Living Room Details — Rue Rodier

I’ve had this article planned for a few months now and was given the perfect opportunity to take photos for it last weekend. On Saturday a photographer and journalist from ELLE Japan came to my home to take some photos of it and me for an online feature about Parisians! (I will let you know when it’s been published). So I spent Friday getting the apartment ready - I bought flowers, fruit, rearranged items and cleaned. It was the tidiest it’s been in months (publishing a book doesn’t do wonders for home organisation!), so I took the chance to take photos while it was looking its best and finally show you more details from my living room.

Admittedly I haven’t designed the space completely as I would have liked as I inherited a couple of the large pieces, namely the sofa and bookcase from my previous life living with my ex boyfriend. But over the past year I’ve invested in (and been kindly gifted) a few unique items that I have had my eye on to make the space truly mine.

When I published the photo above on Instagram a couple of days ago, a follower kindly reminded me of one of my favourite design quotes by master of bold British interiors, David Hicks:

“The best rooms have something to say about the people who live in them.”

I certainly agree and I’m a big believer that a house or an apartment becomes a home when it tells its inhabitant’s story; it should not only be a haven and sanctuary, but also a space that reveals your personality and the things you love. It’s something that I’ve written about in my book, Practising Parisienne and it’s an ethos that I’ve tried to stay true to in my own home. So while my living space is a little more hectic than I’d like it to be (mainly due to lack of storage), it is filled with items that make my heart sing, such as art, design and the objects that inform my concept of the art of living. The pieces I’ve acquired over the past year, such as the marble topped Eero Saarinen for Knoll replica dining table, vintage buffet, vintage pendant, Pierre Jeanneret replica chair and cream rug (which is the newest addition to the space), are all items that illustrate my interests and that I am likely to have for a long time. Just as it’s important to invest in wardrobe items that last, I’m an advocate for doing the same with your interior, plus I always encourage readers and followers to invest in vintage pieces, which is not only better for the environment, but will also add a personal touch to a space that no newly designed item will do for a while. Anyway here are a few more details, which will hopefully answer some of your questions!

I get a lot of queries about my bookcase and I’m happy to say it’s incredibly reasonable and has now seen me through three homes! It’s perfect for storing all my art and design books, and provides a useful surface for displaying items, such as the candles and lamp.

Talking about the lamp, I’ve mentioned it before, but in case you didn’t catch it, here’s the link. And here’s a slightly more reasonable alternative.

As I’ve already mentioned, the Cream flatweave rug is the newest addition to the living room. It really adds a bit of warmth to the room and helps cover up the (rather orange) wooden flooring. If I owned the apartment, I’d certainly get the floors re-sanded.

I also get a lot of questions about the marble base lamp on the buffet - here’s the link and a couple of great alternatives here and here.

The chair is a Pierre Jeanneret replica and it’s made by the same brand that created my bench in the bedroom.

The mirror above the fireplace is from Zara Home. Unfortunately it’s now sold out, but here’s a great alternative.

I’ve talked about the prints in a previous article here.

And finally the light pendant is a vintage Aloys Ferdinand Gangkofner that I found on Etsy. Here are a couple of alternatives here and here.

Scroll down for a few more product links.