I am slightly obsessed with anything that has skulls on it which is why this wallpaper caught my eye.
I don’t even like wallpaper, I’m usually drawn to clothes and/or accessories that use skulls in the design, but this wallpaper from Rockett St George is fabulous - I love it!

Here’s the official gumph ~
Skull Wallpaper - Bronze Flock on Oil Slick.
The signature paper featuring skulls in a reflective bronze, deep pile velvet on a incredible light-catching, iridescent base, using horribly expensive ink which changes colour as you walk past it - through reds, greens, blacks and golds - like an oil slick.
Printed on non-woven paper. Roll size 52cm x 10.05m, repeat 56cm.
Please note that this is a specialist [foil/flock/glitter/hand printed] paper that requires expert handling. Always follow the hanging guidelines closely. For the holographic papers you must cover the walls in the alkaline-resistant primer and cross line the walls using a good quality lining paper.
This wallpaper is made-to-order by hand and has a 2-5 week delivery time.
Price ~ £210

Posted on Zeitgeist

The Wine Connoisseur

I love all of these cushions.
Hmmm, loving cushions, that makes it official - I am old.

Skull and Cross Bones polk dot cushion.
This cushion has an invisible zip, measures 40 x 40cm, the decorative side is polyester and the reverse side is cotton.
60€

Chinese portrait cushion.
This cushion has an invisible zip,, measures 40 x 40cm, the decorative side is polyester and the reverse side is cotton.
30€

Bulldog portrait cushion.
This cushion has an invisible zip,, measures 40 x 40cm, the decorative side is polyester and the reverse side is available in cotton or leather. Machine washable at 30°C.
49€

I found all these cushions on a French website, so my translations may be incorrect in places. I really like the Bulldog one, but having said that I wouldn’t buy any of them because they are polyester - Yuk!

This Swarovski crystal studded loo by Jemal Wright proves that money can’t buy taste.
Designed by Jemal Wright for the ‘Isis’ range of bathroom fittings, it is available either fully or partially handset with Swarovski crystals.
Jemal Wright says the design is, “the epitome of bathroom couture.”
Price $75,000.

I’m sure Paris Hilton would love this loo; she’s known to be a fan of Swarovski crystal so she probably already has one.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything quite so vulgar, and I cant imagine how difficult it is to clean - Yuk!

The Wine Connoisseur

About a month ago we finally purchased a new office chair from Conforama in Narbonne.
When we fist moved to France we bought a black leather office chair from Fly, it was a nice looking chair, which was solid and comfortable, until the base snapped - nothing to do with my big bum.
Obviously we chucked the broken chair out (took it to the recycling place in Durban Corbieres), and went shopping for a replacement.
We couldn’t find a chair that we particularly liked, except for a cream leather chair in Conforama.
Unfortunately it was out of stock. The salesman told us we could buy the display model for €180 reduced from the ticket price of €230.
This wasn’t a good deal as the chair was very dirty, stained, and showing lots of signs of wear and tear.
So we decided to buy a basic office chair until we could find a better quality, reasonably priced, chair that we both liked.
Our make-do chair ended up being used for much longer than we had intended, until Richard saw the cream leather chair we had originally wanted to buy from Conforama on promotion online for only €189.
So we purchased the leather chair for €189, which was only €9 more than the salesman had wanted us to pay for the nasty shop soiled chair.

I like our new chair, it is very comfortable with lots of soft padding to cushion my tired old bones.
However, there is just one thing I don’t like about this chair - it is too comfortable … which means I spend even more time sitting on my increasingly large derriere wasting time messing about online.

FRANCE

When we first moved her to France we didn’t bring any furniture with us from England, which meant we got to go shopping for lots of lovely new furniture.
One of the items we purchased was a bright orange suede Peel chair and ottoman from Stokke.
Richard chose this particular item, and we were both happy with it once it was delivered from Perpignan.

Originally the peel chair was situated in the lounge in front of the fireplace.
Since then we have moved it, or rather I have moved it, and it now sits by a bookcase near to our front door.

Richard is a smoker - yuk - nasty habit but he is a very thoughtful husband as he smokes outside on our terrace.
Obviously now the weather has turned colder he wears a coat whilst outside smoking.
After smoking a cigarette Richard comes back inside and removes his coat, which he then throws on to the Stokke peel chair.
And this is where the ‘magic’ begins, when the coat makes contact with the chair there is a loud crackle of static electricity, which magically turns our computer on!

I rarely sit in the Stoke peel chair because not only does the static electricity it seems to generate cause our computer to come to life, it also gives a rather uncomfortable electric shock to my bum as I stand up from a sitting position.
Static electricity shocks, and the fact that it’s almost unusable for sitting on, which is the main purpose of a chair, I still like our peel chair by Stokke - it looks cool.

DUBAI

I’m not sure it would be particularly comfortable, but on looks alone, this chair made from books is pretty cool.

DUBAI

I love candles, but every now and then when I read about them being carcinogenic I worry about burning them.
The obvious answer is to buy organic, which are harmless?
I like this candle by Natural Magic, it’s recommended for pampering, indulging and soothing,
it’s 1kg, burns for 50 hours, and costs about £35 ~ €44.

Here’s what Natural Magic say about it ~
Natural Magic candles are the epitome of elegance and style. They smell absolutely beautiful, the natural oils are so much fresher than their synthetic counterparts and they really work as home treatments.
Fans of Natural Magic Organic Candles include Sienna Miller and Kylie Minogue.
Slip into a state of complete bliss and happiness with Moroccan Blush Rose organic aromatherapy oils. An unmistakenly soft scent, created especially for those indulgent moments and soothing treats.

Natural Magic’s Complete Bliss Candle is utterly gorgeous and perfectly pampering.
Unlike almost all conventional candles (the vast majority of which contain paraffin wax) with Natural Magic Organic Candles there’s no soot, and none of the fumes that can contain toxins or carcinogens.
The clean, pure vegetable wax candle base, is scented only with the best quality aromatherapy oils. Natural Magic Candles contain no synthetic scenting at all.
Loved by beauty editors and celebrities alike (fans include Kylie, Sienna, and Gwyneth Paltrow), Natural Magic Candles make beautiful gifts and can transform any home into a sanctuary.

Comes in stylish white gift box with Natural Magic’s signature fairy illustrated lining and fortune card.

FRANCE

I really like the design of the mirror. I know it’s quite old, it was designed in 1998, I had seen pictures of it many times, but I hadn’t seen the real thing.
But many years after it first came to my attention I saw it for real, in the flesh, and I fell in lust at first sight.
We hadn’t been living here in France for long and we were shopping in Perpignan when I spotted the mirror, and it was definitely lust at first sight … not lust at my reflection, yuk but lust for this gorgeous mirror.
I love it!

It’s called the Caadre mirror, it’s designed by the wonderfully talented Philippe Starck for Fiam Italia.
The photo below shows the rectangular design, a square mirror is also available, the whole mirror is made entirely from glass, including the frame.
Fiam Italia claim that the curved glass of the frame is what makes it a little different to many of the mirrors available today, and they say the design is unique to them.
But I have seen several Art Deco mirrors of a similar design with curved glass frames.

The frame is made from 6mm thick glass, and has a metallic paint finish.
The largest size mirror comes with feet so you can stand/rest it against the wall, other sizes come without feet for wall hanging.

Prices range from about £1,500 to £3,000 depending on where you purchase it and the shape and size you want, and what extras you want including engraving or shelves etc.
I don’t like the look of the one with the five glass shelves on the front, I think they completely spoil the contemporary sleekness of the mirror. I like the plain mirror. Less is more.

Having said, I love this mirror, and I do, I’m not sure I’d ever purchase one. Some things are best appreciated with a passing glimpse.
The mirror I saw in Perpignan hadn’t been in the shop for long and yet it was already seriously damaged on two of its corners.
It’s not easy to see it in this photo, but the sides of the frame are made from four separate pieces of glass; the corners have gaps. So I suppose it is easy to see how they could get chipped and cracked, especially if you rest the mirror against a wall on the floor.

So that’s that then, I love it, but I wouldn’t want it ……. or maybe I would?
I don’t know, I can’t decide.
But as I rarely look at my reflection, a mirror is not at the top of my wish-List.

ITALY

You know you are getting old when start lusting after cushions, and you want to buy cushions for your home ……. and I have been wanting to purchase cushions for several years.
I have seen lots of nice cushions lately that I like made from various things including, cowhide, sheepskin, suede and leather to name a few of the materials.
I love all of these cushions below, which I found online at a sheepskin website.

Smooth Long Wool Cushion.
100% Sheepskin. Button fastening. Luxury Filler. Specialist Dry Clean only.
Available in Ivory, Chocolate or Bolzano.
Size: 46cm square.
Price: £78.00

Cowhide Suede Backed Cushion. As a natural product each cushion is unique.
Suede Back. Zip opening. Luxury filler. Specialist Dry Clean only.
Available in Tri-colour.
Size 46cm square.
Price: £60.00

Pure Mongolian Sheepskin Cushion.
Matching suede back. Zip fastening. Luxury filler. Specialist Dry Clean only .
Available in Chocolate, Ivory or Bolzano.
Size 46cm square.
Price: £55.00

If I could afford to purchase any of these fabulous cushions I don’t think I could decide which one I like the most.
I like the cowhide cushion, but as we have two huge cowhides on the floor downstairs I think cowhide cushions would be too much?

I really like both of the other two cushions equally, the Smooth Long Wool Cushion and the Pure Mongolian Sheepskin Cushion are gorgeous.
I like the super soft look of the Smooth Long Wool Cushion, and I know I would be very happy sitting twiddling with the Pure Mongolian Sheepskin cushion because I often sit on our sofa twiddling with a sheepskin throw.

Cushions may be associated with old people, in my mind anyway, but cushions make me feel much more comfortable when I’m lounging on the sofa relaxing in front of the TV. At the moment I have been using regular bedroom pillows which I’ve stuffed into some acceptable but not particularly interesting cotton cushion covers. They look fine, not cool but okay, and as our furniture is all very contemporary they are slightly lowering the tone, look and feel of our home.
I guess I should just accept that I am old and be done with it, and buy lots and lots and lots of cushions.

So if I had the cash I think I would purchase five of the Smooth Long Wool Cushions, and five of the Pure Mongolian Sheepskin cushions, at least, which comes to £665 I think? I’m terrible at maths.
But already I’m changing my mind, because after seeing the total cost I am thinking of what item I would prefer to purchase for £665 instead of cushions, however soft and inviting they may look, and I’m thinking ……. shoes ……. bracelet ……. handbag ……. sunglasses ……. hat ……. necklace ……. scarf ……. dress …… or my favourite treat ……. Chocolate!

Life in France

I am quite obsessed with light. Any form of light, and especially lamps, lights, and lighting for our home.
I think we spent more on lights and lighting when we moved to France than on anything else.
I really like this Ventana Lamp by Pablo.

Here’s the gumph about it ~
The Ventana is a lamp and curtain that merges roller blind sensibilities with multi-directional ambient lighting.
Ventana works like a window shade, able to be pulled down at varying lengths up to 9 feet, and illuminates from a light canister held at the end of twin fabric lengths.
The lamp’s halogen spot-lights can be rotated 180 degrees up for ambient lighting or down for focused task lighting.
Ventana also features a pivoting wall-mounted support arm which allows it to lay flush or perpendicular to the wall.
Ventana is ideal for residential, restaurant, gallery or retail space. Bulb included.
The material is a woven fabric.

I found this item on an American website, I’m not sure if it is available in Europe? It costs $560 for the 15″ width, and $760 for the 30″ width.

Alas I have no need, or more importantly no room, for any more lights and/or lighting, so I can’t justify ordering one.

LIFE IN FRANCE