Author: BODIE and FOU Style Blog

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The Bonnesoeurs daybed

I had lots of queries about this beautiful daybed by Bonnesoeurs when I posted stories of my studio renovations on Instagram. So let me tell you more about it because La Dormeuse is a beautiful, clever piece of design… Bonnesoeurs is a French design studio founded by sisters Lélia and Thélissa. They are the talented Designers behind le Lit Maison which I’m sure, you’ve seen more than once, in decoration and lifestyle magazines. La Dormeuse (featured below) is a well-designed, beautiful daybed that you can use as a single bed, two single beds, or joined together as a 160 x 200 cm double bed. It is stylish and practical at the same time! I initially planned to use this beautiful daybed for one of the bedrooms in CASA PYLA but then we embarked on another renovation project and converted the adjacent garage into a 40sqm studio. My mood board for this smaller space included the use of natural tones and light wood. Quickly, it became obvious that’s where the day bed belonged. In fact, the light wood, natural lines, …

Our ipe deck in Casa Pyla

Published by BODIE and FOU Style Blog

This post has been a long time coming but one thing that made a massive difference to Casa Pyla’s outdoor space was building a large 65 sqm deck in ipé. We bought ours from La Parqueterie Nouvelle which has a large, quality choice of wood for decks. Our decision to go for exotic wood was driven by the fact that it is a dense wood, naturally rot-proof, and durable and we wanted the deck to last. It also has a really nice colour that suited our house perfectly. I don’t have any large plans for the house before we started the renovations. However, here are a few pictures that will allow you to see how the house was. Initially, the East-facing entrance was at the front via these concrete stairs and balcony (see below). As we knocked down all the partition walls to create a large, open-plan living room filled with natural light, we wanted the deck to be an extension of our living spaces in Summertime (see house plans before & Architect plans). The front door …

New winter boots

Published by BODIE and FOU Style Blog

Last week while we were in Biarritz for a few days, we drove down to Bilbao where I discovered these gorgeous winter boots before we went to the Guggenheim. It was love at first sight! I love the combo of black and brown of these boots, the design, and how comfortable they were. Unfortunately, they didn’t have my size in-store so I tracked them down online when I got back home. Sadly, the boots looked sold out online in my size. I loved them so much that was about to order a size down until I got an email alert saying they were back in stock! I’m pretty sure they will sell out soon so I just wanted to share them with you. They look fab and will be a nice upgrade to go with a pair of jogging or these nice cashmere leggings I’ve also ordered in greige. If you miss out on these boots, here are a few you may like

Minimalist, soft grey bathroom in CASA PYLA

Published by BODIE and FOU Style Blog

So excited to share with you the look of our master bathroom which features an elegant Kaldewei bathtub fitted with a built-in Sound Wave system (the dream!) When we purchased CASA PYLA in March 2019, the house had 5 bedrooms but only one bathroom which was located on the ground floor. The 4 bedrooms on the first floor had only a wash basin each. We asked our Architect from l’Atelier d’Architecture du Bassin d’Arcachon, to re-configure the space and add at least, three new bathrooms on the first floor which he managed to do. Once the layout of the rooms was done, my biggest challenge was to design three new bathrooms that would feel spacious despite their small size. Just to give you an idea, this one is only 1.92 x 2.13 m but has almost 3m high ceilings. To maintain the sense of space, I kept the bathroom open onto the bedroom without a door. If we want privacy, we shut the bedroom door. Our requirements for this bathroom were: to include a bathtub preferably a steel enamel …

Our Nivito brass kitchen tap and brass sink

Published by BODIE and FOU Style Blog

Today, let me tell you all about our NIVITO brass kitchen and brass tap which I think, have added a touch of luxury to our new kitchen in CASA PYLA. As you may have seen from the various images of our kitchen posted on Instagram here, and here, this is the first time I do not design an all-white kitchen like the one we did in our home in London or our recent white kitchen makeover in our Airbnb home in France. Right from the beginning when I started thinking about how to transform this old, derelict house, I was drawn to natural tones. The house is located a 2-minute walk from a sandy beach, surrounded by pine trees. The connection to nature and its surroundings feels really strong. You can feel the ocean in the morning, the smell of the trees, and watch squirrels jumping daily from one tree to another while sipping a cup of tea. Phase 1 of the renovations As you may know, redesigning a kitchen is not a cheap process. You have …

New slides

Published by BODIE and FOU Style Blog

I was looking for some new slides to go to the beach and saw that Porte and Paire had some really great styles on Net-A-Porter. The Isabel Marant slides I have are great but I found that the sand damages the leather very quickly and I kind of what to keep them for a while. Then I came across these slides !! They are just perfect for the beach and post-surfing when my feet are wet and covered in sand. They are also very comfortable and the khaki colour goes nicely with my outfits which are often black. BROWSE MY SLIDES SELECTION

The Way I am fine art print

Published by BODIE and FOU Style Blog

On Friday, a lovely client drove down 5 hours from Brittany to have her personal branding session with me. Below is the setup I arranged for her to have a bit of styling that represented her job (Magalie runs an ad agency) instead of just a plain white background. It was truly a lovely session and I will share some pictures soon.I had taken down THE WAY I AM oversized print off my wall for the session but took a few pictures with it the day after before I move the furniture again. I have a few THE WAY I AM in stock in 70 x 100 cm for immediate dispatch instead of the usual 3 weeks production times and I can ship it anywhere around the world. You can see it here in the home of Israeli Architect Adva Tsinman.

Verso age-defying skincare

Published by BODIE and FOU Style Blog

Being 52 this year, I have to admit it is the first time, I’m being self-conscious of my age. It never bothered me until now. It’s not even the number that bothers me. It’s seeing how my body ages in some areas. When it comes to skincare and make-up routines, I’m really on the low end of maintenance. I don’t wear a lot of make-up. A toner, day cream, and night cream were pretty much the only things I applied to my face for years and I was happy with that. I suspect that if you are around the same age, little by little you’ve noticed things are changing. At first, we don’t really care. The lines around the eyes are getting deeper but that’s OK. The skin on our legs seems to be dry all the time but who cares. Nobody does and you don’t until you DO care. At the moment, I’m in that zone, trying to come to terms with all these changes. I don’t know about you but I’ve always wanted to …