french living in white

by Sharon Santoni

I have been asked how we chose the theme of white for our next edition of our French Box ….. what is it about white and French living?

I remember becoming aware of this when as a student I arrived in the South of France, and made my first friends.  They invited me  to their family properties.  This opened a whole new world to me.  Interior design was so different to anything I had seen growing up.   There was an effortless mixing of genres, a gentle colour palette and of course all of this helped by that special light in the south.

Since that time I have always been aware of the white around me, and always welcomed touches  to my own home.  Of course with four children, dogs and horses, an all-white look is not the obvious choice, but actually you don’t need to go all white to enjoy it.

I love white in the garden, and have always had white roses strategically planted.

… of course if you read me you’ll know about my obsession with antique white linens,   ……

or white soup tureens ….

or white china

or even white pumpkins!

And this is how we came to choose the theme for the next edition of My Stylish French Box.  We called it White Like May Blossom, because it will be shipped in May.  Inside (although of course I cannot reveal the details)  there will be products for you, something that smells divine, something old and everything will be quite beautiful.  I am very excited to share this box, it feels more personal to me than past boxes and I hope you will love each detail.

The boxes are being sold pretty fast but we still have some available, so if you’d like a touch of French-ness in your home this spring, just click HERE to purchase.

18 comments

Cindy March 29, 2018 - 4:44 pm

Totally agree!
White is so calming,clean and refreshing in our homes and gardens.

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Cheryl March 30, 2018 - 2:29 am

Is it $255.00 for one delivery?

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Deborah March 29, 2018 - 4:55 pm

I love white accents always, flowers, linens, most of my bed. Seems like many in the U.S. show their French country home & it’s all white, beige & gray. That is the most depressing setting to me. I live in a very small Victorian in Texas & except for the white walls in my kitchen & creme walls in my bedroom, my home is in color & a lot of 1930’s decor. Love the excitement & story in each room. Love all of your photos.

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darby callahan March 29, 2018 - 5:22 pm

I quite agree. the walls of my home are always white, it serves as a background for all the things I have collected over the years from my travels and from family. also my most recent sofa and chair are a soft cream, in spite of living with animals. I am even now at this rather late date in life contemplating purchasing some white china.

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Denise SELTZ March 29, 2018 - 5:48 pm

I love old embroidered sheets. I have a dozen that I use regularly.

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Ellen March 29, 2018 - 5:54 pm

Hi Sharon
What lovely photos I so agree with you. Our kids are on their own and just Billy the cat with us. Last year I decided after 30 years of living with brown furniture to make change big one. Had the sofa slip covered in white linen.my 1880 large oval dining room table sprayed white a smal coffee table as well. The rest of the furniture reupholstered in blue mohair and with and blue
Floral and Greece key design. It was a dramatic change and I adore it every day. My garden is mostly blues and whites . Living in The North West lots of rain was the catalyst to make the change.
Love you post as always
Ellen

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Deborah Lindsay March 29, 2018 - 6:43 pm

Aaaahhh! Takes me back to our trips!

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Suzanne March 29, 2018 - 7:02 pm

A perfect choice for May! In France, May 1 is celebrated with lily-of-the-valley, my favorite flower.

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Rene'e March 29, 2018 - 7:03 pm

Love the white linens! I have an extensive collection myself. I’ve even gone so far as to collect beautiful embroidered, pleated and lace trimmed undergarments from years gone by. I store them lovingly in a old English butlers linen press.

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Jeanne Henriques March 29, 2018 - 7:34 pm

So excited!!! I can’t wait!! xx

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Amy Brown March 29, 2018 - 11:28 pm

I will be in Paris in July 2018. I follow your blog endlessly. May I please have the your favorite Fabrics store in Paris

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Elria Ellis April 3, 2018 - 5:18 pm

You will find a whole street of fabric shops at the foot of the Sacre Coeur in Montmartre.

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Dee March 30, 2018 - 1:46 am

I soo love what you do Sharon something so beautiful and elegant in a world that so needs a touch of class, style,elegance and luxury. My box is absolute heaven to me.!

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Taste of France March 30, 2018 - 2:35 pm

You can’t beat antique white linens–the embroidery is exquisite, and the quality is superb. They are perfect for sleeping.

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Sue March 30, 2018 - 8:29 pm

For the most part I am not a fan of the all white fad going on right now because so many don’t know how to do it. To me it is blinding. But if done correctly, like you have done it is beautiful. I love that I can actually see the pictures on your all white background. I was on several blogs this past month that have the all white background and they pictures were so washed out and blended in so much that they lost all definition and you could not tell what these pictures were. I have seen so many blogs with pictures of homes with the mostly white decor and they look so plain and washed out that it is unpleasant. But you know how to use white as a main theme and it is beautiful.

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Tracey McCauley March 30, 2018 - 11:53 pm

Thank you Sharon! Your pictures are so stunning!!! I am loving your exquisite table setting with that gorgeous rock wall as a back drop!!! Have a beautiful Easter and please say hi to Henri with the beautiful Manor house!

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chardonnaylynn March 31, 2018 - 2:07 am

Love the white theme for our next Stylish French Box! Perhaps some mother-of-pearl???

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Fran April 1, 2018 - 6:07 am

Sharon, I was wondering if you knew the type of white climbing rose in the pictures of your property? I have been looking for a white climbing rose since I bought my home 5 years ago. The picture of these roses looks so lovely!

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