I carry around the following three items in my handbag
1) A list of nearly every possible measurement to be found in the French house; including a list of window sizes, floor areas, ceiling heights and other useful dimensions that I might need to check when I come across a picture, mirror, piece of furniture or fabric that screams “French country chic!” to me.
2) A folding wooden “metre rule” that was left behind by our builder who doesn’t know that I have it yet, hope he isn’t reading this! This is extremely useful for checking stuff that might fit the above design brief for the house.
3) A little book of “to do” jobs on the house and the apartment, which never seems to get any shorter because as soon as we tick off one job, my over-active imagination comes up with another.
The first two of these essential tools are supposed to prevent me from buying unsuitable pieces for the house.
It doesn’t matter how you plan and prepare , somethings just don’t work out. The lloyd loom bedroom stool looked perfect for the dressing table in the terrace bedroom and the perfect shade of faded turquoise but when we got it over to France, it was half an inch too wide to fit between the legs of the dressing table.. GGGRRRHHHH!
I carefully measured for the size I needed to make two large square cushion covers in this wonderful Voysey design fabric –right-which is based on the wonderful original Tennial illustrations for Alice in Wonderland which I love. The nameless ebay seller who sold it to me cut the fabric at an angle ( and not an artistic one!) so I haven’t got enough…
DOUBLE GGGRRRHHH!!
BUT this beautiful cotton & linen tablecloth, also from ebay and in my favourite colour ( have you guessed it yet?) fits our long narrow farmhouse dining table and overhangs by just the right amount all round and I didn’t even measure it!!
Is that another sign? I like signs…
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