What is it really like going on a buying trip in France?

It’s hard. Really hard. If you want the unedited version, come by the showroom and I’ll happily tell you over a cup of coffee.

But it’s also amazing.

There is something incredibly rewarding about travelling with a purpose. We aren’t simply wandering beautiful markets in Provence. We’re there on a mission, looking for pieces that we think will work in your homes and that you’ll love enough to live with for years.

And there’s a lot of guesswork involved. And chance.

Will we find what we came looking for? Will we stumble across something we never knew we were looking for?

One thing I’ve learned is that we always come home from these trips slightly disappointed and highly motivated. Disappointed by the things we hoped to find but didn’t. Motivated by everything we did find, see and learn along the way.

This trip, I had visions of bringing home piles of wonderful smaller treasures from the flea markets. Unique objects that could be given as gifts, tucked onto a bookshelf or added to a home over time.

Then Provence had other plans.

We arrived during an extreme heat wave, with temperatures pushing 40°C. Our window for walking the outdoor markets was sometimes two or three hours in the morning before the heat became debilitating. And Provence, charming as it is, is not particularly interested in air conditioning.

In many ways, what makes France wonderful is also what makes it challenging. We love it for its reverence for history, architecture and culture. Things haven't always been redesigned around convenience. In North America, we're accustomed to air conditioning, elevators, wide sidewalks and spaces designed around ease. In France, you adapt.

And maybe that’s part of what I keep bringing home with me, beyond the antiques.

French interiors remind me that a beautiful home doesn’t come from getting every individual decision perfectly right. It comes from layers. Natural fibres. A wonderful cushion. A throw tossed over the arm of a sofa. Good lighting. Old things beside new things. Something that's perhaps not even quite the “right” colour, but somehow makes the whole room better.

That elusive je ne sais quoi is rarely about perfection. It’s about how everything works together.

I think we could all stand to let go of a little of our North American perfectionism when it comes to our homes. Buy well. Buy once. Keep things. Layer them. Let your home evolve.

Love it longer.

And while we didn’t come home with everything on our wish list, we did find some very special things.

Our next container arrives in late October, filled with treasures from France, and shipments from Europe are already arriving at the showroom each week.

If an Endless Nights sofa has been on your list, now is also the time to secure one for the upcoming container.

The season for staying in has arrived, and we’re happily practising the art of it.

Warmly,
Bonnie