Boudoir de Blanc Inspiration for your Bedroom & Bath

The Gilligan's Island exterior belies the contents of L'Ile aux Oiseaux Suite

The L’ile aux Oiseaux Suite (literally the Island of the Birds) designed by Maison Martin Margiela moves me in a way I can’t explain. How could this apres spa chambre be so avant garde & be located in a Gilligan’s Island style hut?

AND it’s located on a island on the lake of a world class vineyard & spa. . .sigh!

Trompe L’Oiel

Save the bath nook below, every flat surface that isn’t mirrored is trompe l’oieled with secret passageways, doors and faux architectural detailing. Very Alice in Wonderlandish! Keeping the rest of the furnishings and textiles white make this the focal feature of the room.

Trompe L'oiel Truimphant

SpaHome it: Try Trompe L’oeil wallpaper like this one below from Couture Deco

Or upload any image – I’m thinking a black and white storybook drawing would be gorgeous like the one below from Fine Art America for $50 – and send it to Block Posters who will turn into a poster large enough to cover entire walls.

Trompe l'oiel wallpaper from Couture Deco

Alice in Wonderland drawing

Lip Service

The iconic Heller Bocca Lips sofa with it’s solitary red mouth beckons you to sit.

Air kisses, the only "color" in the room, the lips sofa

SpaHome:  Buy the real thing from 2modern. Lips a little too out there? This Marilyn sofa from Funky Sofa keeps the sultry silhouette without being over the top.

The Marilyn Sofa

Opulence Underfoot

White carpet from West Elm

Waft across thin white carpet which is layered with white faux animal hides. The exact ones are available at West Elm.

Ikea Bomull Rug

SpaHome: Layer these flatwoven Bomull carpets from Ikea.

The Bath Nook

Curtains flanking a nook create a minimalist bath area. Narrow wall-mounted trough sinks take the place of a double vanity & create more open space. Distressed mirrors reminiscent of an urban skyline presiding above adding the right amount of edge.

Trough sinks and mirror in lieu of a double vanity in the suite

SpaHome: I love this Carrara marble trough sink from Signature Hardware. The gray veining makes it more forgiving for cleaning.

Carrara Marble Trough Sink for Your Spa Home

Walls are outfitted with tongue and groove panels clad painted in white.

SpaHome: Pine paneling about 1/4 or 3/8 inches wide painted white will give you the same effect on your own bathroom walls.

Live, love and lounge, Candy

Tete a Tete – The Heavenly Headboards of Caudalie

I couldn’t resist sharing the inventive headboards & beds that the designers at Les Sources de Caudalie have dreamed up. Steal their genius for your own maison:

L’Ile aux Oiseaux

Got white sheets? Got pillows? You’ve got a bed and headboard. The frameless bed sits on the ground anchoring the sleeping area.

Chambre Prestige

Shutters from the old laundry house add warmth and height to this room.

SpaHome: Search flea markets, antique shops & architectural salvage companies for unique items like doors, shutters & other wooden items with textural interest.

Chambre Prestige 2

This bed is crowned and flanked with Toile de Juoy (literally scenes of work) fabric lined with gingham and held open by two large drapery brackets attached to the wall. Sumptuousness is attained by a. lining the fabric & b. draping it across the wall not just hanging it from the crown’s semi-circle.

SpaHome: Build your own Bed Crown. Here’s how to’s for a semi round one from Leah French the Flea Market expert on about.com  Though ready made crowns are difficult to find, Horchow has a decent selection, a favorite below.

The deep bronze and delicate lines of this bed crown from Horchow keep it from being gaudy.

Junior Suite

The stunning four poster with canopy frame more than makes up for the blank wall behind it. So French Country, though, I’d love to see a canopy drape though.

SpaHome It:  At Ethan Allen the British Classics Montego w/canopy frame channels the lines and presence of Caudalie’s.

What’s your favorite? Invented your own headboard? We’d love to hear about it in the comments or better yet post a picture in our FaceBook Lounge.

Live, love and lounge, Candy

Les Sources de Caudalie Video Cooking Class via Gourmandia

Caudalie Chef Franck Salein gives video how tos for several spa favorites on Gourmandia.  Get ready to salivate over sumptuous and healthy dishes such as:

Bon Appetit!

Bordeaux Wine Tasting Class & Party

As a spa on a vineyard, its no surprise Les Sources de Caudalie wine tasting classes are a guest favorite. But if you can’t get to Bordeaux anytime soon, hold your own version with this informal Bordeaux Wine Tasting Party.

Invitations

Wine tastings work best with 6 – 8 guests max. Otherwise you’ll need to start buying multiples of the wine AND it allows for each guest to chat with group re their impressions. I’ve created a complimentary invitation you can print on good quality paper & download:

View this document on Scribd

The Wine

You’ll note the invite requests each guest bring a bottle of Bordeaux wine. This can be confusing as it has double meanings. It can mean a general Bordeaux – an inexpensive table wine. Or it can mean it is from the Bordeaux region (& a bit pricier) We’ve chosen the former for guests to bring & we usually add a few of the regional bottles.

All You Need is Wine!

 

Tasting Kit

Buy a wine tasting kit for the party like All You Need is Wine for the bags to cloak the wine bottles. Kits also include scorecards and placemats. If you enjoy throwing wine tastings, make copies of the forms so you can replenish.

DIY: If you’d rather not buy a kit, the internet has a wealth of free downloadable scorecards and placements. Hide bottle with a piece of construction paper taped around it marked with a unique number. Be sure to write down which is which.  A few of our fave forms:
Detailed Scorecard from Wine Country Getaways
Wine Placemat from Wine Country Getaways
Delong Wine Graphic Scorecard

Decor & Set Up

-Wine crates (most wine shops will give these to you for free): Stack them around the tasting area/room

-A red or purple tablecloth with a protective pad under to protect the Tasting Table. Patterned fabric remnants also work well. Bunches of grapes and corkscrews at the center with room to set tasting bottles make a centerpiece.

-Download photos of Bordeaux and have them printed on 11 x 14 or larger paper. Hang on the wall or in picture frames. Check out these from Stefano Molinari

This image from Stefano Molinari sets the French mood

-Lay a placemat for each guest on the table with empty wine glasses (we use clear plastic glasses for tastes) on each number on the mat.

-Put out snacks. If you have ice buckets, they make festive cracker bowls lined with cloth or a fabric remnant.

Snacks

-Assortment of cheeses that pair with Bordeaux wines: Gorgonzola, Havarti & Roquefort Brie
-Pain au Chocolate: French bread with dark chocolate melted on the top
-Wine crackers for in between each tasting to cleanse the palate (Trenton are the best)

Trenton Wine Crackers

 

Party Time!

Once all guests arrive, uncork & cloak their wine bottles with wine bags randomly somewhere unseen to guests. Place cloaked wine bottled on tasting table. Give guests scorecards and explain they will taste and rate each wine & give their opinion as you go.

You can also talk about the Bordeaux region of France & why you chose these wines. Make it fun and casual – at the end of the tasting enjoy discussing the best and worst and compare the prices. . . And of course finishing the wine!
Salut! Live love and lounge, Candy

Virtual Bike Ride Through the Vineyards a la Caudalie

Doesn’t a sunny cycle through Caudalie’s sumptuous vineyards sound (and smell) di-vine right now?  Good news, you don’t have to travel to France to enjoy a relaxing, rejuvenating ride.  And winter weather?  Who cares?  Our Virtual Vineyard tour leaves from your living room daily:

Choose a Bike 

The Marcy Bike. Vespa vibes!

1. A stationary bike can be a reluctant exerciser’s best friend.  You can ride and watch TV and newer bikes are blissfully quiet so no sound stress!  I really dig this one by Marcy – not only because it’s uberquiet and can be adjusted for a harder or easier pedal, but the sleek and minimalist design makes it an elegant addition not an eyesore.

Convert your outdoor bike to indoor trainer!

2.  Don’t have an indoor stationary bike?  Or the room or cash?  An indoor trainer, like this one from Bell, elevates your outdoor bike to indoor status.

Set the Mood

Turn off the lights and spread grapes on your table for a healthy snack afterwards.  *And don’t forget the padded bike shorts for posh pedaling!

Take the Tour

Several DVDs exist for wine connoisseurs featuring trips through great vineyards of the world.  Our pick for it’s rich visuals & melodic soundtrack:  Exploring French Wine Regions.  Pop into your TV and pedal away!

Au Revoir til tomorrow, Candy

Les Sources de Caudalie Week 4 Spa

J’adore wine, relaxation and beauty? Then Les Sources de Caudalie is the spa escape for you. You may recognize Caudalie as a brand of skin care products carried by Sephora and the like. Well, the spa came before the egg.

View from across the Lake

Located on the Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte estate in Bordeaux, France, Les Sources de Caudalie brings Joie de Vino to life.

Les Sources de Caudalie

The Spa

Caudalie was the first Vinotherapy spa (a spa that uses grapes as basis for many of its treatments) & has even developed essential oils to ramp up the beauty & relaxation effects.

Thermal Bath in the Spa

A natural spring below the vineyards, supplies richly mineralized water combined with grape therapies. The spa treatment rooms incorporate wood and stone to mimic the vineyard’s terrain and to create a natural feel to the relaxation lounge.

Check out these vintner worthy spa vintage treats:
-Barrel Bath – soak up those anti-oxidants in a wine barrel brewing with grapes, seeks, stems, the works!

Wine Bath!

-Merlot Wrap
-Pulp Friction Massage with Fresh Grapes
-Vinoperfect Facial – with Caudalie’s signature exclusive fresh made grape essential oils

Activities

Lounge by the pool or cycle through vineyards.

You won’t find fitness classes here, but instead more fun fitness is gained via riding bikes through the vineyards, playing golf or tennis, or touring neighboring vineyards and the lush countryside. And don’t forget the wine tasting and cooking classes – hey raising a glass is good for the biceps, no?

Design

Chambre Prestige

Its not JUST about the wining and unwinding here, the hotel’s 40 individually designed suites boast not a clone among the bunch (and I’m not talking grapes). For instance L’Ile aux Oiseaux located on “Bird Island” on it’s own pontoon on a lake or La Bastide des Grands Crus rooms that pay homage to famous wine collectors.

 

Restaurant La Grand Vigne check out that stunning fireplace & mirrored wall!

Even the restaurants are feasts for the eyes. La Table du Lavoir the former laundry house, even displays the daily offerings on the original laundry beater boards.

Watch from now through next Monday for bring it home ideas, including blissful boudoir decor, how to take a virtual bike ride through the vineyards, throw a wine tasting party & my own creation the Crushed Cabernet Ice Body Scrub!

*Thanks to the lovely Presse Dept. at Les Sources de Caudalie for the photos.

Live, love and lounge, Candy