Bonjour,
How have you been this week? It’s been quite a thrill for me, and I have YOU to thank for it. I had so many views on my first post, I couldn’t be happier, thank you!
So I have been searching a subject to discuss for my following post. Shall I talk about paint colors? White? You know… White November Studio. How to choose a rug? It is getting cold out, time to cozy up… Talk about kitchen? I do love kitchen designs. Tips for this or that? So many choices…. What to pick?
Well, I decided to go a total different direction. Let’s talk about…..Roll drum, please….. Let’s talk about Me! Or better yet, how did I end up designing kitchens, bathrooms, entire homes?
How am I so lucky to do what I love to do?
Are you still with me? I hope so! I figured if you are going to follow my advices, my adventures, I should tell you a bit about my background, right?
Let's go...
As you all know, I grew up in Nantes, France, but what you may not know is, my family and I moved about 10 times from my birth to my leaving from the States at 21 years old.
10 times, it is quite a lot... but 10 times in an area of 20 miles...
So here you have it, I moved a bunch but always around Nantes. No I didn't move from school to school or did I have friends all over France, but I do have wonderful friends from my time in school (the same school from 6th to 12th grade).
blue: Atlanta - red: Nantes
That said, everywhere we lived, my parents always redecorated. Everything!
They painted, changed flooring, designed et redo kitchens, reupholstered, changed window treatments, etc... My sisters and I bedrooms were always done to our satisfaction, so my mom would listen to what we wanted and make it lovely.
From the house they build, to above their sport shop to rented apartments or houses, we lived in many, many different places but we always transformed any interiors to make it work for us. Anywhere we end up, it was ours, it was home.
My grandmother, after the Second World War would travel to Paris to choose wallpapers, upholstery, furniture, whenever she was ready to change her interiors. It was planned and her home was always harmonious and modern. Not everyone would do this but it was important to her that her interiors were finished as she wished, that it reflected her vision. Her home was her haven so her family could flourish. It was one way to contribute to their happiness.
my mom on the left, on her wedding day, and my grandmother. 1970.
I grew up in beautiful interiors (I do not have any pictures unfortunately) made to please our aesthetics and fit to our needs, and this was my normalcy.
It wasn't until late in life that I realized what wonderful skills my grandmother, my parents gave me and it was not until good friends ask me to help them design their space that I realized my ability to put a room together was not an easy task for many people. It was simple for me, I have learned to do this my entire life, it was my normalcy.
So this is how I started, my good friends asked for help and I said yes. I realized right away how much I loved it. Of course I had always loved decorating my home, I read many magazines, strolled through all the interiors and decorations stores anytime I could, but it never occurred to me that I could do this professionally until then.
I enrolled in a certification program to make sure I could do it. Oh! yes I could.
My entire life I dealt with scale, color, space planning, etc... The course was right up my alley.
Thank you Mamie (my grandmother) and thank you Maman (my mom), they gave me such a set of skills!
My mom, my grandmother (93 years old) and I (+ my kid) - October 2018
So this is my story, I fell in love with a career that I hardly knew existed a few years back, but was always within myself. Every time I am on a project, my goal is to create a space for my clients so when they walk in they feel at Home, because HOME is what's important wherever it is.
my Home, my Haven
Merci, à bientôt,
Géraldine
Thank you both!
Thank you for sharing your story. Your house is beautiful, I love it.
Love your story