DORE_LIFESTYLE_DOMINO_MAGAZINE_COVER_GARANCE_1

At Home

5 years ago by

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.

At Home

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.

At Home
At Home

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

At Home
At Home
At Home

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

19 comments

Add yours
  • Heather Genzlinger March, 12 2019, 9:52 / Reply

    So happy for you! The house is amazing and you look beautiful…and happy xo

  • Silvana March, 12 2019, 9:55 / Reply

    Bravo Garance, I am so happy for you….and for myself since I will finally have a chance to glance your beautiful interior design….I moved to my apartment last May, and still decorating it….it takes time….girl who like to procrastinate;-)))

  • These pix look wonderful. So glad you found a home to celebrate as your own!

    I’m familiar with this house (hello neighbor!) and I really never liked the way they put in that ridiculous kitchen window. Your kitchen redesign looks great — worth it for the window alone. The bad part is that it seems most of the brand new (and expensive) kitchen was replaced. Hope that you donated those cabinets and appliances to an organization like Habitat ReStores so that they can be used by someone and to help decrease the carbon footprint of the renovation. It’s nice to see that the kitchen island was saved in your redo.

    Here’s my question — did you take down the existing fireplace wall? I can’t figure out how the long wall with the built in sofas and fireplace could fit in to the original floor plan.

    All in all the house looks wonderful and wishing you many years of happiness in your delightful home. Looking forward to seeing what changes you’ll do to the exterior.

  • I’ve seen previews of your feature on a few blogs and have been waiting eagerly for more. It seems to truly reflect the personality you present here on your blog: optimistic, transparent, without airs. Casual and down-to-earth, yet chic and sophisticated.
    Congratulations!

  • CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOVE!!!!!!!!! :)

  • Bravo Garanve! La maison is so you et c’est super belle. J’ai eu une séparation difficile aussi et ce n’est jamais facile. Courage!!!
    Bisous de Montréal

  • Sublime!!! Et la chambre d’amis me convient parfaitement! :)

  • Jorge Alexandre Teixeira March, 13 2019, 3:45 / Reply

    Muitos Parabéns, Garance !!!
    I had a little taste of your Haven before in : The Style Files.
    As for being in the cover of Domino …That’s Huge , G!!!
    Love You , Corsica Girl !!!

  • Bravo :)

  • Sanja Van Huet March, 14 2019, 1:10 / Reply

    So love your bathroom – shades of Morroco and Greece combined.

    Garance, your house is a lovely reflection of yourself. Welcoming, gentle and warm. I hope you are very happy there.
    Sanja

  • Gorgeous! Bravo!

  • Superb and unique ! Congratulations !

  • Cette maison est magnifique ! Et c’est tout à fait toi car chaque pièce (et je dirais même chaque objet) te ressemble d’une manière ou d’une autre…
    Bravo!

  • Stay tuned for more “peeks,” unless Garance has a mountain in the backyard.

  • I love those blue chairs!

  • Beautiful! So very happy for you. xo

  • Sara F. March, 19 2019, 9:02 / Reply

    Everyone should see this in print– I’m agog at the textures (wood, marble, velvet) and so inspired by the space. Congratulations!

  • Huge accomplishment. A long journey to great success.

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