C'EST UNE HISTOIRE FAMILLE (IT'S A FAMILY AFFAIR)

Lolo and I are excited to introduce you to Cole Brock, my son and our newest employee. Cole graduates this summer from The University of Alabama with a bachelor of arts degree in history. His plans were to attend law school until I asked him to help at the store one Saturday while Laurent was out of town. Little did I know what an effect that would have on him. He couldn't wait for Laurent to get back so he could talk to him.

Cole on his official first day at work

Cole's always loved history and has collected "things" for as long as I can remember. Our home was filled with art and antiques, so scouring the stalls of flea markets from New York to Paris as a child was exciting and fun for him. He enjoyed the thrill of the hunt during these adventures and developed an appreciation for antiques and their history. 

Cole getting his portrait done in Montmartre before heading to Les Puces

But it's Laurent's work ethic, passion and love of antiques that has inspired and motivated Cole to want to learn not only the business but the fine art of furniture restoration that Lolo has mastered. He wants to experience the same satisfaction and joie de vivre Lolo experiences doing what he loves. 

Lolo, Mimi and Cole

Only history will tell if he stays on the same career path that Lolo chose over twenty years ago! In the meantime, he'll be happy to assist you with any inquiries you may have. He has a lot to learn, but Lolo says he can already tell "Cole feels it." And Lolo knows!

À Bientôt!

Lolo & Mimi

MIX...DON'T MATCH!

One of the questions our customers ask most often is how to combine antiques with modern or traditional interiors. Our answer? Mix...don't match! Forget matchy matchy! Decorating a home with different furniture styles, colors and patterns can sometimes be hard to do, but "casual elegance is all about the mix," according to interior designer Charlotte Moss.

Designers mix antique furniture with modern and traditional interiors to create a look that appears as though it's evolved over time. Antiques add texture, contrast and depth and are a wonderful addition to any room. Mixing antiques into your design brings balance and an element of the unexpected. They make a room feel more interesting and elegant, beautiful but not overdone. It's essential to mix different styles together and incorporate multiple levels to enhance a space. Mix hard textures with soft textures such as rustic leather with upholstery, and combine different furniture shapes together, like round coffee tables and square side tables. While some people prefer to decorate their home in a particular style (Traditional, Mid-Century Modern, Industrial Chic, Country French), blending styles is a wonderful way to create a unique space that makes a statement about your personal style. 

Here are a few tips on using old+new to create an unexpected mix that is
 fun+fabulous instead of chaotic+cluttered:

A. Be Creative. The problem many have with antiques is keeping them from looking outdated and uncomfortable. But you don't have to do away with the old and only bring in the new. Use what you have and add to the mix to create a fresher style that is uniquely yours!

•  A Louis Philippe mirror looks great over a Mid-Century Modern chest. It looks equally as great over an antique chest when there's a contrast in shapes and textures and colors. 

Dana Wolter Interiors mixes light and dark woods, smooth and rough finishes. 

Photograph by Jean Allsopp.

• A French farm table paired with industrial style aluminum chairs creates fabulous contrast. The same can be said of an industrial table paired with country French chairs. 

Wood and Metal Contrast.

• A modern light fixture hanging in a room full of rustic antiques makes a powerful statement. An antique chandelier in a modern room stands out and adds character, as well. 
• A modern Lucite or glass dining table surrounded by Louis Ghost chairs and an antique French settee is WOW when paired with an ornate crystal chandelier. Louis Ghost chairs look just as WOW around an antique farm table. 

Interior designer Michael Moloney's dining room mixes a whitewashed antique French settee
with Philippe Starck’s "Louis Ghost" chairs by Kartell.

• Mix an Art Deco armoire with modern furnishings for a clean, classic look with a modern twist.

A Delightful Mix of Modern and Art Deco with Parisian Flea Market Finds.
By Beth McMillan of McMillan Interiors. 

B. Change. One of the easiest ways to add antiques into the mix is to update them. But don't just restore them to their original condition. Use bold, modern fabrics and bright, vivid paint colors to add a contemporary twist. Don’t be limited by a piece’s original intention or definition. 

• An antique buffet or sideboard can be just as much at home in a sunroom, living room or bedroom as a formal dining room.  

This Louis XVI French Buffet makes a perfect sofa table
in our living room because of its size and scale.

The contrast of textures and colors works well, also.

• Reupholster your grandma's chair in an ultra modern fabric. Paint it bright orange or hot pink. 

This definitely isn't your grandma's chair anymore!
Chair by Design Industry Workroom. Interiors by Barri Thompson. Photograph by Graham Yelton

• Place a beat up antique chair in its original condition beside a modern piece.
• Again, Louis Ghost chairs are the perfect example of an "updated" antique.

Louis Ghost Chair is a modern take on a Neoclassical Chair.

C. LOLO - Leave Out [at] Least One.  Leave out at least one item to avoid clashing styles. Keep things simple. Less is more. Too much clutter and too many tchotchkes and too much matchy matchy is...well...JUST TOO MUCH! Grouping too many accessories of opposing design styles together can leave your living room looking like a vide grenier. Remember the LOLO rule: Leave Out [at] Least One.

• All it takes is a single piece of modern art mixed with antiques to make a room pop. Less is more.

The nickel sculpture really pops against the black and white. Louis XVI commode with bronze ormoluand wreathed drawer pulls resting on fluted tapering cylindrical feet with gilt-bronze collars and sabots.
Photo by: Fran Parente

• A fireplace mantel in a modern room can really become a focal point if there's a single, ornate, antique piece placed on it.

A beautiful mix of old+new.

Antiques can be a subtle background decoration or the focal point of an entire room, but without proper handling they can just as easily become forgettable or distracting. If you remember to make them a part of the interior design plan, and not just a tacked-on afterthought, then they can easily become the highlight of any home. 

Á Bientôt!

Lolo & Mimi

A FRENCH MAISON CALLED HOME

 Let's take a peek into the past!

Marie-Hélène, Gigi and Lolo

This is an inside look at Lolo's childhood home. He was surrounded by antiques and raised to appreciate their simplicity, beauty and utilitarianism. 

 It's obvious where his sense of design and finishing detail comes from. His father, Maurice, carefully restored most of this home before his death. Lolo inherited his talent, as well as his good looks! His mother, Gigi, still lives here and his sister and brother-in-law live on the same property. 

Maurice 

 Lolo also inherited an eye for beauty. He has a natural ability to see artistic value and he respects the craftsmanship and design that went into each piece he carefully selects for his shop. We share the same passion for antiques as his parents and it can be found in this little cottage we're temporarily renting, just as it is in the French maison that he still calls "home".

À Bientôt!

Lolo & Mimi

SHOP 'TIL YOU DROP!

In less than a week, nearly 5,000 antique, collectible and flea market dealers 
from around the world will set up shop in the four small Texas towns of Carmine, Round Top,
Warrenton and La Grange for Round Top Antiques Week . 

Illustrated Map Featured in Texas Monthly Magazine
Illustration By: Christopher Monro DeLorenzo

Considered the largest antiques fair in the United States, this shopper's paradise, which has been around since the 1960's, is no longer one show held the last weekend of October and April each year. Round Top Antiques Week now lasts more than two weeks every spring and fall with about 40 separate shows set up in dance halls, barns, warehouses and sheds. Tents cover cow pastures and front yards. Crystal chandeliers hang from the rafters and margaritas are plentiful.

Round Top Antiques Week

The merchandise is as varied as the venues and the dealers, featuring more than just antiques. You can find pretty much anything under the Texas sun...from period French antiques to a Brady Bunch lunch box to a signed first edition of William Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury. Industrial salvage, vintage jewelry, European linens, fine art, furniture from every era and plain ole' junk can be had. You'll see designers and decorators alongside pickers and junkers. Collectors and hoarders of all kinds will descend on this 25-mile stretch of Highway 237 from Burton to La Grange.

Pandora de Balthazar

Lolo French Antiques et More

Lolo will be set up at the Arbor International & Interior Design Show  in Round Top. 
 Join the fun! Come experience the most amazing shopping experience you can imagine. Be sure and bring your wallet (dealers like cash), sunscreen, an umbrella (it can rain at anytime), camera and a tape measure. And definitely be prepared to shop 'til you drop! 

À Bientôt!

Lolo & Mimi