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We’ve hardly crossed the threshold of Mylène Kiener’s house when three laughing little rascals come charging to meet us. “It will soon be four!” the mistress of the house tells us with a smile. That’s just what this fantastic 200m² space in Saint-Cloud needs. To be filled with cookery sets and toys scattered around the sitting room waiting to be obediently tidied away each evening, or gorgeous corduroy dungarees and stylish accessories from the Frangin Frangine collection. Because in addition to bringing up her wonderful expanding family, Mylène decided to take up the reins of this children’s fashion house with her long-time associate Aude Aubron. It’s already 18 months since they embarked upon this exciting entrepreneurial adventure. To begin with in an improvised workspace right here. This style, with a hint of retro supported by a host of careful detail and delicious colours, has indelibly influenced the decoration of the house, nonetheless designed with the help of Cyrielle Wattinne. With her at their side, Mylène and her husband were able to make the most of the huge potential that the place was just waiting to reveal. Mouldings, brass door frames and marble plaques have been given a new lease of life and are associated with off-beat flowery wallpaper, woven rugs and a mass of second-hand furniture that the lady from Lille obviously enjoyed unearthing! She has pulled off a real feat of composition, emphasising the generous amount of light in the house with white-painted floorboards. And if ever we forget why Mylène chose to move away from the capital, we just need to look out of one of the many windows. A garden to romp around in, no overlooking neighbours, and the view. And what a view!
Mylène, who are you? Can you please introduce yourself?
I’m 33 years old, I’m the mother of three children, soon to be four! I am also an entrepreneur, at the helm of the pretty children’s brand Frangin Frangine.
Where are we here?
We are in Saint Cloud, in the house where we have lived for the past 18 months. We left Paris because we wanted more space and to be able to offer our children a living environment that seemed more suitable for us: calm, the countryside, and perhaps a little less Parisian frenzy. And all of this while still being able to reach Paris in half an hour.
What’s the history of this house? How did you find it?
This is the first house we visited. It didn’t really correspond on paper to what we were looking for (too big for us and not enough outside space) but we decided to go and see it one Sunday. The owner’s granddaughter was just coming out, and she allowed us to look round, even though we were not expected… we fell in love with it! The proportions, the style, the vintage details, the potential for complete renovation. We immediately felt at home here. We made an offer that same evening. Four months later we moved in. Just in time for the birth of our son Achille 10 days later!
Was there any work done at the very beginning? If so, what did you start with?
Everything in the house needed to be redone, and that’s what we were looking for. We were assisted in this project by our friend Cyrielle Wattinne, who is an interior designer. She helped us to think through the plan, the layout, the choice of materials and colours. She also took care of project managing the site. We really wanted to create large living spaces to share with the children, a kitchen open to the outdoors, a lively and bright place, easy to live in and where we can entertain.
How are the 200m2 of this space arranged?
It’s fairly classic. We have a large ground floor with a spacious kitchen-dining room and a living room. This is structured around the chimney, which was not apparent at first sight because the room was quite large. The first floor is the children’s area. They each have their own bedroom and bathroom. Finally, on the second (and top) floor, we have our master suite, a small office that will soon welcome our baby and a guest room.
Which is your favourite room, the one you most like to be in?
It has to be the kitchen-dining room! Breakfasts with the family, returning from school in the evening for homework or colouring sessions, preparing dinners with a glass in hand, pastry workshops, meals with friends and so on. And it overlooks the outside space, so in summer everything is open and we live half outside. It’s also incredibly light. I am also a big fan of my own room for a bit of ‘me’ time, in the evening, when everyone is asleep. To have a bath, to read… to take some time just for me.
How do you organise life at home with your large family?
Each of the children has the opportunity to have his or her own room and therefore his or her personal world. For Arthus, I wanted a “boy’s room”, with its green wall and some decorative elements from the past: old cards, tennis rackets, a bench seat and a large Playmobil cupboard. Jeanne has a real “girl’s room”: Little Green wallpaper, pretty rattan hanging shelves and a collection of dolls. Achilles has a more baby oriented environment, with royal blue walls, pretty details, books and moons from days gone by. I don’t worry too much. I only ask that their rooms be tidied up on Sunday evenings. They are quite respectful of the ground floor, which is the family space, and they play their games there in the evening. I’m quite obsessive, and I like it when everything is clean and tidy. But with three kids, I’m learning to let go!
Where did you get your inspiration for the decoration, for the choice of colours and materials?
I can’t really say where the inspiration came from: Pinterest, the decoration magazines, Instagram, what you see in girlfriends’ houses, the eye you develop over the years, blogs and The Socialite Family of course! We were also helped by Cyrielle, who helped us to make all this coherent and to fine-tune the small details. The house itself also inspired us a lot with its period details, its mouldings, its brass door handles and frames, its marble slabs… I wanted things that were quite timeless and that we would never get tired of. Like the huge crush I had on the Zellige tiles in the bathroom and the cement tiles in the hall.
The house is bathed in light, especially with the white parquet and there are large living rooms that allow us to spend time together and entertain guests, which we love to do.
Do we detect the flavour of your brand Frangin, Frangine here?
Frangin Frangine is a brand of clothing for children, with a retro feel to it. We offer timeless pieces, in trendy colours, with quality materials and a distinctive touch that makes all the difference. So yes, I think this house is entirely consistent with the world of Frangin Frangine!
Tell us about this fabulous adventure. Why did you choose to adopt this particular brand? Do you have a particular affinity with the world of children’s fashion?
We took over Frangin Frangine with my partner, Aude Aubron, 18 months ago. As mothers, we have always been a fan of this brand and its deceptively classic DNA. When we heard about the possibility of a takeover, we didn’t hesitate. We’re enjoying making Frangin Frangine into a brand that reflects the families it dresses: lively, cheerful, buzzing with projects and ideas. All our pieces are designed in Paris and manufactured in Europe, sold directly and without intermediaries so we can always offer a fair price. We believe that childhood should still be a carefree, joyful, imaginative, noisy, confident and free world. A childhood where children look like children: they will have plenty of time in the future to dress like adults. We don’t pretend we can change the world with our clothes, but we have fun designing pretty pieces that can’t be found anywhere else, capsule collections built around our mums’ needs. Frangin Frangine allows us to meet all sorts of people and to experience our entrepreneurial adventure 2000%.
How would you like to continue to develop it?
We have lots of projects: Frangin Frangine has just released its new collection, capsules are planned for spring summer (pyjamas, knitwear, mother-and-child and a heck of a collaboration), we want to enlarge the team, and to keep meeting people who inspire us. As mothers with large families, we love our children to be well-dressed and look quite cute, but we are also fully aware that we must create pieces that are easy to live with, comfortable, easy to maintain (in the real world, who has the time to wash their children’s cashmere by hand?) and at a fair price for children who are growing up fast!
What are your plans for the coming months?
The big project: the fourth little one coming this summer, we’re looking forward to it! And apart from that, we will continue to help this little world to grow, to develop Frangin Frangine as best we can, to have fun and, above all, to spend time with those we love.
Brick red Carino cushion in corduroy 100 % cotton, 50x30cm rectangular size.
Also available in 45x45cm square size and in 2 other colours: mustard & navy blue.
Here at The Socialite Family, we love velvet! So after having used the most beautiful colours and shades on our Bomboloni round cushions, our design studio wanted to showcase the most captivating aspect of this fabric by adding depth to it with a ribbed weave. Contrasting colours come to the fore with navy blue, mustard yellow and brick tones for these new cushion shapes that are taking their place in our collection: square and rectangular. Classic, but at the same time both perfect complements to the main range of products that we have offered you up to now! Now it’s over to you to play with their geometry, snuggle up among their gorgeous colours and textures and let yourself go mixing and matching the different types of velvet… Stylish effect guaranteed.
Dimensions: 50x30cm
Material: corduroy 100 % cotton, filling 100% polyester
Colour: brick red (corduroy), beige (piping)
Removable
Dry clean
Velvet made in England
SHIPPING: Delivery will happen in France within 48 hours to 72 hours of dispatch and outside France within 3 to 7 working days. The carrier will contact you directly to arrange a delivery date and time. If you have any questions, please contact us on shop@thesocialitefamily.com.
ORDER WITH CONFIDENCE: You have 14 days to change your mind and return your order. To do so, please contact us on shop@thesocialitefamily.com quoting your order number and we will answer you as soon as possible with the procedure to follow. We will refund your order once we will have received your returned items.
SERVICE PRO: Vous êtes architecte, décorateur, designer d’intérieur ? Nous pouvons vous accompagner dans vos projets. N’hésitez pas à nous contacter sur shop@thesocialitefamily.com pour tout devis ou commande sur-mesure.
Mustard Carino cushion in corduroy 100 % cotton, 50x30cm rectangular size.
Also available in 45x45cm square size and in 2 other colours: brick red & navy blue.
Here at The Socialite Family, we love velvet! So after having used the most beautiful colours and shades on our Bomboloni round cushions, our design studio wanted to showcase the most captivating aspect of this fabric by adding depth to it with a ribbed weave. Contrasting colours come to the fore with navy blue, mustard yellow and brick tones for these new cushion shapes that are taking their place in our collection: square and rectangular. Classic, but at the same time both perfect complements to the main range of products that we have offered you up to now! Now it’s over to you to play with their geometry, snuggle up among their gorgeous colours and textures and let yourself go mixing and matching the different types of velvet… Stylish effect guaranteed.
Dimensions: 50x30cm
Material: corduroy 100 % cotton, filling 100% polyester
Colour: mustard (corduroy), beige (piping)
Removable
Dry clean
Velvet made in England
SHIPPING: Delivery will happen in France within 48 hours to 72 hours of dispatch and outside France within 3 to 7 working days. The carrier will contact you directly to arrange a delivery date and time. If you have any questions, please contact us on shop@thesocialitefamily.com.
ORDER WITH CONFIDENCE: You have 14 days to change your mind and return your order. To do so, please contact us on shop@thesocialitefamily.com quoting your order number and we will answer you as soon as possible with the procedure to follow. We will refund your order once we will have received your returned items.
PRO SERVICE: Are you an architect, a decorator or an interior designer? We have a service adapted to your specific needs. Please do not hesitate to contact us on shop@thesocialitefamily.com for all quotes or custom orders.
Arezzo 100% linen rectangular cushion, natural colour with a striped pattern.
Also available with a check pattern.
The Socialite Family loves giving you the opportunity to create a different mood in every room of your home by developing new cushion products each season to suit all tastes. This is the case with our Arezzo cushions, generously sized rectangles with a timeless look. This lightweight cushion, covered in a geometrically patterned linen, will add volume to your bed, combined with other shapes, textures and fabrics, just as it will to your sofa. Perfect for a summer sitting room or for the reading corner in a children’s room, Arezzo reminds us of holidays, distant travels or the simple freshness of a day spent lying in the grass dreaming, with a book to devour.
SHIPPING : Delivery will happen in France within 48 hours to 72 hours of dispatch and outside France within 3 to 7 working days. The carrier will contact you directly to arrange a delivery date and time. If you have any questions, please contact us on shop@thesocialitefamily.com .
ORDER WITH CONFIDENCE : You have 14 days to change your mind and return your order. To do so, please contact us on shop@thesocialitefamily.com quoting your order number and we will answer you as soon as possible with the procedure to follow. We will refund your order once we will have received your returned items.
PRO SERVICE : Are you an architect, a decorator or an interior designer? We have a service adapted to your specific needs. Please do not hesitate to contact us on shop@thesocialitefamily.com for all quotes or custom orders.
Arezzo 100% linen rectangular cushion, natural colour with a check pattern. Also available with a striped pattern. The Socialite Family loves giving you the opportunity to create a different mood in every room of your home by developing new cushion products each season to suit all tastes. This is the case with our Arezzo cushions, generously sized rectangles with a timeless look. This lightweight cushion, covered in a geometrically patterned linen, will add volume to your bed, combined with other shapes, textures and fabrics, just as it will to your sofa. Perfect for a summer sitting room or for the reading corner in a children’s room, Arezzo reminds us of holidays, distant travels or the simple freshness of a day spent lying in the grass dreaming, with a book to devour.
SHIPPING : Delivery will happen in France within 48 hours to 72 hours of dispatch and outside France within 3 to 7 working days. The carrier will contact you directly to arrange a delivery date and time. If you have any questions, please contact us on shop@thesocialitefamily.com .
ORDER WITH CONFIDENCE : You have 14 days to change your mind and return your order. To do so, please contact us on shop@thesocialitefamily.com quoting your order number and we will answer you as soon as possible with the procedure to follow. We will refund your order once we will have received your returned items.
PRO SERVICE : Are you an architect, a decorator or an interior designer? We have a service adapted to your specific needs. Please do not hesitate to contact us on shop@thesocialitefamily.com for all quotes or custom orders.
White satin cotton pillowcase with openwork ladder borders. Available in two sizes: 65 x 65 cm and 50 x 70 cm.
Childhood, that blessed time where everything seemed possible to us and time gently unravelled. A feeling of eternity that we tasted on long siestas in our grandparents’ bed beside our cousins and the children of friends who’d dropped by. To revive those sweet memories and make them come alive again every day in our own bedroom, The Socialite Family set off to meet some French artisans. The very same artisans who, years before, had made the bed linen that is so dear to our hearts. Pillowcases, fitted and flat sheets come to life at the touch of their hands steeped in the tradition of fine linens. Designed for you in satin cotton with an openwork ladder border, they will accompany you to nights of infinite softness.
SHIPPING: Delivery should be within 5 working days in France and within 7 working days outside France. Please contact us at shop@thesocialitefamily.com should you have any questions.
RETURN POLICY : You can return your order to us within 14 days of delivery for a full refund once the product has been returned to us. Simply contact us within 14 days of receiving your products at shop@thesocialitefamily.com and we will assist you with your return.
White satin cotton pillowcase with openwork ladder borders. Available in two sizes: 65 x 65 cm and 50 x 70 cm.
Childhood, that blessed time where everything seemed possible to us and time gently unravelled. A feeling of eternity that we tasted on long siestas in our grandparents’ bed beside our cousins and the children of friends who’d dropped by. To revive those sweet memories and make them come alive again every day in our own bedroom, The Socialite Family set off to meet some French artisans. The very same artisans who, years before, had made the bed linen that is so dear to our hearts. Pillowcases, fitted and flat sheets come to life at the touch of their hands steeped in the tradition of fine linens. Designed for you in satin cotton with an openwork ladder border, they will accompany you to nights of infinite softness.
SHIPPING: Delivery should be within 5 working days in France and within 7 working days outside France. Please contact us at shop@thesocialitefamily.com should you have any questions.
RETURN POLICY : You can return your order to us within 14 days of delivery for a full refund once the product has been returned to us. Simply contact us within 14 days of receiving your products at shop@thesocialitefamily.com and we will assist you with your return.
Photography: Valerio Geraci – Text: Caroline Balvay – Translation: TextMaster @thesocialitefamily
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