Latest news with #Virginie
National Post
a day ago
- General
- National Post
Weekend decorator: How to make a rental unit feel more like home
Article content Dear Virginie, Article content I rent a lovely house but hate the feeling that it isn't 'ours,' given the cabinets, flooring, fixtures and blinds all came with the place. What changes can I make to freshen it up and make it feel more custom for our family without doing anything to irritate our landlords? Article content Article content Paint is the obvious first choice. I wouldn't tackle anything like trim or doors — it's too much work — but a quick coat on a wall can go a long way towards changing the look of a room, or even the whole house. Generally, landlords don't love really dark walls, so if that's what you want, be prepared to spend a lot of time repainting when you leave. (You'll often be required to return the walls to their original colour; and some leases will specify that you need to ask the landlord for clearance before you paint.) And don't paint anything that is wood without asking first – my guess is you'll get a hard no to that. Ditto the ceilings, unless you're willing to paint them basic white again before you leave. Article content Article content Article content You may be surprised to learn that, once the painting's done, you can actually change hanging light fixtures. Remember to photograph the old one and keep it so you can replace it before you move out. Again, check with the landlord to make sure they don't want you to hire a licensed electrician to make the switch, but replacing chandeliers and pendants with new cheap and cheerful ones (or maybe not even cheap, since you can take them with you) will go a long way towards adding your own touch to your home. Article content Curtains would be my next piece of advice. If your place already has curtain rods, you're in luck. You just need to find some ready-made panels that match your style and replace whatever was there when you moved in. If not, invest in some nice curtain rods and curtains to frame your windows. Choose heavy fabrics like lined linen panels for a custom look, and make sure they hang to the floor. It's better to buy longer ones and have them altered at the dry cleaners — and ask them to hem them without cutting off the length, in case you have higher ceilings in your next place. A living room, dining room and bedroom will look amazing with floor-to-ceiling drapes. If you're a modernist, choose plain fabrics, and if you're a maximalist, go wild with pattern. You can easily remove the rods and patch, sand and paint any holes when you leave. Article content Article content Article content The kitchen and bathroom are harder to make your own. In the bathroom, you can always replace a shower curtain. If you can find handles and knobs that line up with the existing holes in your cabinetry, you can change those, too. Make sure to photograph and keep the old ones to replace them when you leave. There isn't much you can do though if you hate the cupboards and counters in your kitchen and bathroom. If they are badly dated or damaged, you may be able to strike a deal with the landlord to have them painted or changed, or split the cost of updating them, but that is money you won't get back. If you're really feeling ambitious, you could apply peel and stick wallpaper over the cabinets, but make sure to try it out in a small area before committing to the whole project. Article content Article content Another fun use for peel-and-stick wallpaper in a rental is to use it to create a feature wall. Again, try it out in an inconspicuous spot to make sure you can safely remove it without damaging the existing wall. Peel-and-stick works best on smooth, somewhat glossy paint. It definitely will not work on stucco walls, textured walls or walls that already have wallpaper on them.
National Post
06-06-2025
- General
- National Post
Weekend decorator: Builder-grade laundry room gets a big lift
Article content Dear Virginie Article content We bought a new 'builder house' about 10 years ago and it's obvious the laundry room was an afterthought. It's ugly and functions really poorly. Even though the room is big, we always feel crammed in there. We need storage solutions too, since it's the place where we keep our cleaning products and become a bit of a dumping ground. Article content Article content Article content I see what you mean. The room looks quite big — 6×10 feet judging by the size of the floor tiles, but everything is stuck in the corner and you have no storage or surfaces to work on. The plumbing and venting also look pretty unfinished. Article content Article content Let's start with function. The ceilings in your laundry room are quite high, so we can take advantage of vertical space to give you more storage. I like the idea of keeping the washer and dryer stacked, but let's enclose them in some cabinetry that will give you storage room for soap and cleaning supplies above, and also hide all the venting I can see up top. As you can see in my rendering, we can leave a little room on the left for tall items like your ironing board and mop. Article content Next, I would run a counter from the side of the laundry toward the door, along the right-hand wall. In the corner that will be awkward to access, we can hide some storage for items that are used less often, or lighter bulkier items like your mop bucket and cleaning supplies. This will also hide all the plumbing connections. A 24-inch-deep kitchen cabinet should work well in that corner. From the side of the machines toward the right-hand wall I would suggest you either mount a rod that you can use to hang items for drying, or you could place a closed cupboard there if you have more storage items that you want to hide away. In that case, an upper kitchen cabinet would work well. Article content Article content The new counter space will give you lots of room to fold items on, and rolling laundry bins can be tucked underneath. These are great to keep laundry sorted and off the floor. Depending on what you choose, you would have room for two or three of them. Above the counter is a perfect spot for vertical laundry-hanging; there are lots of clever racks that fold up when not in use so they lie flat against the wall. You have room for two of these above the counter. Article content Article content The last thing to tackle would be the overall aesthetics. You're lucky you have nice modern machines as a starting point. I like the idea of playing up the idea of water since it's a laundry room. Ikea has great blue cabinetry that can easily be modified to fit here, and how about wallpaper in the whole room to give it all a stylish lift? I've chosen wallpaper with a fish motif because I think it's whimsical and fun, but I could just as easily see a stylized wave motif wallpaper or some vinyl decals. I like the scale of the fish wallpaper because it makes the room seem bigger than it is. a Swedish company that prints really fun wallpapers, both traditional and easy-to-install peel-and-stick varieties. Just be sure to choose a vinyl paper that will stand up well to heat and humidity in the room.
National Post
22-05-2025
- General
- National Post
Weekend Decorator
Article content Dear Virginie: Article content We recently finished an interior renovation of our semi. We replaced all the windows and opened up the space on the main floor, put in a new kitchen and refinished the basement. Now that it's done, we're turning our attention to the exterior of the house, which is still a bit dumpy. Can you help us tie it all together to make it polished from the outside too? Article content Article content Article content Looking at your before photo, I can see a disconnect between the sleek new black windows and the softer tan colours that were used in the last paint job. Article content I would start with the area around the windows. Because the aluminum surrounding the windows is black, you need to paint the entire portion of wood that defines the bay windows in black as well, so it reads as one solid shape. I would suggest Benjamin Moore Jet Black (2120-10) as a good deep shade. Use that on the fascia, soffits and any trim boards, and around the window dormer on the third floor. Article content The next step is to tie all that black in with the rest of the house. Since your roof is already dark grey and the brick is a nice bright red, we can use greys throughout without it looking dark and gloomy. Article content On the soffits of the second-floor overhang, choose a mid-toned colour like Benjamin Moore Barnwood (CSP 115). It has a bit of brown in it, which will tie in well with your brick. You don't need to worry about the fascia on the second floor since the eaves cover it. You can use this too for the fascia and soffits around the porch as well as the handrail and newel posts. I would then paint the columns a third, lighter shade, like Benjamin Moore Sea Salt (CSP 95). You can also use it on the risers and pickets of your porch (which are lovely. You should be able to find a carpenter or furniture maker to fashion a custom one for you to replace the picket that's broken). Article content Article content Article content Before you commit to any of these colours, it's a good idea to buy test pots and paint a few swatches around the house to check the colour in different light conditions. Try to choose areas that are exposed to different amounts of sunlight to see how the colours work in bright light, diffused light and in shadow. You can paint right on the old paint, then do whatever surface preparation you'll need on the whole area once you're 100 percent sure about them. A paint colour tends to appear lighter when it's outside in the daylight, so I often suggest going a little darker than you think when choosing exterior paint. Article content Next, paint all the skirting behind the vegetation in your flower bed Cosmopolitan (CSP 100), a colour you can also use on the porch decking and treads. It's in between your mid tone and the lightest tone and should hide dirt really well. If you want, you could paint the little pieces of trim at the top and bottom of your columns the mid or darkest tone. Article content Last, paint the trim around the front door black. As for the door itself, if you're feeling daring, a sunny yellow or bold Kelly green are strong options. Buttercup (2154-30) is a warm brownish ochre that would go well with the brick, or something daring and classic like Seaweed (2035-10) could be equally stylish. And of course, if you're feeling more conservative, you won't go wrong by keeping the door black.
News.com.au
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
What Leonardo DiCaprio's The Beach love interest looks like now
She achieved global stardom alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in trippy thriller The Beach. And that same year the stunning French actress became the face of L'Oreal after signing a lucrative contract. But rather than chasing bumper paycheques in Hollywood blockbusters, Virginie Ledoyen, 48, was content to pursue passion projects in her native France. One of these was the award-winning 2002 hit 8 Women, which featured esteemed French actresses Catherine Deneuve, Isabelle Huppert, Fanny Ardant and Emmanuelle Béart. Fast-forward 23 years and stylish mum-of-three Virginie looks just as radiant as she did at the turn of the millennium. Virginie was already a rising star in France prior to working with DiCaprio in the late 90s. She received prestigious César Award nominations for her work in A Single Girl, Les marmottes and L'eau froide. Staying true to herself, Virginie became a mum aged 24, refusing to swap her baby dream for superstardom. She reasoned to The Standard in 2012: ' … maybe because my mother had me young, I always wanted to have a baby. It was just obvious to me. And I wanted that baby so much, it was not even an issue.' Virginie's eldest daughter Lila was born in 2001 from her relationship with production designer Louis Soubrier. She also has a son called Isaac, 14, and an 11-year-old daughter called Amalia from her relationship with Arie Elmaleh. In between her child-bearing partnerships she was briefly married to director Iain Rogers, divorcing him after a year in 2007. In many ways, the biggest thing she learned from her foray into international cinema was that she didn't want the success bestowed upon leading man DiCaprio. While she was full of praise for him in an interview with The Guardian, calling him 'a great actor. Intense, emotional, intelligent,' she saw the struggle he endured offset. She candidly said: 'DiCaprio's life is the perfect example of how not to be. 'I would not wish his life on anybody. I can understand how it might seem a bit flattering to be in every newspaper and to have everyone imagining how your life must be. But frankly it's not. 'When you see this poor guy being followed everywhere he goes by hordes of people, it's actually terribly sad. Nobody should live like that.' The film was an adaptation of Alex Garland's novel and was directed by Danny Boyle. In it, DiCaprio's backpacker character, Richard, befriends fellow tourists, Françoise [Ledoyen] and Étienne [Guillaume Canet]. Together, they discover an uninhabited paradise island near Thailand. It emerges other likeminded people have set up a small community in the idyllic location and, while initially harmonious, the group dynamic soon takes a dark turn. Money has never been a driving factor in Virginie's decision making process. Her association with L'Oreal brought in enough money to keep her content while she cherry-picked projects. 'I didn't want to go to Hollywood in order to play the French girl who always wants to be nude,' she said. 'I wanted to keep working in Europe. And I would never accept a film because of the money. I have enough money. I don't need to be getting $20m a movie.' That's not to say she doesn't have a strong work ethic. Credits have been continuous over the last two decades and most recently she appeared on television in four-part drama The Au Pair starring David Suchet.
Scottish Sun
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Stunning actress has barely aged – 25 years after steamy DiCaprio blockbuster
The star said she wouldn't wish DiCaprio's lifestyle on her worst enemy OH LA LA Stunning actress has barely aged – 25 years after steamy DiCaprio blockbuster SHE achieved global stardom alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in trippy thriller The Beach. And that same year the stunning French actress became the face of L'Oreal after signing a lucrative contract. Advertisement 4 Virginie Ledoyen looks fantastic 15 years after The Beach Credit: Getty 4 She became the face of L'Oreal in 2000 Credit: Getty But rather than chasing bumper paycheques in Hollywood blockbusters, Virginie Ledoyen, 48, was content to pursue passion projects in her native France. One of these was the award-winning 2002 hit 8 Women, which featured esteemed French actresses Catherine Deneuve, Isabelle Huppert, Fanny Ardant and Emmanuelle Béart. Fast-forward 23 years and stylish mum-of-three Virginie looks just as radiant as she did at the turn of the millennium. Virginie was already a rising star in France prior to working with DiCaprio in the late 90s. Advertisement READ MORE ON LEO DICAPRIO LEAN-O DICAPRIO World's most famous DiCaprio lookalike fighting for Putin seen on frontline She received prestigious César Award nominations for her work in A Single Girl, Les marmottes and L'eau froide. Staying true to herself, Virginie became a mum aged 24, refusing to swap her baby dream for superstardom. She reasoned to The Standard in 2012: "...maybe because my mother had me young, I always wanted to have a baby. It was just obvious to me. And I wanted that baby so much, it was not even an issue." Virginie's eldest daughter Lila was born in 2001 from her relationship with production designer Louis Soubrier. Advertisement She also has a son called Isaac, 14, and an 11-year-old daughter called Amalia from her relationship with Arie Elmaleh. In between her child-bearing partnerships she was briefly married to director Iain Rogers, divorcing him after a year in 2007. Leonardo Dicaprio's changing face through the ages as he turns 50 In many ways, the biggest thing she learned from her foray into international cinema was that she didn't want the success bestowed upon leading man DiCaprio. While she was full of praise for him in an interview with The Guardian, calling him "a great actor. Intense, emotional, intelligent," she saw the struggle he endured offset. Advertisement She candidly said: "DiCaprio's life is the perfect example of how not to be. "I would not wish his life on anybody. I can understand how it might seem a bit flattering to be in every newspaper and to have everyone imagining how your life must be. But frankly it's not. "When you see this poor guy being followed everywhere he goes by hordes of people, it's actually terribly sad. Nobody should live like that." The film was an adaptation of Alex Garland's novel and was directed by Danny Boyle. Advertisement In it, DiCaprio's backpacker character, Richard, befriends fellow tourists, Françoise [Ledoyen] and Étienne [Guillaume Canet]. Together, they discover an uninhabited paradise island near Thailand. It emerges other likeminded people have set up a small community in the idyllic location and, while initially harmonious, the group dynamic soon takes a dark turn. Money has never been a driving factor in Virginie's decision making process. Her association with L'Oreal brought in enough money to keep her content while she cherry-picked projects. Advertisement "I didn't want to go to Hollywood in order to play the French girl who always wants to be nude," she said. "I wanted to keep working in Europe. And I would never accept a film because of the money. I have enough money. I don't need to be getting $20m a movie." That's not to say she doesn't have a strong work ethic. Credits have been continuous over the last two decades and most recently she appeared on British television in four part Channel 5 drama The Au Pair starring David Suchet. Advertisement 4 Virginie as Françoise in The Beach Credit: Alamy 4 She rejected Hollywood for life in France Credit: Alamy
