This month, cult French label Sézane opened its first UK store in London's Notting Hill. The brand's founder, Morgane Sézalory, has put a lot of thought into getting it right, designing the space to look and feel like a warm, yet stylish French apartment.
Here, she takes us inside her own chic Parisian residence and offers her advice on how to bring some Gallic charm into your home.
1
Add unlikely luxe touches to your kitchen
Romain Ricard
'My kitchen never looks as clean as it is in this picture, especially with my two little girls. However, for a kitchen to always look good, to me it has to feature elements which you wouldn't think to include in a traditional kitchen, for example the big mirror and nice pictures.'
2
Mix up your artwork
Romain Ricard
'I collect artwork from flea markets and galleries, although some of the pieces I have were gifts. I enjoy pictures, paintings and illustrations and love to mix them all up. My favourite piece is a collage my friend Corentin gave me and a vintage painting of a man from the navy.'
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3
Find a piece of furniture you love and make it the star
Romain Ricard
'I chose to keep my bedroom very simple with just the night lamps for lighting. I particularly treasure the little green chair, which I have had for years. I found it in a garage sale and it always finds a place in every home I have lived. I like the way it looks with the India Madhavi lamp – the contrasting pink and green hues are my favourite colours.'
4
Bring decoration to your bathroom
Romain Ricard
'Like the kitchen, I love to have a place in the bathroom where you can showcase decorative objects, candles and books. The books we have in the bathroom are from my husband’s grandma – they have beautiful leather covers.'
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5
Flowers are important
Romain Ricard
'I love all flowers, but I do have a slight preference for wild roses. I have flowers delivered once a week thanks to Bergamotte.com. I tend to gravitate towards green and pink colour combinations – they always look great together, like an English wild rose. I buy my vases from French ceramics and glassware company Astier de Villatte, as well as Chabi Chic, a Moroccan lifestyle brand.'
6
Don’t buy books for aesthetic reasons only
Romain Ricard
'I’ve decorated my coffee table with a favourite vintage box that my mum gave me and some flowers. When it comes to which books to display, I choose from those I’ve recently bought that I want to explore. I don’t buy books solely for coffee table purposes, but I do have a big collection of books of artists that I want to learn more about. When my book stacks get too high, I swap and add new ones, but really you can’t have too many on display.'