Thursday, April 21, 2011

Lothantique Bath Products

This beautiful bath and body collection caters to the most basic human needs of touch and smell. Based in Haute-Provence, Lothantique uses modern-day compositions with time-honored techniques. Natural fragrances and simple, recycled-material packaging characterize this earth-conscious company. And there are absolutely no animal products or testing. Lothantique french bath products make great gifts, as well as decorative accessories for the bath.

Infused with rich spirit and history, Denis and Dominique Vogade carry on the lifestyle founded by their grandparents with the creation of Lothantique, a modern company that combines old world Provencal tradition and formulas with contemporary technology. Selecting only the finest ingredients from around the world, Lothantique re-creates the handmade quality and uniqueness of that earlier generation in order to bring you the finest selection of luxurious bath, beauty, and home fragrance products.

In the words of Denis Vogade, President of Lothantique and Grandson of the Vogades of Haute-Provence, “My goal is to use modern day compositions and processes, while remaining true to ancient, time-honoured techniques. And as an environmentally conscious company, we at Lothantique understand that everyday simple pleasures–fresh air, pure water, clean landscapes and a healthy ozone– are of the utmost importance and therefore we have taken the appropriate ethical measures to help preserve Mother Nature’s offerings.”

Quel Objet offers Lothantique in several products:

Bar soaps – Palm oil and shea butter-based for rich moisturizing while gently cleaning, lightly scented, and triple milled in the tradition of Savons de Marseille, which makes for long lasting soaps.

Lothantique-Bar-Soaps

Liquid soaps – The liquid soaps are a liquid version of the bar soaps, not diluted with water and gels as so many other liquid soaps. And because they are not made with fillers, you only need to pump once, thus using much less each time and making the bottle last longer.

Lothantique-Liquid-Soaps

Foam Baths are infused with their signature fragrances. Pour a little into hot bath water and enjoy a rich soothing bath that leaves skin soft and very gently perfumed. These foam baths are available in 16.66 oz and have five choices of fragrance – Lavender, Verbena, Green Tea, Grapefruit and Marine.

Lothantique-Foam-Bath

Hand Cream contains shea butter, and is an excellent treatment for dry and cracked hands. This cream is light enough for every day use and comes handy in a metal squeeze tube which is convenient for travel or easy to carry in a purse.

Lothantique-Hand-Cream

Lothantique Eau De Toilette – The eaux de toilettes are clear refreshing single-note fragrances-just a lightclear scent, not heavy or overpowering. Currenlty available in lavender and grapefruit.

Lothantique-Eau-De-Toilette

So slow down, take time to breathe and transport yourself to the gardens of Haute-Provence with us at Quel Objet.

Thursday, March 31, 2011

The French Vase de Printemps : Enhance your style

The house of French gifts – Quel Objet--offers the Vase de Printemps-Vase of Springtime, an unusual and unique vase that can create a variety of arrangements. Also known as Vase d'Avril, or April Vase, it gives a sense of having achieved an advanced degree in floral design.

Vase de Printemps-Vase of Springtime

A beautiful feast for your eyes– the Vase de Printemps is made up of 21 glass tubes linked with zinc coated steel bands allowing you to create various shapes– a long lazy 'S', a spiral or  short little wiggles. Each design is captivating and unique in its own way. These glass tubes can even be taken apart to make autonomous arrangements.

It makes a wonderful centerpiece for a dinner party, with flowers cut about ten inches high, so you can view your dinner companions, and letting it meander down the center of the table. Just a few pretty flowers in the Vase de Printemps spell instant elegance, and you win the show.

Vase de Printemps is from the extraordinarily creative French design team, Tsé & Tsé, the artists behind the Gold and Platinum bowls also found at Quel Objet.

Deck Chairs Are So Tempting

 A 'Wow' just escapes your lips when you look at the parked deck chairs in the sunny beaches inviting you to have a sun bath. If you are planning to take a break and head for the beaches or pool, French deck chairs from Quel Objet are the best way to lounge. These chic seats from France's Southwest add to your sea, deck or poolside collection.

Quel Objet has an elegant collection of deck chairs that can be folded and carried anywhere you wish. These deck chairs are made with a sturdy beechwood frame that adjusts to four positions. The chair folds flat to 52" x 22" x 3" and, upright, the back is 38" high. A little plastic gizmo locks the chair back in place so that it does not slip and leave you flat.

The fabric of these deck chairs is 100% French cotton which can be easily removed for washing. Compliment your beach outing with a cabana red beach bag that is roomy enough for your towel, lotion, iphone, and whatever else you need at the beach.

If you are a pink freak, Candresse deck chairs become you. Named after a tiny village near the original thermal springs spa in France, Candresse deck chairs are cool and refreshing on a hot summer day. Who can stop you if you propose to match your deck chairs with Quel Objet's Candresse Espadrilles and Sac De Voyage travel tote ? You can make a style statement with these exclusive chairs.

candresse deck chair

Quel Objet also has Borce Deck Chair and Bidos Deck Chair that have been named after beautiful locations southwestern France.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Espadrilles: Stylish Casual and Oh-So French


Espadrilles, those wonderful casual warm weather shoes, were originally made of rope and canvas in the Pyrenees of France and Spain. The French name espadrille is derived from the Catalan word, espardenya, which refers to a tough grass used for weaving the ropes that form the bottom of the shoes. Today, most espadrilles have longer lasting rubber soles, with the rope primarily as a decorative feature and a nod to its history. Although other styles are made with wedge heels or ties around the ankles or open toes, Quel Objet stays with the traditional flat sole and closed canvas uppers.

In the past the upper canvas might have been a single solid color or perhaps a sober stripe. Today’s espadrilles feature bold stripes in brilliant, happy colors—especially those from Artiga and Les Toiles du Soleil, two of Quel Objet’s main suppliers from the Southwest of France. (Les Toiles du Soleil is high up in the mountains of the eastern Pyrenees, near the Spanish border, while Artiga is in the foothills at the western end of the Pyrenees.) It is these vivid colors in the sophisticated stripes that distinguish these espadrilles from all others.

Espadrilles-Sizzle Stripes

Espadrilles first became popular in the U.S. in the 1940’s when Lauren Bacall wore them in Key Largo. Since then they’ve have gone in and out of fashion, but have resurged in popularity, especially since the introduction of the brightly striped styles.

Your biggest surprise will occur when you first take them out of the box. Which is right and which is left? No matter; they are the same. After a few hours of wearing, they will mold to the shape of your feet. And so comfortable, almost like going barefoot, these simple shoes look great at all but the dressiest occasions.

Friday, January 28, 2011

French Tea Towels Make Ideal Gifts

Tea towels have a special tradition in France. As with so many other mundane items, the ingenious French have raised the humble kitchen towel to an art form.

Most commonly used simply to dry dishes and wet hands, the tea towel has countless uses in the kitchen and home: wiping up spills, lining a tea tray or picnic basket, acting as a quick potholder, making a decorative wrap for a wine bottle, and simply adding a colorful accent to a kitchen. With society’s new concern for less waste and more reuse, washable cotton towels make more sense for the environment than using roll after roll of paper towels. Quel Objet offers over 70 different tea towels, from three different French sources, each exemplifying the sophistication and quality for which Quel Objet is known.

Jacquard weaving allows the creation of intricate patterns in fabric. Tissage Moutet has used this technique to celebrate aspects of French life, history, geography, its flora, fauna, literature, and more in glorious color, and often with a wink and a smile. These make a truly unusual and useful gift. And Quel objet has created the perfect hostess gift in its boxed set: four tea towels rolled and displayed in an attractive metal box, with a clear plastic lid, and it’s fun to choose either by topic or color. 

Recently Tissage Moutet Tea Towels has come out with “tapons”—little towels—in adorable patterns of storybook characters and French lessons for children. The small size and cute designs make them appealing to children as placemats, napkins, bibs, and to the mom for their myriad uses and practicality.
kings tea towels louis xvi
In addition to its woven jacquard tea towels, Quel Objet carries two lines of printed towels. The Ile de Ré is an island off the Atlantic coast of France, famous for its luminous light, its lush bounty of shellfish and garden produce. Georges G. Tea Towels has taken the paintings of one of the Ile de Ré’s well-known artists and had them reproduced on tea towels; they are so exquisitely printed that each looks individually painted by hand.
Legumes Vegetables Tea Towel Set

And a great hit with wine connoisseurs are tea towels printed with reproductions of actual French wine labels. These make the perfect gift for your favorite oenophile.
georges duboeuf fleurie

A tea towel might not be the first thing that comes to mind when trying to find a gift, but for anyone with a kitchen, or children, or who likes wine or travel, these make unusual and very welcome gifts.