New Favorite Decor Book ... "a life less ordinary"

I went to my local discount book store and

found my latest and newest favorite decor book

"a life less ordinary"

interiors and inspirations 

by

Zoe  Ellison and Alex Legendre

Photographs by Richard Boll

On the southern coast of England in the lovely seaside town of Brighton

is a wonderful lifestyle store called i gigi general store.  

The founders of this little

decor paradise are Zoe Ellison and Alex Legendre.

Why the name Igigi?  Zoe's mother came across the word in an obscure

book .... the Igigi were the gods of the skies and the earth in

Mesopotamian mythology but mostly, the ladies liked 

it's sound and the word's simple shape.

Igigi was initially set up by Zoe but three months after she

started her shop,  Alex walked through the door looking for a

part-time job.  She brought a retail background with her knowledge of

 antiques and flea markets while Zoe had experience of 

retailing fashion and accessories from her mother.

The i gigi general store is the extension of the life that both women want

to live each day.  They both love working in their store

working with customers to find that special gift or helping

someone who is redesigning a room in their home and

looking for the special pieces or accents.  Some days,

cooking and food ideas will inspire them for their

inside store cafe.

 When I noticed the book on the shelf and picked it up to have a

quick look, out slipped a pretty envelop and card.  Little surprises

inside the book.  What I most love about this book are not

only the wonderful photographs but also a story of two

women following their dream and passions each day.

 The fonts of the book look like they have been typed by an old

Smith-Corona and the pages have wonderful details like the above

sheet of paper looking as if it has been folded ... an

old letter perhaps. 

This is one of the rooms in their store, i gigi.
The girls say that the shelves are their canvas,
and the furniture their backdrop.

The book also takes us into both Zoe

and Alex's home to see how they have 

decorated their private spaces.  What a treat

for us to see how these two ladies have

made their homes an inspirational space.

Their trademark color palette are muted,

earthy tones which allows them to display

most unlikely objects together.

This vintage over sized costume jewelry

brooch with it's beautiful patina and

glitter would look lovely on

a dress or jacket.

This is the washroom from Alex's home.

She used a Victorian pine desk as her sink surround

and used the vintage cheese boxes to store

her bathroom paraphernalia.  She combines both

fresh and dried flowers in ceramic pitchers.

 This is one of my favorite photographs ...

vintage ivory beads are draped over an Italian

mercury glass mirror.

What a beautiful patina!

I was so fortunate to find this book at such a great
price as it was published this year.   It has inspired
me to try some new ideas in my own home and
also incorporate their color palette into some
new painted pillows.

Julia Cameron was right to encourage us to
take ourselves out for what she calls Artist's Dates.
To open up our eyes outside our own environment
can be so inspirational to expanding our own outlook on life.

Priscilla Mae Pillows

This is a sold pillow of a lady I painted
based on the play and movie "The Women."
This is Crystal, one of the most
colorful characters in the group ..
she's the mistress who works behind
the perfume counter at Saks. 
Priscilla Mae Etsy Store