This antique French Chateau enameled Jardiniere planter is a taste of the exquisite creations of French Garden House.
When the topic of living a romantic or exceptional life emerges, what thoughts of fancy capture your imagination? Do you think of a lifestyle that requires a certain type of furniture and décor, or perhaps a specific location? Does it command the architecture of your home to meet a certain aesthetic or be of palatial scale?
The reality is, romantic living means different things to different people. Just recently, I had a lovely visit with an authority on romantic living: Lidy Baars, purveyor and tastemaker of French Garden House, an online shop filled with one-of-a-kind antiques and vintage pieces ranging from linens to lighting, decorative accessories and stunning home décor and furniture.
Teardrop Versailles chandeliers, antique salad servers and antique linens courtesy of French Garden House. Dauphne Chest photo courtesy Hooker Furniture.
Lidy has been published in Victorian Homes, French Country Style, Cottage Gardens, Southern Lady and Romantic Homes magazines, just to name a few. In the recent Victorian Homes article below, she wrote about collecting and caring for antique linens.
During our conversation, she shared her personal story, as well as some guidance as to how to live well and to provide the same experience to others.
Those of you who pour through romance novels may be a bit dissuaded, but romantic living is not always about the grand, sweeping gestures, as Lidy attests. Please read on as I share more of my chat with a top tastemaker on romantic elegance.
Lidy, (pronounced Leedy) learned how to incorporate meaningful pieces into her home through her experience growing up in her grandparent’s estate. She described how their Dutch residence was filled with Scandinavian and French antiques, and her admiration was so great, she even selected the pieces she would one day love to have in her adulthood dwelling.
Imagine her delight, when, years later (after having moved to the United States) her grandmother shipped those pieces over for her to continue to love and use! To this day, she uses her grandmother’s silver pot for tea service on Sundays. She’s definitely a “use the good china” kind of person.
For her, addressing the small details shows love.
Some of Lidy’s collection of antique 19th Century French bowls, Toleware and a Flemish hand-carved wooden toy horse. Photos courtesy French Garden House.
Antique French Sterling Silver Pill Box with handpainted cherubs courtesy French Garden House. Nadia Settee courtesy Sam Moore Furniture; Beaumarchais Chest courtesy Hooker Furniture.
She believes home is a place to fall in love, and treasures like the antique French pill box above, and the Sam Moore Nadia Settee and Melange Beaumarchais Chest help set the tone.
After Lidy married and had a family, she yearned to create a little shop from which she could offer people the same kind of enjoyment she received from layering pieces filled with charm and history. It would be easier to order multiples of the same items, if new, but they wouldn’t carry the interest or the story behind how each acquisition came into place. Our homes are made of our stories, and Lidy and I agreed it’s important for those visiting us to enjoy a sense of who we are, along with our hospitality.
As our conversation flowed, I asked Lidy some questions regarding how she encouraged others to bring the idea of exceptional or romantic living into their everyday lives and how to begin the process.
Romantic Living Wisdom from Tastemaker Lidy Baars:
1. Only buy what you truly love. You may reposition pieces, within your home, but if something speaks to you, you’ll never get tired of it. Everything should evoke some emotional response or a beautiful memory.
The Chatelet bedroom, inspired by farm antiques from the ‘little castles” of Europe, is an example of story-filled furnishings that evoke an emotional response. Photo: Hooker Furniture.
2. Trends come and go, but you can work in some current touches to keep things fresh. Even though Lidy has some fabulous antiques, she has infused touches of modern to keep her spaces from becoming too “period.” She mixes some casual pieces with elegant lines, in rooms where she wants the mood to be relaxed.
3. Buy the best you can afford. If you know what your style might be, you can invest in a piece at a time. Or you can trade up to the next level as you’re able. Call in the experts if you need assistance.
4. Become educated. Visit museums to learn about different artists, periods of furnishings or styles. It’s not that you’re looking to make your home a museum; it’s more about being able to develop a keen eye and to understand what you’re buying.
The smallest, most gracious details show love at home, believes tastemaker Lidy Baars. Photo courtesy French Garden House.
My biggest takeaway goes back to one of Lidy’s previous comments. Romantic living is not about the grand, sweeping gestures of romance novels. In order to create romantic settings at home, you have to spend time there, taking care to keep things clean and tidy. It’s about taking time to add beauty and a few touches of elegance. It’s about fluffing towels and using fluffy pillows–putting out fragrant guest soaps, turning off the TVs and the phones. If take out is a must, put it on good china or add a pretty garnish. Even the everyday can become extraordinary.
Lidy said people seem to notice the smaller touches and comment how special it makes them feel. You see, part of the romantic lifestyle is not only caring for yourself; it is caring for others too.
I think we could have spent the afternoon, in our virtual tea time, sharing our love for our homes. I hope this has inspired you to reconnect with your special pieces or to consider how you may add some romantic touches to live an exceptional life!
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