French (penthouse) touch

I know that you expect a French house tour today because July 14th is Bastille day! So I found this former pasta factory penthouse in Marseille to commorate this festive day. Isn't the view spectacular!? Imagine you wake up to this view every day. I am going to the South of France this summer and will try to find the building.

I've taken a few (low-budget) design lessons from this place:

- a simple school bathroom sink and and a run-of-the-mill armoire decorated with magazine prints make a unique bathroom
- painting your fridge black looks very, very sophisticated

- structural wallpaper (on one wall) rule.

All photos: Marie Claire Maison

Patterns from nature

You have to look no further than to flowers for pattern and colour inspiration. I am keen to design a room based on the purple pattern above.  

Have you ever been inspired by flowers?

All photos: Julia Hoersch Fotografie

P.S. Bastille Day is in two days..... You know what that means here at European Chic, right?

A home for the Greek Gods

This unusal house nestled in a couple natural caves is located on the beautiful and chic Greek island of Santorini. There was probably already some kind of human abode here for at least a 1000 years. It reminds me of the ice hotels I posted about - a southern version of it.

 The owner, a photographer, left the house as simple and natural as he could with traditional whitewashed walls and sparse furnishing.

I've been to a natural cave house (not this one unfortunately) and the climate inside is amazing - you never want to go back to airconditioning (which is bad for the enviroment anyway).

Isn't this a place fit for an ancient greek God?

All photos: At Casa

Terrific rooms for children

I have gathered some inspirational childrens rooms for two of my blogger friends, N. from Scotland who is expecting her first child and J. from Australia who just moved and has to decorate three kids rooms.

I had a similar antique bed to the one shown in the first image when I was young. Oh, the day when the bed became too small...

Which image do you like best? How much input should children give when it comes to decorating their own spaces?

All photos: MILK France except for photos No. 3 VTWonen Netherlands and the last one: Homes & Gardens UK

British Impressions I

A few snapshots from my recent trip to the UK. I went to different places so I start off with a few rural photos. The first two photos are from Hertfordshire (where Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is set!), the next two are from Richmond, and the last two from (country-esk) London. More photos from London will follow soon.

All photos: European Chic

European Chic goes to .... Los Angeles, California

It has become a bit of a tradition to look across the Atlantic on the 4th of July. Remember, last year, I went to Brooklyn, New York. This year I am going to Los Angeles, California to show stylist Emily Henderson's bohemian new world style. She uses the combination of royal blue and wood a lot to balance the cold blue with warm wood hues. For me this style is fun and fearless, budget friendly (!) and very L.A..

What do you think? Could you see this style in Europe?

Let me also complain of how unfair it is that we cannot watch HGTV (and hence Emily's show) here in France! Why?

All photos: Emily Henderson