I recently met Jane d’Haene and her beautiful family on a beach in Mexico. We were both in Mayakoba for the winter break with our families when I first saw his beloved 4-year-old daughter, Anais, who was wearing a beautiful romper of freedom. (I also baked my mother’s simple style.)
I asked Jane where she got her daughter’s dress and she told me it came from her children’s line, Anais & I, which she started a few years ago. As our older boys climbed into the sea it seemed all afternoon, we started talking. In short, we noticed that all the adults were reading the same four books, and the next day we had dinner dates — all the children received room service together while the adults went out.
In addition to wanting to see more of the line, available online and at Sweet William and Barney’s in NYC, and Eggy and Wonderland in LA, to name a few, I knew they would have a great place to stay.
Jane was an interior designer/architect in their early life, and her husband Francis is the principal of D’Apostrophe, a high-tech construction company based in New York City. Yolanda and I visited their home in Tribeca and fell in love with them – their taste was good and their home was nice and they felt like living in it. Everything matters — and the love of the home is evident.
FULL INTERVIEW WITH JANE D’HAENE
Why use a chalkboard? Messages or art or both? Is it paint or board?
We — my husband, Nicholas (11), Anais (5), and Lucas (22 months) put it together. For us, a welcome home photo. We use it to express who we are and how we feel. I think when you walk into our house you get an idea of how we live and who we are. We change the wall from time to time.
What are you doing at this table? Is this a work table with meals and homework?
This table is for everything. This table was designed by Ann Demeulemeester (Belgian fashion designer). She uses a table with the same design as her work table. Wrapped in canvas and painted in white. I can always paint over it if it is very dirty. We have dinner there. I did my design work there. My kids built their Legos there. Our favorite place. We love this table.
Tell us about this picture?
This was our wedding invitation. My son Nicholas was out of my first marriage.
We love your kitchen. He created a large frame around the IKEA kitchen, which is very smart. We believe you do not need luxury everywhere. You can still create an amazing place with unusual objects.
Are these polaroids random or do you do this on special occasions?
It’s automatic but those pictures were used on our Christmas card.
We love that there is a child and an adult mixed all over the top. What are some of your organizational plans? How do you keep it organized?
In our house, we have strict rules about cleaning each area. They can do dirt but they all need to be cleaned afterward. We taught our children to respect everything in our home. I think this is how we do it.
Tell us a story about how you made this amazing chair and how you came up with this idea?
This is good news !! I saw a chair in my husband’s client’s room. It was completely covered with a stuffed animal designed by the Campana brothers. I wanted it but it is a way, without my budget. I decided to make one of Nicholas’ 8th birthday. It took me a long time, but when I finished Nicholas liked it. I sewed all the pieces by hand. He worked day and night. I hope Nicholas can keep it for a long time. My daughter asked me to make one using pink pigs but I don’t think I will do it. It was so hard to do it the first time!
Do you just click on a wall or a painted board?
We just put it on the wall. It’s such a small pushpin.
Tell us a story about how these flowers came to be.
These flowers came to me from my husband on Mother’s Day after the birth of Anais. She’s always beautiful with creative gifts but this one for me was the best. The artist’s name is Zoe Bradley.
Think about how to do this project in Nicholas’ room?
The artist’s name is Lee Seungwook. He was an art student I found by mistake. I saw his little drawing and thought of doing this work with him. Nicholas was then 7 years old and was very fond of Pokemon and other cartoons. Nicholas chose all the pictures. He even helped the artist color it in other places.
Tell us about Nicholas’ collections:
About 5 years ago we made a brief visit to a friend’s house in Belgium. Our friend had these things in the house. Nicholas spent hours in front of her asking questions and taking pictures. My husband gives Nicholas one every Christmas as a Christmas present. Happiness, when he opens the box, is precious !!!
Who designed the furniture in Lucas’ room?
All the furniture except the crib is designed by my husband. All of our children’s furniture is designed by him with love. We bought a tree wall decal from Moderators.
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POSTED IN: AT HOME · TAGGED: DECORATING ROOMS, KIDS’ BEDROOM, LIVING ROOM IDEAS