Home Designed By A French Expat In Manila With Decors From Vietnam

I am excited to introduce you to a beautiful home of my friend, Anne, a French expat in Manila, Philippines. About one year ago she moved to Manila from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam with her husband and daughter. Therefore, she is relatively new to the city. When I first met her, she seemed so much more settled in even though I have arrived only about 5 months after her.

Her rental home in Manila came furnished. However, she kept some pieces of furniture she liked and returned those that did not suit to her liking to the landlord. The furniture you see in this post are the mixture of those that belong to her landlord and to her. When I first saw her home, though, I thought that they looked so stylish and harmonious together that I didn’t even guess that it was a partially furnished home.

Anne’s home is full of inspiration and great ideas that we can learn to decorate a rental home in order to make it look original and stylish.

I hope you will enjoy the tour!

 

Dining Room

IDEAS TO STEAL

ACCENT GALLERY WALL

Painting one wall with a bold accent color brings the room to be differentiated from the rest and makes the space pop.

Creative Way To Compromize

This big brown wooden table belongs to the landlord. According to Anne the dining table was so heavy that it could not be moved out of the house. Therefore, she kept the table and matched it with the clear ghost chairs. Now the table looks as if she picked them for the space.

 

Living Room

IDEAS TO STEAL

COLLECT ITEMS THAT ARE IN THE SAME COLOR GROUP

The living room is filled with gems that she found in the cities she has lived. It seems that many items were picked up in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. You probably noticed that items she has in her home are neutral colors. Having items from the same color group gives a unified look.

IDEAS TO STEAL

UNIQUE CHAIRS

Chairs speak a lot. Having an accent chair or two makes a difference in a room when combined with rental sofas. In Anne’s case, though, her sofas actually belong to her. The yellow sofas are a Ligne Roset’s classic, Michel Ducaroy’s Togo sofas. I appreciate Anne for teaching me the brand and designer! I learn something new everyday.

Sewing Project Room

Anne is an expat entrepreneur. She has a business called Manon Puce Paris. The business was founded in 2012 when she lived in Dubai. This is the room where her magic happens.

Anne is also an owner of a footwear business founded in Vietnam called Les Saigonnaises. She and her friend founded the business in Ho Chi Minh City in 2015.

IDEAS TO STEAL

BIG TAPESTRY FOR AN ACCENT WALL

Guest Room

Landing

Master Bedroom

Daughter’s Bedroom

IDEAS TO STEAL

BASKETS TO ORGANIZE

In my opinion, you can never have too many baskets. They are practical and helpful for packing and unpacking when you move, too.

KITCHEN

IDEAS TO STEAL

DISPLAY TRAYS AND BOARDS TO DECORATE

If you have a wooden boards or rattan trays, why now show them instead of putting them away in the cupboards?

Vietnamese Decorations

Anne decorated her home beautifully with many pieces she purchased in their previous city, Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.

PAINTINGS

These paintings of women are from Vietnam. Anne liked the neutral palette of the paintings by Phuong which goes well with her color theme in her house. The fact that the women in his paintings have their eyes closed appealed to her. I do love the paintings in very neutral colors and something about the eyes of the subject being closed seem very attractive.

IDEAS TO STEAL

BASKETS & BAGS FOR DECORATION

TEA LEAF BASKET

She uses some items that may not look like decorations. This basket below is an ordinary rattan basket used when picking tea leaves. The way she decorates makes anything look as if they were created for the purpose of decorating a home.

LAMP SHADES

The lamp shades you see throughout the house were designed by Bruno de Caumont. If you would like to learn a bit more about Bruno de Caumont, here are some articles for you to read.

GREEN WITH ENVY: BRUNO DE CAUMONT’S ‘LA VILLA VERTE’ In this article, you can see many photos of the house in Ho Chi Minh City designed by Bruno de Caumont.
Interview: Designer Bruno de Caumont
Interior Designer Bruno de Caumont Interview of Bruno de Caumont

FACEBOOK – CAUMONT INTERIORS

FRENCH DESIGNERS

IBRIDE

Diva Ostrich Wall Console Table

IBRIDE STACKABLE BOWLS & PLATES

Black Yuan Set of 8 Stackable Bowls and Plates

How cool is this vase? I didn’t even think that this vase could be taken apart until Anne told me. The plates and bowls are made with melamine, the compound used in the production of certain plastics.

Meet Anne

Anne is the designer behind this lovely home of her family in Manila. Her apartment in France was featured on Le Journal Des Femmes in 2008. You can see her apartment photos here. Prior to moving to the Philippines, her husband’s job has taken them to many countries. She knows well the challenges of a life as a trailing spouse. However, the hardship didn’t stop her from being creative. As a result she cultivated her field as a designer and became an owner of Les Saigonnaises, the shoe brand, and has managed a sewing business, Manon Puce Paris. We can all learn from and be inspired by her entrepreneurship in expat life!

Manon Puce Paris
Les Saigonnaises
Instagram ManonPuceParis