In love with a set of doors...

 

So like I said - I fell in love with all of the doors at Versailles..  however, I think that these were my favorites.. 

They were the perfect color and simple and understated...

the stone surrounding them was perfection- 

LOVED them...

Is it weird to love a set of doors?  

So what are your plans for the weekend?  

I think some work and relaxation here with the holiday and all!

Yes that is me in the bottom photo there..  don't get used to seeing me.. it is fairly rare that I am in any photos, as I am usually holding the camera.

images by christina for greige

Versailles in detail...

 

These are just a few of the images from our visit to Versailles.  It was amazing the amount of detail

that went into each room.  The doors were my all time favorite and the hardware was beautiful!

If you are traveling to Paris I highly recommend a visit to Versailles.  I may even go back again and skip the main house first thing to avoid the crowds and head straight for the smaller buildings and the garden.  

It took us all day to explore the area and we were exhausted afterwards, but it was totally worth it..

images by christina for greige

Time for things I like today

Did I tell you it's still a bit wet over here?

Between the basement make over, my in-laws arrival and my son's 5th grade trip departure for Washington I managed to squeeze in a few moments of  quiet contemplation.
Which looks like this: Me sneaking up early into my bedroom, tea on one side, magazines on the other and stick on's nearby to mark things I like to show you...
Well, of course I found things I would not mind surrounding myself with!
Come and see!
From the pages of the current House Beautiful, Country Living and Better Homes and Gardens.

And these from the sweet Canadian blog CeCe & Co.

I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!

On a more private note: My husband and I will be traveling to Berlin, Germany on Friday to see the boys, catching up on their lives. We are so excited about our departure, this being a rare trip just for the two of us!
I promise I'll bring back fresh impressions from the city and of course also some cool new design ideas!


See you all in about two weeks! Be good and keep in touch!


XX
Victoria




All images via shelter magazines and the indicated blog.

garden secrets..

Sometimes I find that when I take a minute to see things in a different light  I can really find 

inspiration..

We visited some really beautiful gardens while we were in France and I must say that I have a whole new idea of how I want to transform what I have..

So far my garden has basically remained untouched for the past 3 years, simply because I was not sure what exactly we should do with it.  Now I am inspired and hopefully will take some action!

These gardens have been cared for deeply maybe that is what I need a loving hand to make it work.

Images by christina for greige of a lovely chateau in Miesery France

laduree and me...

 

By now Laduree and I have become aquainted once again and are deeply in love.. 

well maybe it is just me who is in love..  

I am going to be bringing a lovely gift box of these little babies home if you are interested..

leave a comment below for your chance to win a box of absolute bliss from

Laduree and me..

For a chance to win leave a comment below if you are a follower, for an additional chances to win you can tweet (easy to tweet just hit retweet at the bottom of the post), follow us on twitter or blog about our giveaway.  The winner will be chosen at random on May 16th.

Please leave a separate comment for each entry.

  **Don't forget I have to be able to contact you...  Please leave your name and some type of contact information if you are not able to be contacted with your profile** 

images via design mom

Congratulations to Laurie from Plain and Elegant antiques!!

Paris Love.. guest post:Si from French by Design

While in Paris I thought it would be fun to have some of our fellow bloggers share their love for the city with us.  Si from French by Design will be in Paris for part of my visit as well!  We are hoping to meet up while we are there! Please enjoy her lovely recommendations for this amazing city...

Bonjour! This is Si from FrenchByDesign! I am a French girl living on the East coast USA and enjoying my expatriate life here… But of course, I miss France and my friends there, so poor me, I have to go back there often to recharge my batteries [and eat stinky cheese but that’s another post…]

Christina is headed to Paris, ah Paris, the City of Lights… Just the name makes me want to sing Edith Piaf’s “La vie en Rose”… Such a romantic place… I lived in Paris for 5 years when I was a student. There were great parts about life there, but as always you don’t enjoy things when you have them around all year. I probably walked by the Eiffel Tower a hundred times while living there and barely noticed the lady. Now, when I go visit Paris, my friends make fun of me because I literally stop and stare at her for a few minutes. They say I’m weird. But then again, they might be right…

So Christina, here is a piece of advice for you… If you want to look and behave like a true Parisian, don’t stare at Madame Eiffel. But do go visit her late at night and wait for the 20 000 lights to come off, around 2 AM, it's quite magical to say "bonne nuit" to the Eiffel Tower. Also, go get yourself an ice cream cone at Berthillon, my favorite ice cream shop in the city or a Nutella crepe made right in front of you Rue de Caumartin. And block a day to visit the Marais, my favorite quarter in Paris. Tiny paved streets with independent clothing designer shops or interior design concept stores. And of course, have a croissant every morning. Calories don’t count while you’re in Paris! Bon voyage!

Paris Love.. guest post: Sharon from My French Country Home

Sharon is so sweet and has so wonderfully opened her home to us when we are in France during this trip.  She is also sweet enough to share some of her favorites from Paris with you!

A big thank you to Christina for asking me to guest post for her while she ............ comes to visit me!!! YAY, 

OK not only me, there is also that little detail called Paris, but I am so pleased to meet Christina and her family.

Christina has asked me about my special places in Paris.  I chose a place to live , a place to eat and a place to shop ....

Before we had any children we lived in the heart of St Germain on the magical Place Fustenberg, and this little square will always hold a special place in my heart.

Tiny,  perfectly situated, it has the sort of elite feel to it as if living there made you automatically part of some wonderful private club.

My favourite place to eat?  Of course there are SO many wonderful little bistrots and restaurants in Paris, I could actually provide a long list.  But my most memorable meal  was shared with my husband and our closest friends at La Méditerranée , fantastic setting, DIVINE food, romantic, elegant LOVE it.

And finally a special place to shop for .............. chocolates!

 

The amazing Debauve et Gallais, a 200 year old shop in Paris.  I don't know 

which is more spectacular, the 'finesse' and flavour of the chocolates, 

or the wonderful wonderful packaging.

I adore the perfect jewel like chocolates.  This is the only place I have ever

been offered food decorated with real gold leaf !!

Thank you Christina, I like to think that you may check out some of these addresses while you are in Paris this week!

Paris in the Springtime...

Wake Up, Never. from Making Magique on Vimeo.

I came across this beautiful video on Making Magique and simply had to share!

I hope you are having a wonderful day and looking forward to a wonderful weekend!

Some things you may have missed..
mid day loveliness 
down at the beach
my bits of paris

Fashion meets decor

Into a fairytale...

 

Slipping off to Paris and France in general is like stepping into a fairy tale for me.

The Hubby cannot quite understand my fascination with the city and I 

have a hard time putting it into words...

Flying right now!!

Packing....

Love the LV! 

I wish this is what I was using to travel...

Have been packing slowly for weeks... 

off I go!

(and I know this is Africa not France but I had to share)

Some great links for Paris and French Travel

The Paris guide from Oh happy day
My French Country Home for great Brocante tours
An American living in Paris

Enjoy!

Also, stop by and sign up to follow greige on twitter I will do my best to update during my trip!

images via unknown

2 lovely but different homes: a photographer's loft, and a couple's ode to their travels

First, a photographers bright and breezy loft, filled with things she's collected and uses for photo props...

awww.... and I love the old radio (I think that's what that is) as a side table

The large chalkboard actually hides some unsightly electrical panels

This table is like a little personal collection of curiosities

I'm still into the clear console tables - does anyone have one? How's it holding up?

Next, the home of a couple who are world travelers, yet proclaim themselves also to be homebodies. I can relate to this because I love traveling, but I also love coming back home.

Under the classic alarm clock is one of the funniest books ever, "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris. If you haven't read it - do so...

These panels from Indonesia were too big to get back home, so they bought similar ones they found imported to the states. I deal with this all the time. When I travel, I often just have a book bag, and sometimes shipping an item back home is more expensive from buying something similar already imported to the states...

The painting is a child's work from Cambodia. They sell their art on the streets to pay for tuition.

This gold Buddha is from Chiang Mai, Thailand

This silver elephant is from Cambodia

via Covet Garden