LSD--a girl's day off

Today I have an adventure. I needed some time out of the house and on my own so I took the rusty car we have here and, with directions from google maps, made my way to a part of the city I’ve always wanted to have time to shop in. But I’m totally crazy nervous because driving in France is no easy feat. It doesn’t matter if I have all the directions written down with street names and stuff, something is going to be wrong or different and I’ll have no idea how to get home. Plus we have no cel phone and the car has been known to break down in the middle of nowhere! (Did I ever tell of the time Devin, who we always nickname MacGyver, broke down in the middle of nowhere with our 9month old breastfeeding daughter and fixed the car with a rubber band?? Right I don’t have those skills.)

So how’s that for a sure adventure? Sure enough I do get lost at least twice but somehow I retrace my steps and try going the other way at the last round point and even though I’m cursing to myself the whole way that there is no way I’ll remember how many turns to make to get back, and I’m scared, I end up exactly at my intended destination right on the left as if I totally knew what I was doing. I have no time to spare to think about how I did it, I just get out and make use of this precious time without the kids and walk into a store I hadn’t seen before—Wall paper and paint. ‘ and it’s like a dream come true-the entire store is full of different displays of roles of wall paper hanging from the ceiling to show off the 100+ options. I’m a kid in a candy shop. I’ve been so interested in French wall paper and have no idea where to find it or how costly I can afford. I find the perfect pattern and there’s a huge bonus. It’s about 3 bucks a role! And most wallpaper is 30 or 40!! I’m amazed and grab it in case it works in my bathroom.  I’m pretty sure our neighbor who has a lot of opinions about my style will shake his head, but I get it anyway. It turns out he gives his approval along with the rest of the family. I’m excited because we’re trying to turn a pretty boring and ugly small half bath/laundry/utility room into a cute welcoming powder room. Here it is... does it remind you of your house in the 70's??

But that’s not all. Normally with the kids or even with the husband, I have time for 1 store. But this rare time I am on my own. So I go to FIVE stores in the same area. Too lazy to get back in the rusty car, I even run across a huge round point frogger style to get to a store specializing in French linens (heaven to me!) and another one with global imports. I am still in heaven-pushing the thought of trying to find my way home well out of my mind. I observe the trends that seem to mirror what I’m seeing at home at Restoration Hardware with French furniture clothed in neutral linens. Lots of rustic finish, peeling paint, etc. I’m trying to figure out what I need to do in our living room/salon to finalize it once and for all. Later in my daily google searching I find an awesome decorator blog post that tells me that the style I am seeing everywhere that Restoration Hardware had jumped on is called “Belgian Design” and “Rough Luxe”. I had no idea. And now I see it everywhere. And now that it has a name like that, I want it. Devin will tease me to no end and I’ll tell everyone who comes to our house that it is decorated “Rough Luxe”.  Love the ring of it. Totally amuses me.

These pictures show "rough luxe" with industrial coffee tables, rough walls/floors, natural fabrics, etc. For the LUXE part, some photos mix in crystal chandeliers. Then designers are supposed to make something functional with something OLD like the old worm eaten (buzz word) door slash photo holder in the second picture... Can you imagine the stuff Devin will make me when I hop on this latest trend?

Finally the biggest highlight of this day away from duties and kids is when I manage to hear on the French radio that my VERY favorite (English singing) singer is coming in concert. The one who my generation says plays “the soundtrack of our lives”… The one from our 13 year old school dances, etc. The one and only George Michael. J will i get to see him?.......