Fill your spaces with things you love. For me, it’s charcoals, black and white photography, sculpture, lighting and objets that fill rooms with happy memories and coalesce to create a warm, collected vibe. Sometimes, I’ll walk into a gallery, antique shop or a stand at the Paris flea market and am captivated by a fresh, creative space or the charismatic energy of the owner. I’ll strike up a conversation about a piece and ask about the provenance, materials and techniques used, why it's rare, what makes it special. You begin to develop a deeper understanding and depth of knowledge. For me, it's a passion and a great way to bring a little bit of that magic I felt in the shop back to my home or design project. When I look across a wall of art in my home, I’m reminded of the positive memories associated with the purchase— it feels good. Collections tell our personal stories, they are visual representations of what we respond to and what touches us. Starting a collection is easy— identify something you love, learn more about it and seek it out when shopping. In a fun and directed way, it gives you something to hunt for when going through endless aisles at an antique fair or browsing antique shops on weekends. When it comes to assembling your collection— things usually look visually stronger when similar items are grouped, rather than dispersed in different rooms. For example, when hanging charcoals, I like the juxtaposition of different subjects like nudes, portraits and abstracts in frames of varying styles and finishes— the mix keeps things interesting. What do you enjoy collecting? I'd love to know. . . . . . . Photographer: The legend Xavier Béjot . . . . . . #antique #fleamarket #art #gallery wall #luxury #designchic #designinspiration #interiordecor #instadesign #decorating #architecturedesign #picoftheweek #archidesign #entertaining #parisstyle #seemyparis #parisiloveyou #parislove #wheninparis #springinparis #pariscityworld #parisapartment #justsofrench #secretdeparis #parisjetaime #parismaville #parisianstyle #instaparis #davidjimenez #davidjimenezstudio