In Bayonne, content creator Elisa Gallois has reimagined a traditional Basque home as an English-style cottage.

I studied something completely unrelated to what I do now—biology, first in Caen, then in Bordeaux. After that, I lived in Marseille, and eventually in Paris. I worked a bit in environmental fields, mainly in waste recycling. On the side, I always had passion projects: DJing here and there, some communication work. I volunteered for a magazine, which ended up taking a big place in my life. Then I got an opportunity at a company I was working for to switch over to communications. After that, I moved to an agency, handling digital for sectors ranging from real estate to cars to beauty… At the same time, I did some technical work—cameras, mics, helping out where I could. I’ve always moved around a lot, going where opportunities took me. Today, I’m freelance and working with Elisa, whose community has grown so much that it’s now a full-time job for her.

I studied literature in Nice, which I paid for myself while working in retail. I was good at sales, and very young, I was offered a big position. Faced with the choice of staying a struggling student or starting a career, I didn’t hesitate. I then moved to San Francisco for three years and worked in retail there too, in big companies where I learned a lot. I became bilingual, did some visual merchandising—well, a bit of everything, really. I came back to France after 9/11 and moved to Paris, where the jobs were. I stayed there for twenty years, working in fashion and luxury. I went from store floors to communications and eventually became a flagship director. For almost ten years, I also ran my blog and later my Instagram account in parallel. That meant a lot of work with brands. I was there at the start of many brands’ digital journeys—like handling Monoprix’s family newsletter for years, for example. I did plenty of projects like that. Then one day, I was laid off. By then, it had become impossible to juggle everything, and that push was what I needed psychologically to finally go freelance. It was a huge mental block for me. I was terrified because my salary was a big part of our family’s budget.

Eight years ago, two years before we left Paris. I didn’t launch myself as an “influencer.” At first, I worked for others, managing digital communications for various companies. I was lucky to get contracts quickly. When we left Paris and moved here, that’s what supported us financially: handling digital communications for different brands. Meanwhile, I started a business with two partners called Maison Sauge, which we later sold. Over time, I gradually let go of my digital comms clients to focus solely on my own account, because at some point, once again, it was no longer possible to do everything. Content creation has evolved massively. We went from producing simple photos and short captions to more complex videos, which takes time. For me, that was perfect because I’m working in a field I’m passionate about. I’ve worn many hats professionally, and now I get to do exactly what I love. I wake up every morning feeling incredibly lucky to have this job.

People talk a lot about “influencers,” but it’s a big umbrella that covers many different profiles. Personally, I think of my page like a magazine, a little break I offer people, with a personal touch. I share recipes, home decor, and reflections I call “mood posts.” The idea is to keep the discussion broad. I’m speaking to women whose lives are so intense and overloaded that they get very little entertainment. My content is deliberately light, while still being thoughtful—but if I can spark a smile, create a moment of pause in someone’s day, that’s huge. I love what I do because it generates so much exchange with the women who follow me. It’s very enriching. It’s a job that lets me fully express my creativity. It’s also a job surrounded by a lot of fantasy. Many people think it’s easy, light, doesn’t take much time—whereas I work ten times harder now than when I was employed. But I love it and I hope it lasts for a long time.

At a certain point, I needed skills I didn’t have—technical skills, especially editing—and that’s where Denis came in. All the creative direction, the planning of the content, that’s me, because this page has to be fully embodied, it couldn’t be anyone else. But Denis, who has worked for a magazine and has always been comfortable with digital tools, brought those in—and he keeps expanding them, because what we were doing at the start is nothing like what we do now. This job evolves constantly.

Yes, we’ve learned together since the blogging days. We both had blogs that kept us busy. Elisa’s blog already had the spirit of her Insta account, while mine was more about culture, concerts, exhibitions.

And a lot of street art! You have to keep learning, reinventing yourself every six months—there’s no other option. I love that, and it all moves so fast. When you create content for brands, they want everything done in three days. Sometimes we do six rounds of edits in a single afternoon. Behind the apparent ease is real professionalism. When it’s content for me, it’s lighter and more spontaneous. But for brands, I’ve decided to offer collaborations that are really polished, which takes a lot of prep work.

It’s a reference to Roger Vadim’s And God Created Woman, which is my favourite film. When I first launched my blog, I was sharing cultural favourites, especially films. The name stuck.

I started before Instagram even existed, so I’ve witnessed the entire evolution of this industry. I felt it professionalizing about seven years ago and immediately embraced the format. Today, as content creators, we have to do brand partnerships because there’s no system—like there is on YouTube—to get paid per viewership. Those collaborations allow us to continue offering free content alongside. We’ve always kept 80% of our content completely free, what’s called “organic” in industry terms. I think that’s only fair to the people who follow me.

Like Denis said, our previous house was very contemporary, almost like a holiday home. The idea isn’t to apply a standard decor in every house but to feel what each house inspires. We didn’t decorate this house the same way we did the last one—though, of course, there are elements that remain the same—but here, it feels more like a country house. It has that “old house with a soul” vibe. That’s also why I’ve sourced a lot of things second-hand; to me, it feels like a family home full of memories. It’s true, the house was scary at first, but I remember telling Denis during our first visit: “I don’t care, this is the house where we’ll never worry about the kids running around, jumping, or breaking something.” This is the kind of house that can take it.

As for the decor, let’s be honest, that’s all Elisa. My stuff just finds its place naturally. I always trust her taste! Usually, she’s thought through every detail, so I really don’t need to think about it (laughs). All I need to do is execute. I’m more of a facilitator.

After 18 years together, he’s used to my decorating style! We’ve moved six times already, and we’ve always gotten into the habit of doing everything ourselves when needed.

In Paris, we lived in a tiny apartment. By the time we left, one of the walls had doubled in thickness because every year, we’d put up a new wallpaper on it.

This is also the first time we’ve had a house spacious enough for all our stuff. We mostly lived in small places before because we prioritised travel over housing for a long time. Also, given the nature of my work as a content creator, I have partnerships with brands, which makes decorating much easier. When we moved here, some lovely home brands reached out to me, and it’s true that it’s easier for me to redecorate because there are many things I don’t have to invest in. It’s all about exchanges and collaborations, which makes a big difference. It allowed me to invest in a rental, something I might not have done if I had a different job because I wouldn’t have had the same opportunities.

That’s exactly it, it’s what I love!

Yes, that’s my collection! That’s me, not Denis. I’m lucky it doesn’t bother him because it can be quite imposing as a passion, and it’s loaded with meaning! I spent much of my school years in private Catholic schools and boarding schools run by nuns. Even though, as an adult, I’m now an atheist, the Virgin Mary remains a very powerful symbol for me. She’s always been there, a reassuring feminine figure, the very image of motherhood. It calms me. It all started when an artist friend gave me one during a difficult time, telling me it would protect me. And it’s true, and I find her beautiful. I find them all beautiful, and each has its own story.

There’s this Landes pine cabinet in the living room that we had custom-made to store my turntables. We came up with a system inspired by DJ booths, and it holds all the records too. I’ve done a few parties; I’m not a DJ, but it’s a real passion of mine! I used to have Technics turntables for fifteen years, and when we moved in, I decided to treat myself to these new ones. They’re spotless, you see!

Our dining chairs by Bruno Rey, which I bought on Made in Design, one at a time over the years because they were too expensive to buy all at once! Every time I got paid, I treated myself to one. We also love our small upstairs shower room, which is the only space that’s remained as it was, with its red tiles from floor to ceiling. And I love the pendant lamp in the guest room by Zuri. She makes everything by hand here in the Basque Country, in concrete, leaving the texture raw for that organic feel I love. Her lines and colours are beautiful, and she can even do custom pieces. Everything she makes can go indoors or outdoors since the material is so durable. It’s important to us to buy local whenever we can.

Yes! You’re in my space here. I’ve created the bedroom I would have loved as a teenager. I wanted a room that wasn’t an office but rather a place to feel inspired, to think, read, write, prepare my content, and sometimes just to be alone. The cloud came from my daughters’ room when they were little. There’s the vanity, my own piece of furniture, and of course the mirror where I film my little mood clips for social media, plus all my books—I’m a big reader, I devour books.

Yes, it depends on where we are! Emmaüs when we’re nearby, but also online on leboncoin, on Vinted, which people don’t think of for home items, but it’s great for that too… I rarely spend much when I thrift. I mix these finds with pieces by designers I discover on Instagram. It’s important to me to blend vintage and contemporary: a house with too many thrifted pieces can feel a bit old-fashioned, but on the flip side, a place with only design pieces can feel too much like a showroom, impersonal.

Nothing specific at the moment. But eventually, I’d love to move toward platforms like YouTube, which would allow me to earn income based on views and do fewer commercial collaborations. The truth is, there’s no economic model today where you can just offer everything for free and live off love and fresh air.