How Remodeling My House Saved My Life
As I stepped off the Eurostar that summer afternoon in Paris, I thought to myself, “I honestly don’t think I’m going to make it.” Freshly divorced after 25 years of a marriage that lasted a decade too long, I should have felt elated, or at the very least,...
How to Create Habits (the Elegant Way)
Take a look around: what is really easy to do in your home? Maybe it is really easy to entertain friends? To sit and read? To practise yoga? Maybe it’s really easy to collapse on the sofa in front of the TV? Or to spend 2 hours in the closet searching what to wear?...
From Avoidance to Commitment
Recently on Instagram I saw this quote: "The magic you're looking for is in the work you're avoiding." Wow. We all look for magic - magic in how we feel, live, love, see and are seen. But how often do we look for it in the direction of work we'd rather avoid? If we...
How to avoid the hidden trap of decluttering
You’ve surely noticed that decluttering is having a bit of a “moment” lately. Everyone has their opinions about the “best” method, programs promise that you can transform your life by tidying your closet, Marie Kondo’s show on Netflix breaks all records and of course,...
How I surprised myself with a Word of the Year (Bonus: 7 Clues for your own Word of the Year)
I never managed to have a word of the Year. Oh sure, there were those last weeks of December where I diligently squeezed my brain for words like “wildflower”, “focus” or “serendipity” - they had to sound grand, n’est-ce pas - but like so many grand-sounding words,...
The Very Worst Way to Do Anything Elegant
Every morning, I wake up looking fresh faced and impeccably coiffed, like I just stepped out of a salon de beauté. I float out of bed in my silk nightgown and do a series of carefully curated yoga poses before draping myself in an...
7 Must-Not-Forget’s to be Elegant during the Holiday Season
The holiday season is upon us, with all the parties, concerts, theatre shows, family gatherings, end-of-the-year lunches and dinners, to say nothing of the actual celebrations. It’s a time of the year when we all want to be, feel and look our best. As an elegant lady,...
The 50 Lessons from The 50 Conversations
By definition an adventure is an enterprise where you don't know what will happen. The 50 Conversations certainly were an adventure. When I set out to talk to 50 women about what was blocking them mostly in life, I did not know if I would actually find 50 women...
Why the Best Time to be in Paris is Now
Exactly NOW is the best time to be in Paris. Of course, I can just hear people disagree… Travel blogs and rom-coms have been singing the praise of Paris in springtime since the beginning of time. Think Audrey Hepburn, the Eiffel Tower seen through a curtain of cherry...
Your Energy Drains in 3D
Every now and then I write a blog post that triggers an avalanche of emails. Last week’s list of 39 energy drains filled my inbox with: “OMG, I have everything/half of it/at least ten/at least five of the points on this list. Help!” First things first: everyone...
39 Energy Drains
Do you know this feeling? You come back from vacation, having spent some weeks in a different state, country or even continent. And as you enter your house, it looks so different or rather you look at it with new eyes: Suddenly you are aware of the beauty of...
10 Clues for a Well-lived Summer
The official start of summer is June 21st. The REAL start of summer, here in Paris at least, is July 14th. After the parade and the fireworks people leave for the sea or for their maison de famille. Each conversation begins with “So, where do you go for the...
You can get the girl out of Paris, but you can’t get Paris out of the girl….
Our group was sitting in a café in the Marais, it was one of those warm summer evenings that make Paris achingly beautiful. It was a good-bye gathering for a Parisian, née American friend who is to to return to the States after nearly 20 years here. Our...
How my mug helped me through a hard time
We first had met via the pages of a magazine. The coup de foudre was instantaneous. A tiny photo of a mug, from a china series called “Incorrigible”, that was all there was and that was all needed to get me hooked. Simplicity, elegance, fluidity and movement...
9 Tips to Carve out More Time
Inspired by one of my clients, I had decided upon my personal challenge: until midsummer I will have 50 conversations with women about what is blocking them to design their lives they way they want to (you can read the whole story here). I was really excited about...