My beautiful friend Colette has recently opened a stylish Atelier in her home town of Stellenbosch and it is truly a treasure ! I have stolen some of her images from her blog, because you have to see how incredible the Atelier is-she hosts regular open days and sells the most exquisite range of French linens and furniture and other desirable” objets “!
I am beyond jealous of anyone living close enough to be able to pop in and absorb the ambiance of this lovely space.
Colette and I worked together in a design store a hundred years ago and we became close friends, mostly due to our mutual obsession with design and decoration. Her home was an old double story Durban house and was filled with the most beautiful furniture, linens and artwork I had ever seen. One would have imagined I may have been slightly intimidated by such a doyenne of taste and style but she was kind, generous and warm and embraced me like a member of her family. Her husband traveled a lot at the time, so we spent a huge amount of time together and I remember her once serving me a plate of soup on a tray with a white linen cloth, silver cutlery, an individual butter dish with beautifully rolled butter balls and a crystal glass of wine. Everything she touched she made special , unique and exquisite and as I have got older I have realised that “effortless” style like that takes a lot of work.
Looking at her images of her store, it is clear to me that she has infused the space with her very special touch. For those of you lucky enough to live close to Stellenbosch, please do keep and eye on her Facebook page for the next open day.
She also has a blog called La Brocanteuse-definitely worth a read for anyone whol loves French style.
L’Atelier Colette-Stellenbosch South Africa
Contact number: +27 83 454 3963
I wish my wonderful friend Colette all the success in the world…I hope she has many, many busy open days and that there are still a few items left by the time I eventually get my act together and go to Stellenbosch for a visit!!
A Decorator's Notebook 