Darren Kennedy: How to find your French interiors-style vibe

I spent a year in Bordeaux as a young student and I have been in love with French style ever since.

Those of you familiar with the chic French label Sézane, founded by Morgane Sézalory, will know that the French businesswoman has just expanded into interiors with her new company, Les Composantes. When she first started selling vintage pieces on eBay as a young woman, Sezalory’s original platform was called Les Composantes. And now it’s come full circle.

Like her clothing line Sézane, Les Composantes specialises in dreamy, chic and timeless pieces, selling everything from lamps to candles and crockery to cushions. But how can you get the French-cool look at home? One of my favourite interiors books is Home Sweet Maison, which is a book about how the French create and curate their homes, making them so very personal and effortlessly cool.

Imagine you are trying to tell the story of your life with your home and you’ll be on your way to achieving French-style interiors cool.

So how do we tell the story of our lives? Well, that’s easy. With items that mean something to you. Things you have picked up on your travels. A wooden frog that ribbits when you rub a stick over its spiny back. Or a photo of you and your best friends from your college days. The first poem you wrote as a child, framed. Or the blanket your great-grandmother crocheted for you. These objects are deeply personal and all remind you of a time in your life, a place you have been, or the place you have come from.

Like me, Sézalory believes everyone’s home should be individual, an expression of their personal style, tastes and personality, not a mimicking of fleeting trends. That’s what brings character to a home.

So if you want a home that is individual, you have to channel your inner Marie Kondo. No, not in that you have to tidy, but rather follow your heart. Do the things that spark joy, whether it’s hanging that massive painting you love in your tiny apartment or using that red paint that everyone says you’d be crazy to put in your living room. Follow your heart and be confident in your choices and you’ll get close to achieving your individual style. Do buy unique vintage pieces to add interest and do break the rules, mixing old and new. Revel in your idiosyncrasies!