French design chic... an expert guide!

04/16/23 • 40 min

Ann Dennis is an artist and interior designer who is passionate about interiors, art and antiques. Many of us Francophiles benefit from by following her socials with exquisite and sumptuous designs shared consistently. I so loved delving deeper into her French inspired story with this podcast chat.

Ann grew up in a family who valued French design elements. Something as simple as dining by candlelight with linen instead of paper napkins! Ann shares my passion for French crockery and collecting plates, so much so that she once carried 8 Gien plates home on her lap on the plane!

Ann chatted to me about her French trips with including châteaux stays and one of a kind experiences, as well as the flow-on impact to her design. Ann is influenced by both her travels as well as her extensive library of design books.

Personally, I feel that modern French design has evolved beautifully. It has gone from the ordered formality we see in some of the grand châteaux to sometimes even a collection of brocante-finds eclectically combined to be what is sometimes called shabby chic. I love Ann's abstract art and the manner in which it can sit in the middle of the structure and formality of French design. Ann talked about the way that these days we can mix a number of design elements together and it just "works"! When there is abstract art in a formal style French room, I find it quite freeing... it helps me decompress. It somehow encourages me to "let go" inside. I feel that contemporary abstract art doesn't hold on to the formality of design and assists me to let go of the formality of life, freeing me to be more in touch with my inner self. The combination of formal French and abstract art provides the best of both worlds to my eye and feeds my Francophile heart.

Ann says that French style has a sophistication that is instantly recognisable. I think the designs that Ann shares are just timeless. I'll be continuing to follow her socials and fill my Francophile soul daily.

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Louise Prichard is the host of the Loulabelle's FrancoFiles podcast.
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Other Loulabelle's links:
FrancoFile Fix on YouTubeLoulabelle's FrancoFiles Spotify Playlist
Loulabelle's FrancoFiles InstagramLoulabelle's FrancoFiles website

Previous Episode

Haggling, bargains & French chic... Beautiful brocante with the real Emily in Paris.

I'm not exactly sure of the origins of all the differing types of brocante markets in France, but it seems that most regions have little antique markets or at least a brocante stall on weekends in the summer. Some brocante fairs are huge whereas others are mostly like a small car-boot sale, but gorgeous antique finds can be found regardless.

I chatted recently with the wonderful Emily Gaudichon about one of her topics of expertise which is brocante in Paris. Emily actually hosts tours to the two main brocante markets she recommends in Paris: Marché aux Puces de Clignancourt and also Foire de Chatou. Emily also took me through the various types of brocante market as well as her top tips for brocante searching and purchasing in France.

I know there are some places in France that have brocante as the main focus of the village all year round like L'Isle Sur La Sorgue in Provence near Avignon which has amazing antique and bric-a-brac stores. I love meandering through villages to find little nuggets of fabulousness selling brocante here and there. I mentioned to Emily one market I haven't been to but is definitely on my list to visit: the Braderie de Lille which is enormous, ranked as the largest in Europe with a history back as far as 1127.
Join us to escape to France.

Next Episode

A local's look at the beautiful Burgundy region ❤️

Lindy Viandier is an accomplished author who has written about her wonderful home Les Libellules in Burgundy which she has owned for around five years with her French husband. In this podcast chat with Loulabelle', she shares her view of Burgundy, not just the well known but she delves deeper under the layers of history and tradition.

Burgundy is southeast of Paris, encompassing the area around Dijon, Beaune and another beautiful town Lindy highly recommends, Autun. The seasons are definitely marked and the change from one to the next will be noticed with extremes of cold and hot, but the scenery in any weather is beautiful with gentle rolling hills, vineyards, forestry and farming. There are loads of gorgeous medieval villages, some with ramparts, abbeys and châteaux. The polychrome roof tiles which are a feature of the region are exceptional.

I love how when I travel from one region to another the menu can be completely different. In Burgundy there is the traditional dish of Boeuf Bourguignon, escargots and of course Dijon mustard. The Burgundy wines are exceptional with some varieties going back more than 600 years. There's also a traditional ginger cake which sounds amazing!
Lindy and I explore all of this and then more of the local stories, traditions as well as wonderful recommendations of places to visit.