Things to love, read, wear & inspire
A life-changing book, the easiest way to update your winter wardrobe and the affordable champagne glasses that I have my eye on for the festive season
I’ve been thinking about what I want to add to this platform, how I would like my voice to be heard and what I hope you take away each time you open one of my newsletters, read my words and discover my tips and recommendations. A quote that I read today in Kate Mosse’s 2022 book, Warrior Queens & Quiet Revolutionaries (kindly gifted by my mum this weekend), which champions women and female voices throughout the ages who have been forgotten or written out of history, helped me clarify this a little more.
There are many wonderful quotes in this book (and I highly recommend reading it), but one that stuck out when I was tucking into its pages is by French-Belgian author, Marguerite Yourcenar (1903-1987) (who won the Prix Feminia in 1968 and Grand Prix de L'Académie Française in 1977), which is taken from the dedication to her lifelong partner, Grace Frick in her novel, Memoirs of Hadrian.
She writes: “in the entire life of some fortunate writers, there must have been someone who… bolsters our courage… approves or sometimes disputes, our ideas… who shares with us, and with equal fervor, the joys and art of living….”
She is of course paying homage to the woman she loves and shares a life with, but that last sentence sums up what I am hoping to add into a sea of the many brilliant voices on this platform; I want to share and celebrate the joys and art of living with you. I hope to provide a space for inspiration and reflection, along with a selection of design and style sources and items to help you live a better and more thoughtful life, plus build a beautiful home, which is after all what I aim to do for my interior design clients. Perhaps wardrobe and homeware pieces can seem trivial in the grand scheme of things at the moment, but I believe that they have the power to enhance the quality and joy of everyday life.
I would also love to hear from you - what would you like to see more of? If you have a moment, do please comment in the section below!
I personally love magazine-style round-ups and edits, so I’ll keep creating more of these shorter format emails with a few items, books, quotes, series and ideas that I’m currently enjoying. And I’ll continue to reserve longer, more in depth edits for my paid subscribers/ members of The Insider.
Things to love, read, wear & inspire:
~ I’ve just had my dad stay and it was a whirlwind weekend taking him to Rouen on Saturday for lunch and to show him the apartment, the market on Sunday and then to the Louis Vuitton Foundation to see the must-see (it really is) Rothko exhibition, which is a meditation in colour and tone that had a calming effect on me when I stared into the artworks. As Rothko said himself: “a painting is not a picture of an experience, but is the experience.”
~ The easiest way to update your winter wardrobe? A new scarf - I have my eye on this Loewe style, but I also love this bright pop of red (the colour of the season) and this neutral, but interesting style.
~ I’m starting to think about elevated and festive table items, as we’ll be hosting Christmas in Paris this year. I spotted these minimal glasses that are still minimalist in design, but with a bit of colour.
~ I just purchased these sneakers as I’m craving more colour in my winter wardrobe to help combat la grisaille parisienne we’re currently experiencing (endless grey Paris days). They’ll add a nice pop of colour to neutrals.
~ Chocolate brown leather and suede is having a bit of a moment, from blazers, boots to bags. and I of course want a piece of the cake (or bar) - this Row style, is divine, but out of my price ranges, so here are some affordable alternatives here, here and here.
~ As affordable highstreet coats go that will last more than a season, this collarless gray version is a great timeless style.
~ The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday - I love reading personal development books; I devour them and this is one of the best I’ve read in a while. I know this because I keep thinking about it. Every time I get upset or start to overact, I’m checking myself a little more (or at least trying to) and stopping to think: how would the stoics react to this situation? Stoicism has really struck a chord with me, especially considering I’m also undergoing medical treatment at the moment, which has had an effect on my mental health.
~ I’m finalising the design for Rouen, hence the bathroom photo in the collage and trying to decide on a sink style, which is no easy feat in the small space.
A bientôt, Marissa xx
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The best places to shop for interiors in Paris and online
My top picks for a cozy weekend just outside of Paris
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