Nose, by Dior
This is one beautiful and insightful documentary, unfortunately too short – a little over an hour. I had a lovely time watching it and at the end I felt like I was just returning from a quick trip to France. A veritable ‘smell good movie’ as it is described in the poster above.
The topic, of course, is a very poetic one – perfume, the raw materials that make it, the suppliers that put their life into, for example, growing the most intoxicating roses or finding the rare ambergris. But above all, this documentary is about François Demachy – the perfumier creator of Dior Perfumes, the ‘nose’! His deep understanding of scent and continuous curiosity appear in this documentary to be boundless.
I was inspired by every person featured, every beautiful shot, every remark and even every song chosen. It must be said it is 80% in French and there is no subtitle available. Perhaps that’s what made it even more special for me, obliging me to really listen and look at the people talking, to make sure I didn’t miss anything. I am tempted to re-watch it before the 48 hours rental expires!
If you want to get a taste of what I mean before renting or buying it, watch the trailers, as well as the short teasers in the series The Quest for Essence. For even more, explore the Dior YouTube channel, particularly the Dior Parfums playlist.
Et voilà!
The Poetry Archive
How would you like to listen to your favourite poems read by the very author? It would be brilliant, wouldn’t it? Well, you might be able to do just that on the Poetry Archive’s website. They are an NGO committed to record significant poets for posterity and to make the recordings accessible to the public, which can be an illuminating experience for listeners.
Among the over ten thousand recorded poems, you will also be able to find many by the mighty dead, like Emily Dickinson or William Shakespeare, read by contemporary poets or actors. I somehow managed to stumble upon Lord Byron’s She Walks in Beauty read by Jude Law.
Poetry for me is not a familiar ground, like prose. I find it difficult to grasp, I feel like I am surely missing the deeper meaning. Listening to someone else read it helps a lot and is making me want to explore more. You can do the same and also read further about The Poetry Archive here. There is also a little sister – the Children’s Poetry Archive, and I find that magical indeed!
Removable Wallpaper
Searching for removable wallpaper while dreaming of hand-painted and hand-embroidered wallcoverings by de Gournay
I love wallpaper, I find it can be very elegant, the next best thing if you can’t have someone hand paint your walls (right?). I really enjoyed reading this story about the lady that spent her life hunting for lost wallpaper! What a cool job she created for herself, turning it into a very successful business, inspiring others through her passion and working on countless projects and clients, including artists and celebrities.
As the basic, yet chic bamboo leaf wallpaper in my bedroom is peeling off, probably because of the absolute beginner’s job me, my dad and my husband did last year putting it up, I really want to replace it. I’m afraid I’m not looking for a unique vintage design just yet, but I can’t hope for another lucky car boot find either (£5 for three brand new rolls!)
I have thus spotted the trend of removable wallpaper and I think it might be just what I need – (hopefully) easy to put up, easy to take town or change if we fancy, no damage to the walls. There is plenty of choice too! You’ll find online many round-ups, from the likes of CountryLiving or Cosmopolitan, but it seems to me that the best you can do is endlessly browse Etsy!
I think I will stick with the tropical green and fresh aesthetic, but I’d love a maxi design, rather than a small repetitive pattern. Or maybe something floral, like this or this? I would also love some lemons or oranges for a pop of colour! I could simply browse all day…
(Not Another) Basic Top
Work in progress – pearls and a vintage button
Last weekend I felt a bit crafty and decided to upgrade one of my many different but very similar simple black tops, after buying yet another one! I have a small stock of vintage buttons, beads and sequins, embellishments from old clothes and the like, so I spend a couple of lovely hours listening to an audiobook, looking at these, browsing Pinterest and coming up with a pretty combination. I love the thought that no one else will have the exact same t-shirt, which is so rare nowadays, isn’t it?
I’ve saved many cool ideas here and I think I’m going to try my hand at embroidering next. Maybe also playing with some textile paint. To be continued…
The Case for Working Less
Shot from the classic 9 to 5 movie
Hear me out, this is not me saying it, it’s common sense, statistics and some science too. I’ve started to spot more and more articles on this topic, as the world slowly emerges from the pandemic and working from home. How about scrapping the 9-to-5 model to allow for more flexibility, and working shorter hours to deliver maximum productivity while still maintaining our wellbeing and work-life balance?
I enjoy my job a lot and it might be out of habit or because it is the only normality I know, but I wouldn’t be completely without it (or at least a version of it) even if I didn’t need it at all. There are health and mental health benefits to working that no one can deny. My ideal workweek would probably be two days in the office for normal hours and two days from home with shorter or flexible hours. The three days weekend would, of course, be the cherry on top. I would also petition for more annual leave, to allow for a few full weeks of holiday scattered throughout the year, to properly disconnect and recharge periodically.
What would your ideal working week look like?
Bookshelf Nooks
How to make your bookshelves even more whimsical? Hide between your favourite tomes a slice of an universe dear to you – it can be inspired by a beloved book, pure fantasy or mimicking reality. I love these intricate miniature scenes and the idea will go on my loooong DIY projects list. Find inspiration here and here, but you can, of course, also buy one.
Dressing my Phone
As I’ve recently changed my phone, this week I’ve spent some time looking for a new phone case. This object is the ultimate accessory, it comes with me everywhere and it is very visible. I am a Samsung fan and to be honest, there isn’t much variety in types, the best options I’ve found are a Saffiano Leather case or a basic silicone case with a beautiful print – think Renaissance paintings, marble, tortoise etc.
I was surprised to see that some of the cult brands only or mainly offer options for iPhones! I really liked the ‘necklace case’ below from Ideal of Sweden (inspired by the Saint Laurent one) and similar from Aspinal London, but none of them do it for my phone model yet, unfortunately! I found this alternative on Etsy, but I’m not convinced. It’s all in the finishing details, and I’d prefer it glossy and polished.
Which one would you choose?
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Merci!
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