Before I get to today’s post, I want to thank everyone for watching my live Marais Tour last week and also for your generous tips to my PayPal account. I'm sorry I couldn't thank all of you individually, but know I really appreciate it. CLICK HERE to watch the video and CLICK HERE if you would like to leave a tip in my PayPal account (you don’t have to have a PayPal account), which I would greatly appreciate. Enjoy!
My friend Susan told me she had recently reconnected with an old friend she’s known for a long time that she had lost touch with. Susan said her friend Gabrielle Soyer has a home furnishings shop and showroom that specializes in colorful throw pillows and area rugs. I thought it may be something interesting for Eye Prefer Paris, so Susan gave me Gabrielle’s number and I made a rendezvous to meet her at her atelier.
Located in the upper part of the Marais, about a 20-minute walk from my house, it was a bright, sunny day and I took photos along the way of the blooming flowers and trees for last week’s blog post.
I reached the address for Gabrielle’s atelier, Lindell & Co Home Furnishings, and was surprised it was in a Haussmann-style building, since almost all the buildings in that part of the Marais are hotel particuliers. I walked through the lobby of the building and in the back was a small courtyard where Gabrielle’s atelier was, which was also a surprise since it’s rare that a Haussmann style building would have a commercial space.
Gabrielle warmly greeted me, wearing elegant casual in a long tobacco colored cardigan, jeans, sturdy black loafers, a cool silver cuff, and topped off the look with a cloth mask in a brown and teal color pattern.
I liked the look of the atelier and was drawn immediately to the color palette of lilac, golden yellow, tangerine, teal, and Kelly green, and patterns of the pillows. Luckily, I wasn’t in the market for throw pillows, otherwise I could have done a lot of damage and bought several of them. I was also attracted to the rugs which had more muted colors than the pillows.
Gabrielle started her business 14 years ago, coming from a career in home furnishings and accessories for high profile companies. She worked for Ralph Lauren for a number of years, traveling the globe and sourcing home decorations and accessories for their stores in Europe. When she left the job, she spent a year in India, designing and importing jewelry and a limited collection of casual clothing, which finally led to her current business.
Lindell & Co Home Furnishings sells to home design and lifestyle shops and interior designers around the world in addition to selling them online and in the atelier by appointment.
The pillow covers are made entirely by hand in Kashmir using a chain stitch, a tradition in the region since the 14th century. The embroiderers use a special, crocheting needle called an ari, and a single pillow takes about three to four days to complete, depending on the size, so they are produced in limited quantities. Rugs are also created by hand by artisans using wool imported from New Zealand and the hand knotted rugs are produced in Nepal using a centuries old technique. Lindell & Co also sells tapestries, candle holders, Japanese trays, and upholstered stools.
We spoke at length about our businesses and the pros and cons of working for yourself, life experiences, art, culture, and a whole range of topics, getting to know each other, and over an hour later , we realized it was lunch time for the both of us.
Lindell & Co’s products are available for purchase online and can be shipped anywhere in the world.
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