Artist Stuck In Quarantine Unleashes Her Creativity On Her House And Paints All Over The Walls
We all have our ways of dealing with the pandemic. French artist Nathalie Lété, for example, is getting through these difficult times by painting. But what makes Nathalie’s coping mechanism unique is the canvas she chose for it — her country house. The doors, walls, staircases, and furniture—Nathalie is transforming all of it into a botanical wonderland.
“I bought Maison Atelier Suzanne three years ago,” Lété told Bored Panda. “It’s an hour away from Paris, in a little village next to the Loing river and the forest of Fontainebleau.”
More info: nathalie-lete.com | Facebook | Instagram (h/t mymodernmet)
Image credits: nathalie_lete
Image credits: nathalie_lete
Nathalie’s idea for the house was to paint it white, like a blank page, and only then cover it with intricate floral patterns. “The first year we lived in a totally white house,” Lété explained. “I then started painting all of the details whenever I had the time. Now, due to the confinement, I’ve had two full months to focus on painting the walls.”
Image credits: nathalie_lete
However, Nathalie didn’t stop there. “[I want] to not only do the walls, but also paint all the furniture, lamps, tiles, rugs, cushions, and other fabrics. To create a nest that’s totally filled with my art.”
Image credits: nathalie_lete
Image credits: nathalie_lete
Nathalie draws a lot of inspiration from folk art, especially the gorgeous houses in Zalipie, Poland, as well as the house of Maud Lewis and Charleston’s houses in England. “I also like the streets in the souk of Tangier, Morroco, which are painted by young teenagers simply to embellish the area.”
Image credits: nathalie_lete
Image credits: nathalie_lete
“I like the idea of embellishing very simple places and things, like a room or its furniture, just by adding a bit of color and naive motives,” Lété added.
Image credits: nathalie_lete
Image credits: nathalie_lete
The artist never decides what she will paint in advance; Nathalie enjoys the freedom that comes with spontaneity. “I do the work step by step, corner after corner, wall after wall. By doing so, I have the time to learn from my mistakes and avoid them later on the project,” she said, explaining that this approach grows her confidence in the whole process. “Even if I did something that I no longer like, there are no plans to rush, no stress, I can cover it the next day by simply painting over.”
Image credits: nathalie_lete
Image credits: nathalie_lete
“Just try to let your inner child guide you and forget perfectionism,” Nathalie advised everyone who’s thinking about trying something like this. “Paint simple flowers if you don’t consider yourself very talented, the most important thing is to allow yourself to feel pleasure from doing it.”
Image credits: nathalie_lete
Image credits: nathalie_lete
The artist uses acrylic paint to decorate her house. “Personally, I like working in naïve style, but some days I simply paint a picture that I saw in some book. It’s a joyful, mixed pattern,” Lété added. “My favorite colors are green and pink, and I often use these two in my palette.”
Image credits: nathalie_lete
Image credits: nathalie_lete
Image credits: nathalie_lete
“After I painted my staircase, I realized just how much I enjoy going up and down the house all the time. Seeing all the colorful motifs all day brings me a lot of happiness! Every step inside shows dreamy, candy-color flowers blooming on the doors, walls, staircases, and furniture—as though it’s a cottage from a fairytale.”
Image credits: nathalie_lete
Image credits: nathalie_lete
People loved Nathalie’s house
Ya know what? She's doing what she wants to make herself happy, and that's all that's all that matters.
I'm not a fan. While there are some parts I like, it's too much for me. Glad it's her house and not mine.
Awesome! I would love to live with something as beautiful as that. Don't have the talent. So I am doing it in my gardens.
Marvellous! That is definitely what is called a 'riot' of colour :)
I love this!! What a fun and cheerful place to be! Great job, @nathalie_lete!
Nathalie, you are one talented lady! These photos made me smile so much.... !
It must be so nice to be this talented artistically. I just hope she owns the house or she's gonna have a lot of painting to do when she moves out. Lol
Reminds me of Rapunzel in "Tangled", always painting away while "in quarantine" in her tower.
Not my personal style, but it's amazing that she's painting the entire house. And truly, the only person she really has to please is herself and it looks like she's done that! :3 Also, I think maybe some folks missed that she's doing something inspired by folk art, which means that it's not really -meant- to be perfectly executed. I've always thought about painting details on the walls, but I'm afraid I would get too attached and if I had to move I would be trying to dismantle the house to take it with me. LOL (The obvious solution to this is to paint on canvas and hang it strategically around, but it's not quite the same thing.)
Unless you are now out of work, why is it that so many people have so much more time? Were they going out 7 nights a week? Who does that after the age of 19? :-) Other than working from home, the lock-down hasn't been all that much different for me. I just really wonder what these people were up to before the lock-down that they are now spending so much time on home projects instead of watching Netflix like us lazy folks.
It is a Marmite paint job. You either love it or hate it. I am more of the latter. I keep thinking of how much work it would take to make the place classy again.
Everyone has different taste of what they like. It’s her home, so I’m happy for her.
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You would tear down a house because you didn't like the paint job? Am I hearing this right? Do you not have sanders and primer where you are?
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Ya know what? She's doing what she wants to make herself happy, and that's all that's all that matters.
I'm not a fan. While there are some parts I like, it's too much for me. Glad it's her house and not mine.
Awesome! I would love to live with something as beautiful as that. Don't have the talent. So I am doing it in my gardens.
Marvellous! That is definitely what is called a 'riot' of colour :)
I love this!! What a fun and cheerful place to be! Great job, @nathalie_lete!
Nathalie, you are one talented lady! These photos made me smile so much.... !
It must be so nice to be this talented artistically. I just hope she owns the house or she's gonna have a lot of painting to do when she moves out. Lol
Reminds me of Rapunzel in "Tangled", always painting away while "in quarantine" in her tower.
Not my personal style, but it's amazing that she's painting the entire house. And truly, the only person she really has to please is herself and it looks like she's done that! :3 Also, I think maybe some folks missed that she's doing something inspired by folk art, which means that it's not really -meant- to be perfectly executed. I've always thought about painting details on the walls, but I'm afraid I would get too attached and if I had to move I would be trying to dismantle the house to take it with me. LOL (The obvious solution to this is to paint on canvas and hang it strategically around, but it's not quite the same thing.)
Unless you are now out of work, why is it that so many people have so much more time? Were they going out 7 nights a week? Who does that after the age of 19? :-) Other than working from home, the lock-down hasn't been all that much different for me. I just really wonder what these people were up to before the lock-down that they are now spending so much time on home projects instead of watching Netflix like us lazy folks.
It is a Marmite paint job. You either love it or hate it. I am more of the latter. I keep thinking of how much work it would take to make the place classy again.
Everyone has different taste of what they like. It’s her home, so I’m happy for her.
Load More Replies... You would tear down a house because you didn't like the paint job? Am I hearing this right? Do you not have sanders and primer where you are?
Load More Replies...
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