New Year’s Resolutions: Putting More of France into Your Life

So it’s that time of year again. As we nurse our hangovers, we feel compelled to make a list of New Year’s resolutions that we will inevitably break.
1. “I’ll lose weight.”
Broken by February 1.
2. “I’ll never drink that much again.”
Broken by January 10.
3. “I’ll be nicer to everyone I meet.”
Broken by January 4.
I say, why not make some resolutions you can keep, such as setting a date on the calendar by when, you promise yourself, you’ll travel to Paris—maybe October 25, 2013. Okay, so it’s a date out of a hat, but in the next eight months you can save enough money for a ticket to Paris and find someone to go with—or better yet, go it alone, which can be the most fun of all.
But what’s even easier to do is to put more of France into your life. What do we all love about France? The food comes to mind first, then the wine. GG2P offers you a monthly wine and recipe of the month, so if you are signed up for our newsletter, you’ll automatically receive those in your in-box, and for free at that. So that’s done; a resolution checked off your list.
And what else do we love about France? Fashion, of course, but I know you’ve just spent your wad for Christmas and Hanukkah and don’t have another dime to spend on fashion. French interiors and exteriors are another art de vivre that inspires so many of us around the globe. What about indulging in some of these photos that I’ve taken throughout the years? Figure out which French decorative item or idea you love the most, then try to find something similar as a gift for yourself for Valentine’s Day. You know the old saying, “If we don’t love ourselves, who else will?” This gives you about six weeks to fulfill this French fantasy and brag to friends that you’ve kept not one but two resolutions!

This photograph of a classic French interior was taken at a country home by the sea near Arcachon. The villa’s dining room shows very clean lines and gorgeous silk curtains.

Who else but the French would have lizard door handles? To see these door handles in person, download our walking trip of the rues Saint-Dominique and Grenelle in the 7th Arrondissement of Paris.

Clever idea: use an old painted ladder as a bookshelf (photo taken at the Hôtel Sainte-Beuve, Paris).

Graphic posters: French posters are always in style.

Windows that open out and are painted in bright colors. Very van Gogh.

Combining new and midcentury pieces in old French houses breathes new life into them.

Terribly French: a twisted potted evergreen and grapes along a facade (photo taken at the local château in Entre Deux Mers).

Turn a barn into an outdoor seating area (one side is open to the elements).

What could be more French than a limestone wine cave?

Related Links
Silk curtains
More crazy and creative door handles
French posters
French furniture from the 1950s and ’60s
Creating a wine cave
Editor’s note: Tweet your New Year’s resolutions—the ones you can definitely follow!—and cc us: @girlsguideparis #NewYear.