#AllCoopedUp with Simone LeBlanc, Professional Gift Curator
Simone is the ultimate it-girl - she’s a tastemaker, mother, entrepreneur, curator, world traveler, and has a booming business creating gift sets - each of which we’re completely obsessed with. Over the past few years, she’s lived in a stunning oasis of a home in the Hollywood Hills with her husband, daughter and flock of chickens! Their house is coming on the market soon, so we spoke with Simone to get the inside scoop about her experience creating, and living in, the special space.
* insert link to house *
Describe your home in three words.
Well loved, inspired, old world. That’s 5!
What is your favorite space in your house, and why?
The kitchen truly is the heart of the home - it’s the spot where friends, family, animals weave in and out of - it’s the heartbeat. There is natural light all day long with french doors that open to the back garden so it has a wonderful sense of that indoor-outdoor living that is so quintessentially Los Angeles. It’s connected to the rest of the home in a way that allows it to feel central, but there’s enough space to feel expansive. It’s truly a dream kitchen!
Can you share a favorite memory from living in your home?
We hosted a particularly special backyard gathering recently. At one point we paused and looked around and saw our daughter jumping in the pool, friends strewn about laughing and relaxing, and a sense of our extended family eased into the natural landscape in the backyard. Memories like these are my favorite.
What was your process for decorating your home? What were the most challenging and rewarding aspects?
Our approach to decorating our home has been a natural evolution over time. We love to source and explore and hunt for finds, so we’ve allowed our space to have elements that can be layered upon. We have our foundational furniture pieces that we build on - rotating throw pillows and blankets, shifting the decorative items throughout the house to our mood.
Lived in, layered (not cluttered), and a sense of story are really what our approach has been. We also love texture and pattern as an anchor point in a room - be it through an antique rug, wallpaper or a softly painted wall with an art gallery of collected pieces - the ‘gathered and collected’ feeling is what shines through as our personal touch.
What is your favorite piece of furniture or artwork in your home?
Oh, it’s so hard to choose. My husband recently unearthed an incredible and rare artwork by Maginel Wright, Frank Lloyd Wright’s sister. It’s an embroidered piece of floral and felt and it has an incredibly expressive and energetic hand-hewn quality to it. I embroider often and this piece somehow solved some creative questions that I’d been pondering for awhile. It felt very kismet and it’s a treasure.
What are you most looking forward to in your next home?
We have very large windows that look out in all directions to the natural landscape. I’m looking forward to a nature immersion.
What inspired you to start your gift company and how has it evolved over the years?
I really saw a white space in the market. I had been working as a life-stylist/tastemaker for clients and had traveled the world sourcing gifts for their many occasions and ever-growing personal and professional gift lists. In 2014, there were zero chic gift baskets or boxes to be found. I wanted something that felt luxe, useful, and most of all considered and thoughtful with a storied sensibility. Over the years we’ve worked with everyone from Hermes to the Obamas.
The key to picking a great gift is....
Remember to really consider your recipient. We can all get caught up in gifting something that we want to give, over something we really think the recipient would enjoy. It's a simple piece of advice, but one that I return to again and again.
What's the best gift you've ever received?
My daughter of course!
