Lessons from Madame Chic: 20 Stylish Secrets I Learned While Living in Paris by Jennifer L. Scott — Reading Again Now that I’m a Happily Married Lady

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The Madame Chic books by Jennifer L. Scott are sweet, little, easy, useful reads. Scott is from laid-back California, and while in college spent 6 months with the aristocratic Famille Chic in Paris. In a fun way this chronicles what she learned from the titular character, Madame Chic.

I haven’t read the books in years. Before I was married. Before I was a we. A very happy we mind you, but a we that’s in the same amount of townhouse space she had when she was just a a me. So now there’s lots of love in this house and lots of stuff.

And as I’m going through another style and homemaking rebirth I thought it would be kinda fun to look back at the Madame Chic books. I mean, reading counts towards all the work. Right? The work I spend cleaning out my closet, organizing the kitchen, and the work I spend reading are the same? Non?

Also, truth be told, we’ve been held up in the house while our Furry Princess recuperates from her mouth surgery. Miabelle’s doing awesome, btw! Good appetite, and very happy. But the first few days she only wanted to lay on mommy. So we snuggled. She slept. And I read.

I’m re-reading Lessons from Madame Chic: 20 Stylish Secrets I Learned While Living in Paris.

I first read the Kindle edition years ago, I think when she self-published, before Simon & Schuster picket it up and Scott became a New York Times best selling author. But I remember loving the series so much (there’s also Polish Your Poise with Madame Chic, and At Home with Madame Chic) I decided to grab some hardcovers for the bookshelves before they were hard to come by — which is what I’m reading now.

Scott digs into the art of living well, with great formality and some humor. And Miles and I do live quite well, both at home and on our travels, albeit in a more relaxed manner. Living a beautiful life in an art. But as of late, I felt I needed a little inspo.

A little reminder of why I’m organizing the pantry, cleaning out my closet, and getting rid of what I’m purging from our space. Cleansing and creating sacred space, temenos, within our cozy Old Town home.

Truth be told, I got a little bored with our house. So I needed a mindset shift and a few physical tweaks in the house. So I’ve kinda reinvented the living room and dining room a bit. Nothing major, just enough to feel the difference. And although it’s still a work in progress, it feels good. The flow of energy is good. And my “dressing room”/closet/office/”cloffice” hasn’t been “finished” in nearly two years but there is a plan now that I feel good about. (The dressing room is a whole other story, I’ll share later!).

Anyhow, Madame Chic gave me just what I needed to put some more happy into my homemaking.