When Soft Surroundings reached out to me a few months ago, one thing that attracted me to working with them was the way they developed much of their home decor line.  Robin, the creative brain behind Soft Surroundings, travels to a place that inspires her…  France.

This would be such a dream for me, so I found it so enjoyable looking through Robin’s Pinterest board containing photos of her recent trip.

Oh my…it looked like so much fun!  The food, the quaint cobblestone streets, the beautiful architecture, the sun-faded colors, the delicious food and the shopping…sigh.

Robin does two things while in France – one thing I can’t do from my couch and one thing I can.  The first thing is that she buys pieces to bring back to the US and sell in the Brocante section on the Soft Surroundings site.  Maybe some day…

Here’s the part I really like.  Recognizing that not everyone can afford a genuine French antique, she uses these pieces as inspiration for manufactured pieces that offer the same look at a fraction of the cost.  And I can gain inspiration in that same way, right from my couch!  I can find inspiration in the colors, finishes and the lines of a piece.  (I can totally see MMSMP Trophy, Grain Sack and Shutter Gray in the doors below and would love to attempt a finish like that.)

I hope I’ll have to chance to take my own buying trip to France one day, but until then, it’s fun to do a little shopping vicariously.