Where in the world…

Where in the world am I now?  Provence, non?   No, no, in fact, I’m at a Provençal-inspired house in Montecito, California.  (Though the South of France would be lovely, too…)  A decorator friend of mine is housesitting in this sweet little abode and when she said that I just had to see it, I made the hour-long drive to check it out.  And it was worth the mileage.

In the photos of the lovely, lovely surroundings, you just might notice the white porcelain balls with tassels that I’m wearing around my neck.  (Sounds provocative, doesn’t it?).  They’re strung to a combo grosgrain ribbon and white-and-blue striped strip of plastic.  It sounds weird, but trust me, it works.  It’s from one of my favorite brands, Les Précieuses.  I’m not 100% sure how I discovered the brand, but I think it may have been when I was strolling through Brussels, Belgium a couple of years ago.  The boutique was in a, shall we say, “up-and-coming” neighborhood.  Not dangerous, just sporting some colorful (like pink and blue) graffiti.  After I discovered Les Précieuses (which was founded in 1997, who knew?), I rushed to visit the shop the next time I was in town, too.  That’s when I found this fun little piece.  I also wore it in a blog post when I was living in Hamburg, Germany a few years ago.  Going back to the subject of tassels, I’ve noticed that I have handbags, necklaces, earrings and even napkin ring holders with tassels on them.  Apparently, I’m into tassels.

{Les Précieuses necklace}

Les Précieuses has modern-y, offbeat-chic designs, which appeal to my Dries Van Noten/Marni sensibility.  I also kind of love the fact that as far as I know, it’s not (yet) sold in the U.S.  So it kind of feels like my own secret brand.  But I like to share secrets, so if you want a look at Les Précieuses for yourself, here’s the FB page. (I don’t think they even have a website!)  Or if you’re in Brussels, visit the shop at Antoine Dansaertstraat 83, 1000 Brussel, Belgium.

My afternoon at the fabulous French cottage in Montecito turned out to be stunning, as one might imagine.  We sipped iced lattes courtesy of the Nespresso machine in the well-appointed kitchen, discussed politics (yikes!) and formulated a plan to take over the world.  Only kidding.  That sounds like a lot of work!  But I do love these mini-getaways.  It was only an hour drive, but it got me out of my normal surroundings, so I felt like I was on vacation for a few hours.  Which is a real bonus because we don’t have any travel plans until July.  <Sigh.>

Wishing you wonderful adventures,

Katherine xo