Sanctuary

Thursday, 7 November 2024

November arrived & with it, some slower days. I've been breathing, quietly organising this or that corner of the home, thinking about exhibitions to see, movies to watch, books to read. Landing in rest after months of so much going on.

A few glimmers of the season just around the corner. The first decoration arrived home with me from the department store, and it's only afterwards that I realised I'd pinned a similar one by Elsa Billgren – I really love her gentle and relaxed approach to decorating and all things aesthetically pleasing.

E.E. Cummings has the most beautiful words for this month that despite the dusk, shimmers:

"Peering from some high window; at the gold of November sunset

(and feeling that if day has to become night this is a beautiful way)."

And I say that I've been missing something of the old "blogging days". Things are of course quiet here these days, but a morning pointing the lens at small things that lift the heart is still a form of mediation for me I see. So I would like to continue. And if you happen to be meeting me here, I wish you a beautiful season ahead, with treasures in the dark.

Thursday, 31 October 2024

Parisienne: Appartement Haussmannien

“Timeworn herringbone floors in cognac hues whisper tales from the past as they gently creak underfoot. Autumn light filters through centuries-old hand-blown windows, casting a golden glow on a marble mantlepiece, while a ceiling rose with cascading petals draws the gaze…” – excerpt from my book Parisienne – Secrets to Paris-Inspired Living.

As someone who loves Paris but doesn’t live there, having the chance to visit the dreamiest Haussmannian apartment imaginable with my camera in tow to be featured in my book had me pinching. I am eternally grateful to the one and only Frank Adrian Barron, aka Cake Boy Paris for giving me such a warm welcome (you can visit his website here and follow him on Instagram: @cakeboyparis ).

And it was an absolute joy to meet up with him this September in Paris in the quaintest café only he knows how to pick, and hand him a copy of the book in person.

Each visit to the City of Light has felt like peeling another layer. Over the past year, while creating Parisienne, I’ve had one foot and 90% of my head in Paris the whole time. This journey didn’t only result in pages between solid covers but in meeting people I now have the pleasure of calling friends.

I guess with all this I want to say it’s SO worth focusing on what entices you! You never know what unexpected doors might open or how things will grow, often in surprising, beautiful ways.

Monday, 28 October 2024

Paris tip: Musée Cognacq-Jay

Musée Cognacq-Jay offers a delicate, quiet escape from the bustle of surrounding Marais. It's small and quaint, so perfect if you have limited time on your hands – it was just right for a free morning before catching an early evening flight without needing to worry about getting stuck behind crowds.

The collection was amassed by Théodore-Ernest Cognacq and his wife Marie-Louise Jaÿ, the founders of La Samaritaine department store, with an emphasis on 18th century France.

Cognacq Jay Museum
8 rue Elzévir 75003 Paris

Monday, 26 August 2024

My Book: Parisienne – Secrets to Paris-Inspired Living

So, my dear readers – I wrote a book! Parisienne – Secrets to Paris-Inspired Living is now available for preorder via my publisher Cozy Living via this link.

I’d been wanting to photograph and write a book for a long time, and suddenly the theme was staring me right in the face – ways to sprinkle a touch of Parisian charm into one’s life, picking and mixing the most enticing nuances. Parisienne invites to capture the elegance of a Haussmannian apartment, throw a soirée at home, find the perfect rouge, curate a Parisienne wardrobe and tuck a bouquet of flowers into our market totes!

Filled with tips, recipes and secret addresses, this book is the perfect remedy for anyone pining for Paris. Organised into chapters on home décor, style, beauty, cuisine and the Parisian art of living, there’s plenty of inspiration for everyone. Above all, the book is a visual feast of poetic beauty, encouraging to infuse your life with a touch of joie de vivre, no matter what your personal affair with the City of Light.

Available for preorder via Cozy Publishing

& I'll keep you updated on other options for buying or ordering once it becomes available in shops in a few weeks!

💋

Wednesday, 26 June 2024

Peonies

"Do you love this world?

Do you cherish your humble and silky life?"

"Do you adore the green grass, with its terror beneath?"

"Do you also hurry, half-dressed and barefoot, into the garden,

and softly,

and exclaiming of their dearness,

fill your arms with the white and pink flowers,"

"with their honeyed heaviness, their lush trembling,

their eagerness

to be wild and perfect for a moment, before they are

nothing, forever?"

Excerpt from Peonies by Mary Oliver

Sunday, 16 June 2024

10 Random Facts

I shared these ten random facts about myself over on Instagram, and thought it might be a good idea to add them here, too, as a brief introduction to any new readers and as an update to familiar faces :)

1. I’m half-Finnish and half-English, with a major crush on Paris and France on the whole. Living between two cultures, my eyes and heart have somehow landed in that soulscape.

2. I photograph and write for a living, currently working on my first Paris-inspired lifestyle book, which will hopefully see the light of day this autumn. It’s been a huge dream of mine, so I’m very excited!

3. I run an online shop called Poésie Privée, where you will find a selection of my museum-quality fine art prints, with a Parisian vibe of course. I’m planning to include a wider variety of products and also bring them into physical spaces in the near future.

4. There’s nothing as grounding as staring at the crashing waves on a long, quiet beach.

5. Along with Paris, I really love Provence. I dream of spending longer stretches of time there one day. Oh, and Venice!

6. I feel quite self-conscious showing my face here and talking about myself like this :) I guess I’m more of an observer and like to hide behind the lens.

7. I have a thing for old buildings with plenty of patina and antique and vintage pieces filled with stories and soul. Layers of time.

8. It’s coffee all the way, folks.

9. The last film I watched at the cinema was The Taste of Things featuring Juliette Binoche. It was incredibly beautiful and so calming that I nodded off three times, luckily only for a moment though to enjoy the visual poetry :)

10. Some of my favourite photographers include:

& Deborah Turbeville.

I guess their work has what you could describe as soul that speaks to me. And I recently realised that all my favourites are on the older side (some of them passed away by now) ~ their imagery is so timeless, it seems to strip away the notion of age. I find it incredibly reassuring somehow.

There we go ~ feel free to share a random fact about yourself in the comments, too 💋

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