DORÉ

It’s kind of like a double gift to myself. First of all, my house is finished. And on top of that, it’s in a magazine. Plus, I’m on the cover.
I’m not going to pretend to be modest about it. I’m incredibly thrilled!

I had been dreaming of this house. For years – a place to hold my life and dreams, a place that protects me.

That’s a lot to ask of a house, but it’s what I always wanted. When I decided to be an artist, taking the risk of maybe never having money, I told myself: “But one day, I’ll have a house.” And that day finally came.

I had traveled so much and lived so much, I wasn’t bound to anything anymore. I had tons of ideas for decor, and lots of images saved in a big folder for “one day when…”
Which is proof that we should never keep ourselves from dreaming.

So, we got to work with Sarah and here is the incredible result.

A home that’s personal, soft, feminine, comfortable, welcoming, warm, luminous. A home that shelters me and celebrates my friends. Space that feels light, but with roots firmly planted. Choosing, for example, solidly built couches to say: this is my home, and I’m not going anywhere. For me, that’s the joy of owning a home – finally I could do everything I wanted.

A renovation is more than just a before and after. It’s a LOT of work and lots of people and decisions and mistakes. A house, unlike an apartment, is a constant work in progress. Now that I’ve finished the interior, I want to work on the exterior, in the same spirit.

Sarah and I chose every piece of furniture and each accessory with a lot of care. I didn’t want anything excessively expensive or too fragile. I wanted it to feel livable. I liked the idea of being able to change the house according to my moods. Changing the colors of the couch, for example, by changing the cushion covers. I dreamed of a white, luminous kitchen, pure but classic – with a hint of a professional kitchen, and I found Café Appliances, white kitchen equipment (the dream) that is fabulous. I wanted my bedroom to be dark and dedicated to sleep, as a counterpoint to all that California sunlight. Everything came together, not without a lot of effort, of course, but there was also an undeniable dose of magic.

Domino is kind of the icing on the cake. I love this home decor magazine – it’s so real, beautiful and representative of women today. When they told me they were thinking of putting me on the cover, I couldn’t believe it. And knowing the ins and outs of the publishing world, I still didn’t believe it until the moment I was actually holding the magazine in my hands.

Between the time we began talking about the project and when the house was finally photographed, I broke off my engagement.

The mere fact that I am here with a big smile, in this luminous space, on the cover of a magazine created by fantastic women, that celebrates independent women – for me that was a huge sign.

I’ll let you go now so you can look through the photos, and make sure to check out Instagram, where I describe each idea in detail. Thank you to all my partners and a huge thank you to Sarah Sherman Samuel and to Domino. In closing, this is the inspiration my house has always brought up for me: “A home that takes me into its arms in a city that takes me into its arms.”

Translated by Andrea Perdue

Stay tuned for more peeks inside Garance’s home in the upcoming weeks….