Bryan Adams… livin’ the Paris life

I’m a huge Bryan Adams fan. It started in the early ‘80s and has been going more or less strong since then. There was that weird ruffled-powder-blue-blouse-and-eyeliner phase that he went through in the ‘90s that kinda creeped me out, but other than that, I’ve been enjoying his music for over 25 years. OH MY GOD. I’M OLD.

I had to pick up the April 2009 issue of Elle DECOR because there’s an article about Bryan’s Paris home in it. Somehow, Bryan and Paris don’t seem to go together. But hey, whatever turns your croissant :-)

Being a down-to-earth, jeans-and-T-shirt kinda rocker guy, I envisioned something… well, to be honest, I’m not really sure!! Turns out, his home is nothing like I expected it to be. But then, what DID I expect it to be?!

Bryan’s home was designed by French interior designer Tristan Auer. Bryan and Tristan met in 2003 when Bryan was looking for a designer to decorate his vacation home in the West Indies (ahhh, the life of a rock star!!). Bryan showed Tristan pictures he had ripped out of magazines that reflected his style. Turns out, they were rooms that Tristan had designed.

Bryan was looking for a home in Paris with a glass roof that would let in lots of light. He found an 18th century carriage house on Ile Saint-Louis that fit the bill—although the red carpeting on the floors and WALLS had to go!! The overall design is minimal and white, infused with hits of colour here and there. Take a look and see what you think…

You can get a glimpse of the glass roof in this picture of Bryan’s kitchen (check out the little Eiffel Tower on the range hood).

And a better view of the glass roof in his photography studio.

The living room with a big gray sofa. Looks comfy!!

I’m guessing the room through the doorway is the main bedroom. Looks like the corner of a bed and a little turquoise night table…

Not sure what room this chaise is in or what it’s used for. Looks a bit lonely to me!!

Like the rest of the apartment, the bathroom is white and simple.

The wood cabinets, table, and chairs add some colour and warmth to the dining room.

And finally, the guest bedroom has a completely different look and feel. It’s in the basement of the carriage house, and retains the original stone walls and ceiling. The bed looks rather comfy, tucked into the arched niche…

  

So what do you think—does this look like the home of a rock star?? Do you like the minimal design?? Are you a fan of white with touches of colour, or do you like colourful houses better?? Feel free to share your thoughts on Bryan’s Paris home :-)

All photos from ElleDECOR April 2009

Check out Bryan Adams for more info on his music, photography, and philanthropy

French designer Tristan Auer

Black with white stripes or white with black stripes?

“I’m ten years old. My life is half over and I don’t even know if I’m black with white stripes or white with black stripes!”

~ Marty the Zebra, Madagascar ~

Poor Marty, suffering a serious zebra identity crisis… is he black or is he white? Does he belong in a kid’s playful bedroom or an adult’s glamourous living room? Is he cool and hip or oh-so-passé? Is he hot or is he cold? (no, wait, that’s Katy Perry).

To answer these all-important questions…

1. Is a zebra black or white? Well, it really depends on the zebra—their stripes come in patterns that are unique to each individual, just like our fingerprints. Some are more black, and some are more white. And fake zebras can come in any colour—even multi-coloured!!

Zebras can also be brown & cream or black & tan and shaped like a chair:

Or like a bench:

2. Where does a zebra belong? Well, preferably roaming the plains of Africa. But if you want a zebra in your house—preferably the fake kind—you can put it anywhere you want! It looks fab in this funky turquoise, black, and white bedroom designed by Angelica Grace Designs for her daughter:

What is it about black & white zebra print with turquoise that’s so hot?! From Design by Cathleen:

A bunny hanging out with a zebra in a kid’s room:

These lovely vignettes were designed by Porchlight Interiors:

You can put zebra on your stairs:

You could light your zebra on fire if you really wanted to (FAKE zebras only!! Please don’t light REAL zebras on fire!!)

And finally, my absolute most favourite room ever—Monique Lhuillier’s gorgeous living room. It was featured on the cover of the January/February 2008 issue of Elle Decor. I keep this issue at the top of a stack of magazines on the bottom shelf of my coffee table. I put it on top of the table to take this picture, so you can see some of the similarities between Monique’s living room and my living room…

I LOVE absolutely EVERYTHING about Monique’s room. The gorgeous gray sofa and chairs… the organic wood side table… the geometric carpet… the mirrored coffee table… the touch of purple… and the zebra prints!!

The use of zebra print in Monique’s home is just perfect—there’s not too much of it, just enough to have impact… proof that zebra print can be glam!!

3. Is zebra hip & cool or oh-so-passé? Well, that’s really up to you to decide!! Do you like what you see in these pictures? Or are you rolling your eyes at the thought of zebra? For me, I go with what I love, regardless of whether or not it’s the trendy thing to do. And I love the touches of zebra print in my house. I even have a zebra painting too, which I bought about 6 or 7 years ago. I had no particular reason for buying it. There was just something about the look on the zebra’s face that appealed to me…

And as for Marty… let’s call him black with white stripes AND white with black stripes :-)

My personal little disclaimer… As much as I love zebra print, I don’t use real zebra (or animal of any kind) in my decorating. It’s faux all the way!! That’s just my own personal thing. Of course, everyone is free to decorate their homes using whatever materials they want :-)