A Postcard from Switzerland

Switzerland is a postcard of Switzerland. The natural beauty is astounding. People get out of their cars on the highway to pick up trash, plus billboards are not allowed. It’s truly spectacular. In fact, I love it so much, I bought a house there.

This table is outside of my house. All of the flowers were picked from the garden. I was having people over for an afternoon drink. We love to entertain outdoors. The tablecloth is one of my designs!

For hundreds of years, in the spring and summer, the farmers have moved their cows from down in the valley, where I live, and taken them up the mountainside. In the fall, they come back down again. All Swiss cows are fed just grass and flowers—it’s all organic. They don’t supplement their food with hay or oats anything. The cows in this photo are coming back down to the valley, and it’s so exciting to see them. It means fall is here.

My view from the kitchen is of my garden. Right now, I have four kinds of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, and beets growing—all heirloom varieties! And flowers! But alas, no strawberries. Did you know? Fox love strawberries—I didn’t have any this summer because some fox came in with her little babies and ate all of them.

This is my house. People in Switzerland love flowers. Winters are long and cold, so from spring through autumn, flowers are EVERYWHERE. People hang flowers from the parking meters. They decorate everything they can find with flowers. I plant geraniums in the box in front of my house. Even the most humble home will have window boxes with flowers here.

This is a door that I found that inspired me. It gives you an idea of how people like to decorate in the mountains. There’s a lot of folk art and antiques. I go shopping for antiques constantly for my store, Ceylon et Cie. I actually found a 18^th century Swiss chest here.

Find finds at Michelle’s boutique, Ceylon et Cie, and more inspiration on her colorful instagram.