Boutique de Noel

A couple of weeks ago I was in Atlanta and had a chance to visit a wonderful Christmas “pop-up” shop in the West Side, “Boutique de Noel”. This special little shop caught my eye last winter, when I stumbled upon its previous location around the corner. I was drawn to the simple but creative use of natural materials, and the resulting beautiful and highly textured arrangements on display. Since my first visit, I have learned much more about the talented Marie-Laure Coste Dujols of Le Jardin Francais and her business. Marie is behind some of the most beautiful weddings, events, and gardens in Atlanta. I highly recommend a visit to her website! The scope of her work is broad, and all of it is lovely. Marie and her husband live on a wonderful property in the Riverside area of Atlanta with their exotic chickens, quail, dogs, cats and extensive organic garden.

Below are some images from my visit, and you can learn more about Le Jardin Francais in Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles or on their blog.

The daughter of a well-known garden designer near Paris, Marie cultivated her natural talents at an early age by experimenting with the flowers and foliage around her at any given season of the year.

Marie’s design philosophy for floral arranging and garden design is similar to how I approach my own arrangements, garden and interiors. She states, “The objective is not to take the most perfect flower grown in the green house and arrange it with another perfect flower or foliage, but instead to recognize the most beautiful specimens of what is provided naturally, and to create something beautiful from what might otherwise not even be seen.” Similarly, I enjoy taking items with unusual character and beauty and combining them in a way that is unexpected in my interiors. In my mind, this approach is much more interesting and livable than a “perfect” interior.

I love these hanging balls composed of fresh boxwood leaves, and I can’t imagine the patience it takes to create them!

Marie has a variety of unusual wreaths in the shop, and my favorites are pictured below. Notice how all of these are composed of a highly textured, but single plant material.