"I think it's because I'm from the north of France that I find colors very romantic, but in the real sense of romantic," designer Clarisse Demory tells me as we sit in her Paris kitchen talking about pastels and her use of color. "In Lille there is a kind of nostalgia, because the sky is heavy and dark and you have a single ray of light; like the paintings of Dutch masters." Her kitchen mimics the very same description of Lille: the walls are washed with gray she mixed herself using cheap paint and a keen eye, highlighted with a collection pale pink vases, a few houseplants, dark green cupboards, and a Staub La Cocotte to match. A country landscape right there in the 19th arrondissement of Paris.

In the kitchen, set out on a small wooden table is a simple demi-baguette on a white linen cloth. Its placement asks for your appreciation of the baguette's color, but Clarisse has a way of doing this: extracting the extraordinary from the ordinary. "I love not having a hierarchy between materials. For example, I find plastic bags so precious somehow because, I mean, it's so useful. We don't realize the value of a plastic bag because it's cheap, but just think about the process behind it: the technology, the people making it, it's so light, and can look quite beautiful."

The ability to transform and elevate everyday objects and furniture is seen in Clarisse's work as designer, stylist, art director, and photographer for the likes of Nanashi, Hunting and Collecting, Les Néréides; she's currently designing a boutique hotel in Florence, Italy. She documents all this and a love of "ugly-beautiful" in Ensuite, an "online department of observations, discoveries and inspiration." Since 2000, she has lived in the apartment with her sister, Lucile, and little by little she's transformed a dark, colorless space into one with unmatched personality.

Photography by Natalie Weiss for Remodelista (except where noted).

Above: Two bouquets of dried gypsophila, eucalyptus, and limonium greet guests at the door.

Above: The living room contains an old mantle (good for still life sculptures), two marble tables at slightly different heights, two small couches, and a paper wall decoration from Confetti System.

Above: Lucile and Clarisse Demory sit together by the living room window.

Above: Clarisse has been collecting vases (here with an paper object from Confetti System) for years. "I love the challenge of removing them from the dusty place where they're found, where they look like nothing at all, and then suddenly you use them in an empty space and they all look so beautiful. I like to take them and make a still life—it becomes more like a sculpture; they don't even need flowers. I can immediately go into the cellar, take my vases, make a composition, and change the atmosphere of the room."

Above: An antique lamp, painting, and furniture from Emmaüs, France's chain of charity shops. "The store were a great secret maybe 15 years ago, but since the economic crisis everyone is going there now, appreciating its value."

Above: A DIY desk made from white metal frames and rectangular cuts of glass.

Above: French doors just off the living room open into Lucile's bedroom, where a sparse fiddle leaf fig tree matches the green tiled fireplace.

Above L: A round vintage lamp sits on a stool, both found in a nearby charity shop. Above R: Dried palm leaves are spray painted in a subtle bronze to add just a bit of sparkle.

Above: Ugly-beautiful marble mixed together.

Above: A print by Paris-based artist Olivier Sévère, a friend of the Demory sisters, hangs in Lucile's bedroom.

Above: Lucile makes vases of her own (she works with ceramicist Cécile Daladier) while she prepares her studio, kiln and all, at her family's place in Lille.

Above L: The small kitchen has a traditional Parisian tiled floor made from broken tiles and cement. Above R: Clarrisse removed the doors from an Ikea cupboard and replaced them with tea towels. "It's less cold, less artificial this way," she says.

Above: "There used to be many small, traditional Parisian hotels in this part of Paris but they're all in very bad condition now so you find a lot of the furniture on the street," says Clarisse, describing the origin of the antique luggage bench, along with three others, she acquired by luck. Photograph by Alexa Hotz for Remodelista.

Above: A green Staub La Cocotte and Folding Wooden Dish Rack. Photograph by Alexa Hotz for Remodelista.

Above: "I like mixing a typical 1990s Memphis design with very ancient florals. I always keep a few plates out, just for the pleasure of it."

Above: A Baroque still life on the kitchen table.

Above: Green bottles contain olive oil or function as vases in the kitchen.

Above: With black plastic paint buckets from the nearest hardware store, Clarisse creates miniature gardens (she likes their square shape for fitting starter plants into their corners).

Above: A small pine tree and pale pink astilbe in the windowsill. Photograph by Alexa Hotz for Remodelista.

Above: When Clarisse first moved into the apartment, she pulled up the carpet in her bedroom and little by little stripped it down to build it out in the way she preferred.

Above: While she usually leans toward mixing her own inexpensive paint, Clarisse admires the subtle black tones available through Farrow & Ball. Here, she painted an antique armoire in a matte finish of Off-Black. "At first, I thought matte would be fine, but I noticed that a dark color of matte paint absorbs so much light that it was like a black hole," Clarisse explains. "But I don't like varnishes so I mixed oil with natural turpentine into a wax and let the paint absorb it."

Above: Books in a color palette to match the room, Byredo boxes designed by Acne, and vases.

Above: A grouping of three shell necklaces: "They're not really fashionable, but I find them so interesting. When I was very young, it was quite trendy, and we forgot about them. I think we should look at them again," she says.

Above: A view of the Demory flat from their stairwell.

For more from Clarisse, see our previous post on her pied-a-terre in Sofia, Bulgaria; for more house visits from my trip to Paris, take a look at our Travels with an Editor: Paris series.

California-based potter Kelly Farley handmakes ceramic tumblers based on the shape of the classic French bistro glass—good for espresso or wine, depending on the time of day.

Above: The Large Faceted Tumbler is 3 1/4 inches tall and is $15. The Small Faceted Tumbler is 2 3/4 inches tall and is $10.

Read more about Farley at The Sorcerer's Apprentice: A Ceramicist Discovers His Calling.

Canvas, a younger sibling to the glamorous New York/London design group and shop Ochre, has been a favorite source of ours since we discovered it several years ago. Founded by British ex-banker Andrew Corrie, the company features furniture, homewares, and accessories created by skilled artisans found locally and throughout the world, all based on the premise of "simple sustainable style."

In the Shelter Island home Corrie shares with his wife and business partner Harriet Maxwell McDonald and their two children, the ethos of Canvas is evident: soft tones, sustainable design, and understated elegance. Whitewashed pine-plank walls provide a rustic backdrop for Canvas and Ochre pieces, a well as other lines. 

Currently, the company is offering one Remodelista reader a $1,000 shopping spree. To enter, sign up here.

Photos by Ditte Isager, unless otherwise noted.

Above: In the living room, a Snooze sofa from Ochre adds a note of elegance.

Above: The woodstove in the living room is surrounded by ceramic botanical tiles; photo by Liz Vidyarthi for AT.

Above: A round dining table surrounded by Wegner Wishbone chairs. The moth photograph is by Joseph Scheer and was sourced from Ruby Beets.

Above: A set of blue bowls; for something similar, consider Canvas' Helsinki Nesting Bowls. Photo by Liz Vidyarthi for AT.

Above: A Round Felt Mediation Pillow adds extra cushioning to a Hans Wegner Wishbone Chair. The painting is by Leora Armstrong.

Above: Corrie made the bamboo shade over the outdoor dining table himself.

Above: On the deck: Round Felt Mediation Pillow and Seltzer Cups.

Above: Blue, the family's blue whippet, lounges on the Shelter Island Beach amidst Canvas pillows.

See more of the line and enter to win a $1,000 Canvas shopping spree here.

A few months ago Julie and I were putting together photographs of Cécile Daladier's last vernissage into a post and Julie said, "wouldn't it be fantastic if you could go to one of these?" Which is why it was so surreal when I found myself walking up to the green metal door of Cécile's home and atelier for her spring vodka soirée, in person.

Photography by Alexa Hotz for Remodelista.

I arrived at the same courtyard I had seen in photographs many times before, and walked through Cécile and husband Nicolas Soulier's tiny garden. The garden is full of Capteurs, zinc sculptures designed by the couple under the name Assaï, made to capture rainwater to reflect the sky.

Entering Cécile's atelier is like being in a dream—with the late afternoon sun streaming past the wild roses outside, in through the massive windows, and casting shadows across the walls. All of this Nicolas took note of, constantly encouraging me to "get that shot!" as he admired the light from a bentwood chair in the corner of the room.

Everything had a warm glow that evening; the off-white walls were speckled with small, slightly rusted nails—practically an installation itself, but meant for hanging shelving and garlands.

In the corner of the room, a simple Ikea Fas Clamp Spotlight illuminates a shelf of ceramics just above a set of four Capteurs. And on the unfinished wood floors, streaks of paint serve as a reminder of Cécile's past life as a painter, before she found clay.

While I was downstairs obsessively photographing vases, Lucile Demory called me upstairs where they were preparing the salmon. I sat watching and listening to their stories as Cécile would stop to show me an iPhone slideshow of images taken at her studio in the Drôme. Some of the open fire pit of the raku process and others of the fishmonger, the one responsible for the salmon, smiling from behind a table at an outdoor market.

Salmon served with fresh tarragon, zucchini, and gem lettuces arranged on raku ware.

Cécile in the kitchen.

Along with the salmon were a few loaves of homemade bread, one of which was made with dried, edible flowers.

Back downstairs, Cécile and a few friends accent the collection of vases with cuts from the garden and arranged the studio table with the evening's meal.

Cécile served tisanes of mint and rosemary and a recent discovery, organic vodka from Domaines des Hautes Glaces, an alpine farm distillery in the French Alps.

A head of lettuce in a shallow pool of water, meant for pulling leaves off and enjoying with the bread.

The collection of raku pieces range in color from a light salmon pink to a verdigris-like green. Lucile explained the process of Cécile's hand-formed ceramics, and how the raku oxidation process gives each piece its own color.

A single vase on a white wooden shelf displays green stems from the atelier garden.

As guests arrive, they take a hand-formed ceramic shot glass made especially for the vodka soirée and nestle around the studio table to admire the collection. I do the same and this is where my story leaves off.

To see more of Cécile and Nicolas' home and learn about the raku process, you'll find our house call on Remodelista and garden visit on Gardenista this Thursday.

Could dusty pink be the new minty green? We're noticing a proliferation of pinks of late, including this Wire Side Table from Iacoli & McAllister. A universal winner at ICFF this year, the Iacoli & McAllister's wire side tables made several "best of ICFF" lists, including Interior Design magazine. See below for table details. 

Above: Wire Side Table shown in pink. The powder coated steel table also come in mint (of course), tomato, aqua, white, hammertone and black; $495 each.

Above: The Wire Side Table is also available in brass or copper; $695.

Check out their brass and copper Modern Chandeliers as well as our previous Posts on Iacoli & McAllister.

I've been transfixed with designer Sonya Park's line, Arts & Science, for a while now, but since the line is based in Tokyo and has only a few US stockists, I can only admire the pieces from afar. So when I discovered Arts & Science's shop in Galerie Vivienne in Paris (their only location outside of Japan), I went on a pilgrimage.

The shop is located in the 2nd arrondissement, where you'll find the former stock exchange, banking headquarters, and textile district. Partially designed by François Jean Delannoy in 1823, the neo-classical passages are covered with a glass dome that infuses the interiors with a warm glow—that alone is worth the visit. Galerie Vivienne is the perfect setting for Arts & Science, which, since its inception in 2003, has inspired a whole world around luxe utilitarian design, working with minimalist shapes in natural Japanese fabric.

In the small shop, I was greeted by Taro, who really sort of breathes the A&S aesthetic; something I realized as he, wearing a perfectly shapeless black linen suit, and I had Genmaicha tea, served in delicate Astier de Villatte cups. With its palette of light wood, black painted furniture, and brass display pieces sourced from the Paris flea market, the shop's interiors serve as a seamless backdrop for the spring collection.

If you in Paris, visit Arts & Science at 39 Galerie Vivienne; for more, see To Wear, To Dwell, to Eat and Down the Stairs: A Staff Canteen and Cafe in Tokyo.

Photography by Alexa Hotz for Remodelista.

Above: A half column in the window displays the 2 Way Bag in yellow calfskin with a linen lining.

Above: A couple of Jabra Wallets in brown leather with an accordion-style card holder.

Above: Arts & Science's spring collection is a mix of linen and chambray, accented with mustard yellow.

Above: Park has a close relationship with Astier de Villatte, who stocked A&S pieces in their Rue Saint-Honoré shop long before the Galerie Vivienne location opened.

Above: The Chesterfield Work Coat (available in the US at Creatures of Comfort) in a pale gray or natural colored linen/wool blend hang on an antique brass clothing rack.

Above: An antique pendant lamp sourced from the flea market with updated wiring.

Above: The brass frame on a glass cabinet is in accord with the detailing of A&S accessories: buckles, latches, and zippers.

Above: Wallets in a stiff, black cow leather.

Above: The medium sized Simple Bowling Bag is made of brown or black cow leather.

Above: Select Astier de Villatte ceramics. In the past, the two brands collaborated on a series of china featuring the A&S logo of a key and a gold rim.

Above: An antique porcelain finial at the bottom of the stairs banister. Upstairs, Arts & Science hosts clients in a showroom full of billowy dresses in draped silhouettes.

Above: Large vessels from Astier de Villatte.

Above: A brass-footed music stand holds a sign with the shop's opening hours.

For more places to visit in and around Paris see our Travels with an Editor: Paris series and visit our Paris City Guide.

Strange but true: Parisian art director Jean-Christophe Aumas was inspired by the desert chic of 1950s Palm Springs when he designed his playful apartment (note the potted cactus). Recreate the the look using the following elements: 

Photographs by Marie Claire Maison, except where noted. 

Above: Scandinavian midcentury pieces can be found throughout the apartment. 

Above: The neon and pastel colored walls and the chevron floor make a whimsical backdrop for Aumus' well-curated furniture collection.  

Above: The Arne Jabobsen Swan Sofa in leather (it will patinate over time) is $10,393 from Hive. 

Above: The Day Bed One starts at £2,370 from UK-based Another Country. The fabric is available in gray, red, teal, and purple. 

Above: The Dupla Credenza by CB2 is $499.

Above: Benjamin Moore paint colors in Cool Lava and Black Satin.  

Above: Hardwood floors laid in a chevron pattern. Ask a floor expert of how to recreate this look. Photograph by Atelier des Granges. 

Above: Serge Mouille One-Arm Floor Lamp is $2,880 from DWR.

Above: The Boris Hurricane Terrarium from Crate and Barrel is currently on sale for $49.95

Above: A cactus Opuntia MicroDasys is $4.25 from Garden Life.

Are you headed to Paris this summer? Check out our Paris City Guide for visit-worthy shops.

Located between the historic Palais Royal and the fashion district of Montorgueil, Rue Herold is a store with a mission. Founded by Charlotte de la Grandière, a former stylist for fashion and design magazines, the shop offers a carefully coordinated selection of more than 60 fabrics from France, Italy, Belgium, and Japan, all displayed in a white-lacquered space as clinical as a science lab. “The idea is to mix fashion and design. I wanted to offer fabrics that are accessible, simple, and of good quality,” de la Grandière says. Also on offer: sewing notions, ready-made and made-to-measure cushion covers and curtains; and bags and zip cases. For more information, go to Rue Herold.

Above: The storefront.

Above: Bolts of fabric, ranging in price from €18 to €50 per meter.

Above: The small shop is pared down to the essentials.

Above: Notions and fabrics.

Above: An array of notions on offer.

Above: Bolts of white fabrics and pillows.

In the Faubourg Poissonnière home of Alix Thomsen and Lionel Bensemoun, everything is vintage. The couple together launched Alix's eponymous line, Thomsen, and Bensemoun is both a restauranteur and hotelier behind Nanashi, Le Baron, and La Fidelité. Each bring their own background to the design of the single floor flat: Thomsen's appreciation of Liberty prints and 1920s vintage mix with Bensemoun's collections of antique toys and sculptures.

Thomsen, who was born in South Africa and raised in Paris, has filled her home around the meaningful accessories picked up while traveling. "I love to go to Japan and Mexico—the mix of European with other spiritual cultures appeals to me. You have to mix everything—I don't want to be set in a specific time, I prefer to blend eras together," she says as we walk through her hallway into her daughter's bedroom. Each room has its own vintage wallpaper: red roses against a black background in the play room, Sandberg's teal blue Raphael wallpaper in another room, sparrows on floral branches. When I ask her advice on mixing prints, Thomsen says, "There aren't any rules because it's all intuitive. Sometimes you would think that two prints could work well together, but you get them side by side and they fall flat. It's when you get the prints next to each other and they both stand out; that's when you know it's worked. There is no mathematical rule: stripes with flowers or flowers with flowers, whatever works."

Photography by Natalie Weiss for Remodelista.

Above: Thomsen and Bensemoun's favorite antique resources are on Avenue Trudaines in the 9th arrondissement, where many small shops sell antiques from various time periods.

Above: A statue sourced from Thomsen's favorite flea market. "I love to go to the Puces de Saint Ouen, even if it's not always in my budget."

Above: An antique brass chandelier hangs askew in the living room and a taxidermy bird is mounted just on the back wall.

Above: Thomsen wears a jacket and trousers from her line: the Thomsen suit.

Above: "When we first arrived here, we found a big restaurant that was closing and selling a lot of pieces so we got both sofas for only €100 each."

Above: A collection of illustrations and a model of the Empire State Building, a gift from a friend who showed up one day with it in hand.

Above: Bensemoun is a natural collector: "Lionel is a crazy collector, he brings lots of objects home. My work is to arrange them all, but really, it's not a bad job."

Above: An old motorcycle helmet, artwork by a friend, and a Kachina doll on the wall.

Above: While no household members are surfers, Thomsen and Bensemoun like the look of the teal surfboard in the corner of the living room.

Above: Thomsen in her home office.

Above: The master bedroom is full of rich color, tapestries from Burgundy, and an overhead projector for watching movies in bed.

Above: Silk fringed curtains just behind the navy velvet, both made by Thomsen from fabric sourced in and around Paris.

Above: Now that their daughter, Blanche, is three years old, she's moved into a girls' bed. Thomsen has designed her room in similar floral prints and antiques but lets Blanche add to it with toys and accessories as she pleases.

Above: A lampshade meant for a table lamp is flipped upside down to function as a ceiling light.

Above: Blanche's bedroom looks out onto the courtyard. Curtains made by Thomsen are tied back with tassels from the flea.

For more houses and restaurants I visited while in Paris, see our Travels with an Editor: Paris series and see our past post on Benesmoun's restaurant, Nanashi in Paris.

We spotted this red bench in the gift shop at Stockholm's Rosendals Trädgård via Elle Interior, but it would be equally at home in your garden (or ours), especially in a shady spot that could use a dash of color.

Above: Photograph by Petra Bindel. The classic bistro bench, with a metal frame and slats, invites you to recline at an angle perfect for drowsing in the sun.

Above: A 59-inch-long Louisiane Bench from Fermob has 24 galvanized steel slats, is rust resistant, and comes with a three-year guarantee; it is $741 from French Bistro Furniture.

Want to see more of our favorite outdoor benches? See 10 Easy Pieces: Romantic Benches for Two.

Those partial to string lights (is there anyone who isn't?) will enjoy the Konstellation System, an ingenious collaboration between Brit designer Peter Marigold and Danish designers Lindberg Eyewear, famous for their lightweight titanium frames. Working with the material's capacity to conduct electricity from one LED to the next, Marigold's system is made of many individual titanium elements that can be joined together to create an endless variety of patterns and structures. For more information, contact Peter Marigold. 

Above: A delicate web of lights can be created with the Konstellation system. 

Above: Electrical currents run through the titanium rods and light up the LEDs.

Above: The titanium elements and their joints "dry fit" together and do not require soldering for easy handling and installation.

Above: A circle of light.

Above: Starry starry night. 

Above: When the titanium elements disappear into the dark, the LED's have an appearance of being suspended in the air. Image via Libby Sellers. 

Like moths to a flame, we are all drawn to string lights. See String Lights for some of our favorite posts. 

If this were Paris in 1969, you could bet that Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin would be staying at the Hôtel du Temps, the latest boutique hotel in Montmartre.  A project of Lionel Benesmoun and Alix Thomsen, with branding by Laura Leonard, the understated hotel is comprised of 23 rooms, a piano bar and lounge.

At its opening in February this year, Alix Thomsen debuted her Fall 2013 collection with a party; the interiors, featuring palm printed textiles and hallways blocked in woven rattan, served as a tropical backdrop for the Parisian cool festivities. Visit Hôtel du Temps for more information.

Photography courtesy of Hôtel du Temps.

Above: Similar to her fashion line and Paris home, Alix Thomsen mixed unexpected and eccentric prints together in the bedrooms.

Above: Exposed beams and a window covered in fabric in one of the top floor bedrooms.

Above: Pale blue ikat printed bed linens are all that's required in the smaller rooms, which start at €120 a night.

Above: The exterior of Hôtel du Temps, the night of the Thomsen event.

Above: Hallways on each floor are finished with woven rattan.

Above: Retro tropical wallpaper in the bedroom (the ikat print is carried over in the bath linens).

Above: Florida-tropical style, unexpected for Paris.

Above: Each room has unique vintage furniture, textiles, and lighting.

For more in and around Paris, see our Travels with an Editor: Paris series and visit our Paris City Guide.

It's no wonder this discreet little florist in Saint-Germain-des-Prés is a favorite of Sofia Coppola. Walk inside the doorway, and prepare to be engulfed by a cloud storm of Paris' prettiest cut flowers:

Inside the Odorantes shop, chalkboard gray walls are a perfect foil for the riot of color that fills vases, covers tabletops, and overwhelms you in the best possible way: 

Above: Photograph by Liza Bliss via Flickr.

The shop's owners Christophe Hervé and Emmanuel Sammartino opened Odorantes, located near the Luxembourg Gardens, in 2003.

Above: Photograph by Liza Bliss via Flickr.

A black awning hints at the color scheme that waits for you inside. 

Above: Photograph via Odorantes.

A mass of roses and freesias, arranged together to heighten their complementary fragrances.

Above: Photograph by Liza Bliss via Flickr.

 Above: Photograph by Liza Bliss via Flickr.

Black furniture, black urns, black lampshades—the perfect foil for the flowers.

Above: Photograph by Liza Bliss via Flickr.

Scented roses and ridiculously irresistible pom pom peonies.

Above: Photographs via Paris Atelier.

Under glass (L), a porcelain flower in a dome. On a table (R), violets, roses, and peonies.

Above: Odorantes is located at 9 Rue Madame.

Craving a Parisian bouquet? See A Walk Through One of Paris' Last Flower (and Bird) Markets.

It's such a welcome trend: designers ranging from icons like Terence Conran to subversive Scottish design outfit Timorous Beasties to US design star Nate Berkus working with larger retailers to bring lower-priced household essentials to a wider audience. Here are 10 of our favorite current collaborations:

Above: Design Sponge's Maxwell Tielman waxes rhapsodic about Nate Berkus' wool Arrowhead Rug from Target; the 5-by-7-foot size is $149.99.

Above: To accompany the $99 Salt Chair (now available in black, white, red, and gray), DWR enlisted architect and designer Tom Kelley to design the Salt Table (available in black or white); $595 at Design Within Reach.

Above: Scottish design group Timorous Beasties created the Thistle Cushion for John Lewis; it's £80 (not cheap, admittedly, but it does deliver a dash of subversive Scot style for less than a fully wallpapered room).

Above: A while back Sarah and I staged an Easter table setting using pieces from Diane Keaton's line for Bed Bath & Beyond; Sarah (a tough customer) was completely won over by the well-proportioned, pleasingly sturdy K by Keaton White Dinnerware line; $59.99 for a 12-piece set.

Above: The Design by Conran wood Lucina Table Lamp from J.C. Penney is $175.

Above: We are total converts to Ben Soleimani's line of rugs for Restoration Hardware; the new Basket Weave Hemp Rug might be our new preferred basic floor covering. Prices start at $195 (seven sizes, eight colors available).  

Above Minneapolis-based Blu Dot makes some of our favorite furniture: We like the Quad Side Table from their Target collection; $64.98.

Above: English design icon Terence Conran's Skipper Stool for JC Penney is $142 and features a brushed cotton upholstered top.

Above: We've long admired the textiles of UK designer Allegra Hicks; her Teardrop Embroidered Sheet Set is available at West Elm for $64.99 (down from $109).

Above: Finally, a useful entertaining solution: Design by Conran Stacking Trays; $210.

Summer means outdoor entertaining, which means you'll be needing chairs that can stand up to the elements. Here's a roundup of our top 10 café-style chairs to fit the bill (they work equally well as indoor/outdoor options).

Above: Parisian Bistro Chair; set of two for $650 at Viva Terra. For more outdoor dining inspiration, see "An Otherwordly Outdoor Pavilion."

Above: Slatted Teak Chair; $248 from Terrain.

Above: Hay's Hee Dining Chair is available in bright green (shown) and five other shades; $258 each from Finnish Design Shop.

Above: The silver Arc En Ciel Folding Chair is currently on sale for $75.65 from Design Within Reach.

Above: Made in France, the Louvre Side Chairs are $534 for a set of two from American Country Home Store.

Above: The powder-coated aluminum Luxembourg Side Chair in black is $326 from Amazon.

Above: Marais Dining Chairs made of varnished galvanized steel, vermilion, or lemon; $250 each at Design Within Reach.

Above: A Scandinavian cafe classic, the Swedish-made Grythyttan Chair 1 in oiled oak is £65 at the Balcony Gardener in the UK. The chair is also available through Orling & Wu in Vancouver.

Above: Fermob's Classic French Bistro Folding Chair is available in Chili (shown) and eighteen different colors; $198 from Horne.

Above: Tarno French Cafe Chair in acacia and steel; $15 at Ikea.

Looking for inspiration to go with your café chair? See 1,943 images of Outdoor Dining in our Gallery of rooms and spaces.

N.B.: This post is an update; the original story ran on July 18, 2012.

A couple of years ago, we posted on the apartment of David Rager and Cheri Messerli, who had just relocated from New York to the 9th arrondissement of Paris. I recently visited them at their personality-filled Parisian flat, which includes mementoes from the west coast of California (where they both grew up) mixed with newer finds.

Since moving to Paris, David and Cheri have been successful designing restaurants and bars in a style completely unique to the typical Parisienne. Rager's background and current practice in branding and graphic design has led him to projects like Ten Belles, Les Néréides, and the Broken Arm, and, working with Messerli, designing Candelaria, Glass, and Le Mary Celeste, under the name Weekends.

The first project that the couple worked on together was with their friend's Ecology Center in California. When I ask Cheri about the California-Paris connection, she says, "We are definitely more inspired by where we are from than we ever were before and we try to bring that to Paris as much as we can." That's when I began to notice the rocks, driftwood, sculptures by a San Francisco artist, and ceramics from LA set throughout the house.

Photography by Alexa Hotz for Remodelista.

Above: A graceful stairway leads to the couple's apartment.

Above: Cheri's go-to resources are Emery et Cie "for the paint, tiles, and lighting" and Magasin Sennelier, a classic art supplies store on the Left Bank. 

Above: Cheri and David at their long dining room table.

Above: Confetti System's Neutral Tassel Garland made from tissue paper and mylar hangs over the mirror in the living room.

Above: The kitchen, made up of raw concrete and exposed beams, opens into a tiny corner studio where Cheri designs her jewelry collection.

Above: David and Cheri's apartment came fully furnished, and they've delicately integrated their own style into the framework. To lighten up the original dark burgundy velvet pillows, Cheri made cases from various striped fabrics. Watercolor linens, hand made by Cheri, that once functioned as tablecloths now cover the living room sofa.

Above: Paper cranes, a vintage task lamp, and driftwood collected from the shores of the west coast of California.

Above: Bookshelves in the dining room shelter not only books and magazines but ceramics, dried flowers, found objects, and collections.

Above: A garland of turkey feathers in the doorway.

Above: A birdhouse by ceramicist Stan Bitters; currently available through Totokaelo's Art-Object in Seattle.

Above: Jonathan Adler's Utopia Teapot and a bowl of avocado pits saved for future houseplants.

Above: A small garden of succulents set into the skylight window.

Above L: When Cheri first started designing the watercolored fabric, she drew inspiration from Memphis artist Peter Shire's splatter paint pieces. "I had the idea for it but then I was just making too many things for our wedding so I did it really quickly but really liked the way it turned out," says Cheri. Above R: In the very corner are small wooden sculptures from Key & Kite in San Francisco.

Above: Avocado pits ready to sprout on the corner desk.

Above: Patterns and hardware for Cheri's upcoming Scout Holiday collection.

Above: In the back of the kitchen, you can see the hand-forged nails jutting out from the exposed wooden beams.

Above: The couple's nook of a bedroom with a mix of linens and blankets: watercolor by Cheri and a Hudson Bay Point Blanket.

Above: Illustrated birds attached to pieces of driftwood once functioned as name tags at David and Cheri's wedding and now as decor in their Paris home.

Above: Scout, the namesake of Cheri's work, gazes out the living room window.

Before we visited David and Cheri in person, we spotted their apartment online in 2011; see our first post on the couple's home in House Call: David Rager and Cheri Messerli in Paris. For more house visits from my trip to Paris, take a look at our Travels with an Editor: Paris series.

Nothing is more discouraging to a product designer than seeing their work emulated by a large corporation. So you have to hand it to West Elm for their recent collaborations, where they work directly with designers to create more accessible products for the West Elm line. Case in point, Gaurav Nanda's Bend Chair, which we featured last year after spotting it at Dwell on Design. Nanda, a Los Angeles-based onetime car designer, uses bent wires in a series of geometric patterns to create a surprisingly comfortable seat. For details, see below: 

Above: The West Elm Bend Dining Chair is available in white or yellow for $249 and $498 for a pair (currently on sale for $119 and $239, respectively). The Dining Cushion is available separately for $24 (currently on sale for $15.99 from West Elm).

Above: The Farmhouse Lounge Chair from the original Bend line, with the backrest inspired by the structural design of old Amish barns. Shown here in peacock blue for $495 from A+R Store; also available in orange and white.

See our original post on Bend: Bertoia-Inspired Seating by Way of LA. Also check out Gaurav Nanda's wire Trophy Heads.

In a small town in Brittany, on the northern coast of France about five hours' drive from Paris, the landscape design firm Cao-Perrot Studio designed a 4,500-square-foot garden of undulating perennial grasses and flowers whose waves are a constant reminder of the nearby sea.

Cao-Perrot designers Andy Cao and Xavier Perrot are known for creating dreamy, romantic landscapes that elicit an emotional response. They won the Grand Prize in 2009 at the  annual Jardins, Jardin garden show in Paris, for an intallation that featured a metal tree on which "grew" 20,000 mother-of-pearl leaves. 

Photographs via Cao Perrot Studio.

Above: "This garden was inspired by its ever-changing surrounding landscapes and seascapes in Brittany," the designers say. Using a restrained palette, the designers relied on perennial grasses, lavender, and a few old-fashioned kinds of flowers to create a soft, blurred effect. No matter how close you are standing, the horizon feels distant.

Above: Lavender and grasses edge the front walk.

Above: Perennial grasses create a frothy effect that other plants can't replicate.

Above: With the aid of a bulldozer, Cao-Perrot created "sculpted landforms" to catch the light at different times of day.

Above: Pink poppies look completely at home in the grasses.

Above: The designers achieved a painterly effect with textures and colors that play off each other in the late afternoon light.

Above: Hollyhocks punctuate the garden with a rare burst of red.

Above: Rows of lavender, grasses, hedge and in back—those hollyhocks.

For another of our favorite romantic French gardens, see A Restored Medieval Garden.

In 1995, brother-sister team Alexandre and Marie Thumerelle found it impossible to source all the books and magazines they wanted from just one shop. Back then, and as is typical Parisian fashion, you had to span the entire city, going from shop to shop, collecting each item. So the Thumerelle siblings opened up Ofr, a librarie-galerie in the Marais, a neighborhood that has grown around them over the past 15 years.

Piled high in the shop are art, architecture, and photography books, magazines, and a collection of literary tomes. The name, Ofr, stands for "Open, free, and ready," which describes the owners' approach to book selling and event hosting. They also offer an artist-in-residence series; in 2009, photographer and artist Mark Borthwick stayed in the gallery for 10 days, putting up drawings and cooking meals. Other events have included a launch party for The Plant journal, Nicolas Soulier's Reconquérir Les Rues, and, most recently, works by artist Rosemarie Auberson. The Thumerelles stick to a strict schedule of at least two events per week, and in doing so have established Ofr as a cultural axis for the entire Marais. For more information, visit Ofr System.

Photography by Alexa Hotz for Remodelista.

Above: The entrance of Ofr opens onto a single long rectangular table full of architecture and landscape books. Just behind it, a table of curated books—this time dedicated to Le Corbusier and Eileen Gray, which relate to May's exhibition at the Centre Pompidou.

Above: Marie Thumerelle leans in the doorway just next to an outdoor table where she and a few friends are enjoying an afternoon apéro.

Above: Stacked high in front of the register counter: style magazines ranging from Purple Fashion and Self Service to smaller zine-like publications.

Above: Mobiles (they're for sale) made from colored tissue paper adorn the window.

Above: Pocket literature, leather bags, and journals.

Above: To accompany a good art book: summer essentials like sneakers and cotton or linen work shirts.

For more places to visit in and around Paris see our Travels with an Editor: Paris series and visit our Paris City Guide.

Location of Ofr in Paris:

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Olivier Abry of Wo & Wé Collection calls himself a "creator-assembler"; from his atelier in Lyon he makes new lamps from vintage components. Abry accepts PayPal and ships his lights all over the world (delivery to the US is €49). Below is a selection of his work; go to Wo & Wé to see the current offerings.

This post is an update; the original ran on April 1, 2011