I’m Karine, French and the “Fou” part of BODIE and FOU. My sister Elodie is the other part of our brand name. For the little story, Bodie has been Elodie’s nickname since she was little and Fou (which means mad in French) was the nickname that Steve, my partner (a kiwi so not quite fluent in French), gave me when we met because he thought I was mad……
Given that we launched BODIE and FOU two weeks before I gave birth while relocating to Bristol and renovating a house in France, I guess he wasn’t far from the truth….
Bodie and I were raised in the South West of France, amongst the beauty, sobriety and monochromatic landscape of the Atlantic Coast. Our family life involved travelling round the region with our rugby playing father and our mum who would use each trip to indulge her love of flea markets, gradually accumulating huge heaps of finds as dad scored tries.
Small wonder then that as little Bodie and I grew up among the stacks of interiors magazines and flea market finds, we developed a shared passion for simple, contemporary living while nurturing the idea of working together and creating a great little company!
This passion grew when Elodie joined me in London and we came to decorate our shared flat. We found that the home accessories available in high street shops were a bit too formulaic. As pro-activity runs strongly in our blood, it was no time until our third ‘baby’ – the BODIE and FOU brand – was born and is now the online European designer home accessories shop you enjoy.
We source each piece from European designers or stylish brand names to create an unusual and chic range of clean-cut contemporary designs capable of transforming a soulless room into a sensual, casual living space. We happily mix gentle and comforting hues of beige, white, grey, chocolate and naturally materials such as airy cotton, fresh linen and textured wood with brightful colours to create a home not a museum.
Karine