~French Larkspur...A Piece Of French Heaven~~~

This month I'm honored to feature the lovely and talented 

Tracey from "French Larkspur" and her spectacular home in Illinois. Her interior design talents are famous throughout blogland and several magazine publications. Not only is she an amazing decorator, but a fabulous photographer as well. I know you'll enjoy this!

{Beautiful vignette. Tracey's vignettes are always stunning!!}

{Dining Room}

{collection of vintage bottles}

~What or who has influenced you in your design?

 

First and foremost I love vintage, and it is that love that probably influences the way I choose to decorate the most.  I have quite a few family heirlooms in my home from my husband's family, which I love and cherish, and working around those pieces was the basis for which I first started decorating my home.  I also love all things French and have been truly inspired by the "French-Nordic" style showcased in the Jeanne d' Arc Living magazines...that magazine really was the turning point for me in how I now decorate.  
 

~Where do you find your Inspiration?

Like many people these days, I get most of my inspiration from the many amazing blogs that are out there!  I love my friend Maria's blog, Dreamy Whites, and often turn to her for inspiration {she'll be embarrassed that I said that, but it's true :)}.

~Tell me a little about your online shop.

My shop is an extension of my passion for decorating.  I try and find unique and beautiful things that I can share with others...items I want to buy for my own home!  There is a definite French influence to what I choose, but also an organic, fresh feel to the items as well!  My goal is to bring a little bit of home decor inspiration to others by carrying items that are not only beautiful but ones that bring a sense of comfort and timelessness to a home as well.

~What excites you in your home design and gets you motivated to re-do areas in your home? 

I have a wee bit of a problem with always wanting to change and re-do things around my home {my mother is the exact same way}, but I suppose it is that need to keep things fresh and interesting they keeps me motivated to update and re-do areas of my house.  I always get a surge of excitement and energy when I am in the middle of a major re-do, but the small changes can really add so much to the mood of my home as well, so I truly do feel they are important.

{fabulous vintage mantle and vintage frames}

{garden lunch}

{Tracey's sons adorable room}

{I love how Tracey uses vintage doors and windows throughout her home}

 {Vintage garage doors and a vintage ladder holding fabulous European grain sacks}

{view from the looking glass}

 {beautiful daybed with sumptuous linens}

{French vintage clock Tracey purchased from her friend Maria at Dreamy Whites}

{collection of vintage bottles}

Glimpses of Tracey's bedroom~

  

 

{a clever use of vintage shutters from England that Tracey has adorned with pages from an 1800's French play. She has a great love for vintage French paper!}

If you love Tracey's style as much as I do, you can achieve the look by shopping at her gorgeous on-line store:

Tracey offers beautiful items for you and your home at 
French Larkspur.com

Tracey has such a talent for photography as well, her photos are breathtakingly beautiful and make you feel as if your looking at a "Jeanne d' Arc" magazine.

{love this photo of the side board with a vintage caddy that was once used to collect grapes at a French vineyard.}

~Your photography is amazingly beautiful. Have you been specially trained and can you give us any tips on how to take the perfect picture? 

Oh thank you that is really kind of you to say, but no, I have never taken any classes.  My friend Traci {tracithorsonphotography.com/blog} has helped me a lot with learning how to use the buttons on my camera and just giving advice in general to me on photography.  I am so grateful to her for her patient answers to all of my questions :)  Other than that, I have just practiced...a lot!  It's good to just take your camera and walk around your home or outside and "play" with all of the different settings on your camera and see what they can do.  I found that to be one of the best ways for me to learn.  Also, try different angles, don't always just take your shot straight on, there is so much more art to photography when you add perspective and change things up a bit!

Also, I know most of you will want to know what paint colors that Tracey has used throughout her home. Fortunately she was kind enough to tell us~

~What paint color have you used throughout your home? 

 Here are the ones I'm sure of...the dining room was painted when we moved in 7 years ago and I can't remember the name {sorry!}

studio - Pale Ivory by Valspar

family room and kitchen {coming soon} - Distant Star, Freshaire by Home Depot

Halena's room - Antique White by Valspar

Caighton's room - Comet Dust by Valspar

Braden's room - Sky by Valspar

Master bedroom - Brushed Steel by Dutch Boy

 I just wanted to thank Tracey so much for agreeing to let us feature her and her home here at "The Vintage Inspired Home". She is so wonderfully kind and a true inspiration, especially to this girl here! I am now inspired to re-do my home after perusing through Tracey's blog photos! :)

Check out her blog if you haven't already, and make sure you set some time aside to do so, you could get lost in her beautiful photos!!! 

Warmest regards,

T.V.I.H 

~all photos courtesy of Tracey from French Larkspur 

www.frenchlarkspur.blogspot.com

www.frenchlarkspur.com