French Bookshelf

Once upon a kitchen, this 18th-century French display shelf held pride of place in a bustling maison near Béziers. Built to cradle stacks of plates and prized faïence, its open frame let the everyday essentials double as decoration, a reminder that French kitchens have always blurred the line between function and beauty. The warm patina of the wood still shows its age and labor, worn by centuries of hands sliding dishes into place after long family meals. Today, Sylvie imagines it working just as hard in a dining room piled with handmade ceramics and glassware, or even reimagined in a living space as a bookshelf layered with art and oddities.