Livette
la Suissette
Livie
Belaz is currently living in Paris, in a beautiful and bright duplex
apartment,
with a prestigious terrace on the roof. Her place is
located in a bobo district of Paris,
popular, but always romantic, a
few steps away from the Canal Saint Martin
(The Canal St-Martin is a
4.5 km long canal that crosses the Xe and XIe districts in Paris).
Livie talks and shows us in this interview her little nest and her
coloring and very personal
textile creations for home, but also for
small and not so small people ...
Text: Lottilou. Pictures: Livie Belaz
Featured at Flair Fashion and Home Magazine
Briefly
tell us who you are
I
was born in Switzerland. I'm forty years old and I have two adorable
children ...
Could
you describe your professional career?
Initially I was a
pharmacy assistant and then a nurse, but my arrival in Paris changed
my professional destiny.
Where
do you live?
Under
the roofs of Paris, in the Xe arrondissement.
How
did you end up in Paris?
My boyfriend was living in Paris, we were too tired of station
platforms and trains ... and I wanted a change. Everything came
together for me to end in the city of lights.
Do
you like living in the center?
I am lucky to live in the
center and I love it, but I also like to go out to the countryside
sometimes, that’s how Paris is livable.
How
would you define your interior style?
Cosy,
warm, welcoming, eclectic ...
Do
you have any favorite item at home?
I
just love my bed so much because it is cosy, relaxing, reassuring ...
What
do you like to do when you are home?
I
especially love to laze on my couch with a cup of tea and a good
magazine.
When
did you start working as a designer?
I
used to make all my friends' babies birth presents, so finally I
decided to make something professional out of it. It is in 2007 when
I officially create the brand and the company: Livette la Suissette.
Is
your atelier at your place?
Yes
for now, but in two months I will be moving my business to another
place because I am starting to be too tight in my house.
How
would you describe your design creations?
My
creations adapt to everyone, big, small, young, old, ... they are
made out of natural materials (cotton, linen), with no ornaments,
they are easy to use and to maintain. They are contemporary for their
colors and patterns (toile de jouy reinterpreted)
Where
do you get your inspiration from?
Daily life inspires me,
observing nature and the city. (The first drops of rain on the
pavement, frozen crystals on a pole, the reflection of bubbles in the
bath, a green gradient forest …)
Apart
from textile design, do you have other hobbies or hidden talents?
I
make wonderful cakes, pasta gratins, and I can imitate Jane Birkin.
Do
you find a parallel between fashion and decoration?
Yes,
especially for colors. I wish I had time to make more creative
creations and Haute
Couture decor,
using the finest materials ever and inventing incredible
pleats
Can you describe a good day's
work?
All days are
different but they always start at 9am, usually after a coffee with
friends. Then I start with fabric inventory and order, creating
prototypes, imagining new patterns, customer tracking, testing new
products to see if it is achievable within an acceptable cost, some
accounting, management monitoring prod ... My working day finishes
early, I pick up my daughter at 4pm and then we have a snack
togeteher ... nothing in the world would make me miss these small
moments …
How
do you like to surround yourself at home?
There
would be so many things I would love to be surrounded by ... but what
I like most are good smells.
How
is the house of your dreams?
A
refurbished pretty old cottage in the middle of pastures in the
mountain.
Do
you have any favorite perfume?
I
love L'eau de Neroli from Diptyque.
Can you give some addresses in
Paris that you find particularly interesting?
Les petits
blablas 7, rue Crussol, to make gifts for children - La tête dans
les olives, 2 rue St Marthe, for sicily olive oils - Éphémère
fleurs, av. Parmentier, for its beautiful flowers - Il paisano, rue
Saint Maur, for burrata and other Italian delicacies - Sésame, Quai
Valmy, for bagels - Marie et Louise, rue Marie Louise, for good
pizza.
Livie and her design
