At Home With Christian Louboutin

When fashion and interiors collide, consider my interest sparked.

 I love and appreciate fashion almost as much as interiors, so needless to say I'm always very excited when the opportunity arises to get a sneak peak into the lives of fashion designers I admire. Because I believe how someone chooses to decorate and furnish their home is a direct reflection of their style, interests and personality, I always feel I "know" the designer that much better after seeing photos of their home.

This month the Wall Street Journal Magazine has a feature on shoe designer, Christian Louboutin's home.

September 2012 Issue.

For all of you shoe lovers out there, it's no secret that Christian Louboutin is one of the most influential shoe designers of the 21st century. His shoes are easy to spot as they feature the highly coveted red sole.

The red sole has become a symbol of the highest level of luxury in shoes. His shoe designs are a dream and range from uber elegant and classic to outrageous.

As is the case with most creative genius' Christian Louboutin is a bit eccentric, which is one of the many reasons I so enjoyed reading this article. He enjoys collecting pieces from across the world, regardless of if he actually has a specific place in mind to house them. The magazine states, "Nearly all of the decorative pieces in Louboutin's home were purchased on impulse.  I'd say with 5 homes across the world - in Paris, Portugal, Egypt, Los Angeles and the French Countryside he has plenty of space to house his treasures. 

This particular feature focuses on Christian's regal 13th century manor in the French Countryside.

Entry Hall.

 I love the grand curve of the mahogany stairway, it gives the space a very elegant vibe. Notice the venetian crystal globes at the base of the stairs.

The orangerie.

This sun room of sorts is the perfect mixture of foliage, earthy tones and textures. I would love to see the whole room, there are clues in this photo that suggest the room holds even more interest than you can spot in this shot. If you look closely you can see a tiny bit of what looks to be a very interesting and rustic beam structure in the ceiling. The sofa, chairs and table are from 1910 and were found in Egypt.

Living Room.

 To me, this room just looks so french and elegant. I love the soft color palette mixed with the gold furnishing and detailed trim work. The mirror and marble countertop shown in this photo were bought at auction.

This is a photo of Christian Louboutin in his archive.

The above photos shows Christian in his shoe archive at his home in the French Countryside. Yes, you read right -  SHOE ARCHIVE! This space was completed earlier this Spring and houses eight THOUSAND pairs of his shoe creations spanning twenty years.

The archive is housed in an oak barn. How ironic, right? Hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of shoes housed in a barn. Love it.

This photo shows off the spectacular interior of the shoe archive. The space is filled with treasures Louboutin has collected from all over the world. The shelving you see to the far left houses all of the shoes and is decorated with pressed botanicals from his garden. The two large searchlights you see in the middle of the space are from a Paris Antique shop and  the Suez Canal. One was purchased in Egypt while the other was found at a Paris Flea Market. In addition, there are two Aztec totem poles, a pair of Indian rococo columns and Syrian columns that were picked up from Mexico City and a Paris antique shop.  The magazine states, "the mirrored 'basin' on the floor was modeled on the Canopus pool in Hadrian's Villa near Rome. " Finally, the walls are lined with  photographs, including a series of nudes wearing fetish shoes Louboutin designed. I really love how the space is a hodgepodge of all things loved by this artist. The space is bright, airy and filled to the brim with inspiration. Maybe the best part of all is the irony of the collectibles, expensive shoes and art work being housed in a barn. But what beautiful backdrop it offers.

Louboutin said, "I prefer buying things and figuring out where to put them later than regretting not buying them." I really admire and relate to this concept. I can't tell you how many times I've passed something up while shopping only to find myself obsessing over it hours later. More times than not, when I return the items have been snatched up and the opportunity has been missed.  I truly believe the most interesting spaces are those filled with decor and furnishings with a story attached. Stories describing the journey to finding those one of a kind pieces, handmade pieces, passed down pieces or random finds always intrigue me and make rooms feel warmer and more personalized.

All photos are from google search.

Sometimes Pretty Can be like Functionals Third Cousin Once Removed

My last blog post discussing HouseBeautiful's Kitchen of the Year has sparked several conversations with people both in and out of the industry regarding functional vs. pretty. Show homes, magazines and displays go above and beyond to create breathtaking spaces, but, like the Kitchen of the Year a lot of times beautiful does not translate into functional or realistic options for everyday life.

Publications and show houses are to interiors what fashion week is to fashion.

Fashion Show - Alexander McQueen

Most of us take ques from what we see walking down the cat-walk but few people take the exact looks to the street. Fashion shows are meant to spark interest and convey styles and trends, but it is the discretion of each viewer as to how they are going to translate these looks into their own wardrobe.

Interiors are no different. For most, when they decide it's time for a kitchen or bath remodel it's because something in their current space is not working and probably hasn't been for sometime. As important as it is to make the new space beautiful, the goal is also to increase the functionality as much as possible.

One of the main topics of conversation from last weeks post came from this shot featuring the polished stainless steel open shelving.

This look definitely makes an attractive statement, but most would agree it is not the most functional for everyday use. While the dishes, bowls and glasses have been arranged on the shelves as if this is where you would actually store these items, I'm not sure that's realistic for most. Picture yourself preparing dinner for your family or having guests over for a get together; if the items stored on these open shelves were actually used during your preparation, there is no way the shelves would always look like this. Is this a problem? No, but, it is something to keep in mind. Efforts would have to be made daily to keep everything looking neat and orderly.

Let me start by saying that I really like this kitchen. I love the pops of yellow against the white and of course I'm loving the brass hardware. But, all of those thoughts are for another day, another blog. Today, let's focus on the entire wall of open shelves. Again, this creates a beautiful focal wall, but offers very little in terms of storage. Unless you have a very large kitchen with an abundance of storage on other walls, dedicating one whole wall to open shelving could be limiting.

This butler's pantry is another Mick De Giuilio creation. Notice the wall cabinets all have glass fronts while the base cabinets are solid. I feel about glass front cabinets as I do about open shelving - less is more. Even though this shot showcases a good amount of glass front cabinetry I believe it is balanced by equally as many solid door cabinets, so as to give the option for both showcasing and storing various items.

White marble countertops are so elegant, so timeless and so very popular right now. Open any magazine on the rack today and you are going to be bombarded by pictures of kitchens and baths with white marble countertops. It's beautiful. It's popular. It's a beast to maintain. One spill can be the demise of these beautiful, expensive pieces of stone. In previous posts we have discussed alternative options to marble, but let me be clear I'm not against using marble, in fact I have used it in one of my own bathrooms. I'm simply saying knowledge is power. If your kitchen is truly the heart of your home and everything from cooking and drinking to coloring and bill paying are happening upon your countertops, white marble may be a risky choice for you. Understand that marble is a natural stone from the earth and very porous. While you can seal your tops to prevent staining, eventually the newness of your tops wear off and life happens.

Show houses, magazines and showroom displays all focus on the pretty, out of the box, inspiring looks. While these are all good places to gather ideas and inspirations, you really need to think about these looks working in your real life, you know, the life where you cook, you spill, you're sometimes in a hurry and don't feel like organizing your cupboards life.

All photos are from google search.