such fun !
    My project:
    I am just finishing up painting
    the cupboards in the guest bath.
    Black chalk paint with a waxed finish.
    Looking quite nice with all the
    black and white photos of
    the Eiffel Tower.

  18. So sweet you two shopping and choosing together. This is the way it should be…priceless.

  19. O.M.Gorgeous!
    Love the finish on the cabinets and the tiles.
    I’d love to see your MIL’s yellow kitchen – sounds fab!
    MIL and DIL relationships are funny old things aren’t they? You are thrust together at first whether you like it or not – sometimes things stay prickly forever. Other times they shift and shape into an appreciation of one another and something to be valued. I guess it’s one of those challenge/reward things that life throws at us.

  20. annie vanderven

    we are building a sunroom, and battling city hall so the building is sill in the preliminary stages, and of course the weather decided to turn warn, cant wait for all the delays to be over as time marches on !!!! and at this pace it maybe fall before it is done!!!!
    How nice to have your Belle Mere willing to help, all the choices look lovely.

  21. i am in love with you and your mother in law’s choices. i am impressed w/ her sense of what is historic parisien and at the same time very contemporary industrial appearance which is popular in california.
    anxious to see the next few stages. xoxo

  22. Chico Sue

    Oh, how I love that sink! Andyour mother-in-law! I wish she were here to help me with the two master bathrooms that we are remodeling. That woman has a keen eye! You are blest in many ways in the family department

  23. jend’isère

    Such activities unite me with my Viking mother-in-law. But when it comes to personal advice concerning us and grandchildren, she transforms into her self proclaimed title of “mother-outlaw!

  24. outlaw! lol, love it Jend’isere!

  25. Hi Chico Sue
    I’ll send her over, she LOVES to help and can do anything and everything: Sew, electricity, wallpapering, cooking, minor construction… Endless!

  26. Head in the Sun
    So so true.
    After years of prickly, something amazing bloomed.

  27. Janet with Eiffel, I love your name. Love how you added Eiffel so I could remember! Very clever. I am curious about the waxed chalkboard effect. Do you have a photo?

  28. Becky do you have a photo? Is it like the amazing bracelet you made me? Readers Becky’s wire and bead work is stunning. If she had a link I would add it!

  29. I am working on three projects for clients, yours sounds exciting + so does your adorable mother-in-law. Happy hunting to the two of you. xxpeggybraswelldesign.com

  30. Looks stunning so far – wonderful that you two can shop together like sisters! My current project is regrouting our ceramic tile countertop in the kitchen in our medieval house. Bonne continuation!

  31. TEXAS FRANCOPHILE

    I agree with “head in the sun” DIL and MIL relationships are funny old things. You seem to have fine tuned yours. Can’t wait to visit the tres chic Paris apartment. My current project is working in my rose garden which is about to be in bloomapalooza!!!!! My other huge project is to stage my parents’ home to sell. Sad but time to move on.

  32. I love that sink!!!!! You posted it for the first time the day I saw my new bathroom done. It came out way more modern than I planned! Why don’t u send it over here??!!

  33. Love your selections. If you can believe it, Corey, I am still trying to finish my kitchen renovation. I started it when you were working on your kitchen years ago (can’t remember – was that 5 years ago?).
    Your belle mere is amazing!

  34. What a lovely woman, and it must be so nice to have a partner for your project.
    The apartment is going to be incredible. Cannot wait to see “after” pics.
    Di

  35. What a successful day! Your M-I-L is darling…nice to have someone to help make the selections for your apartment. I am currently packing for a two week trip to Italy, including art supplies for my visual journal, and camera gear! Nothing like new sights to fuel one’s creativity! Ciao’ Corey!

  36. Hi Corey,
    I’ll send a photo after I have completed the pieces. Her dress has a 1920s/art deco looks to it. So these pieces have a much more structured, geometric look to them.

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