At home with madame chic review năm 2024

I read Jennifer Scott’s first book Lessons from Madame Chic and loved her take on the way French women approach beauty and fashion. So much so that I’ve tried to emulate her credo that you only need a ten-piece wardrobe. Granted, I’m doing it because the majority of my clothes are packed in boxes while we are stuck in a small rental house but still…I tried. Fashion aside, Scott is back with At Home with Madame Chic, her take on the French way of life at home. In the book, Scott covers housekeeping and then breaks things down further into every day life and how to keep it chic.

Much of the gracefulness of At Home with Madame Chic comes from a difference in mindset often found between Americans and their French counterparts. For most of us, the house is something to be maintained and we do it with chores. Scott offers numerous ways to derive pleasure from everyday activities around the house—which is not to say she thinks every day should be spent cleaning and maintaining a home. Instead, she provides options for organizing the time needed to keep a house clean and even provides play lists and quick tips to make the time more enjoyable.

What makes the Madame Chic books so readable is that Scott keeps a lighthearted tone throughout. Despite the ‘chic’ label her books are not filled with mandates to distill your own lavender linen spray to use when you iron the sheets nor does she scold if you hit an afternoon slump. Instead, Scott offers help for women in all kinds of situations: apartment or home living, working or stay-at-home mothers, office commute or work-from-home. At Home with Madame Chic is about gracious living in a thoughtful way and who doesn’t appreciate that?

If you’d like to learn more about living chic you can visit Jennifer at her blog The Daily Connoisseur. You can also see her Tedx Talk about the 10 item wardrobe here.

This is a very special book for me because homemaking is one of my great passions. Sadly I believe the subtle art of keeping a home is something that is dying out in our society. We all lead such hectic lives full of outside influences, sometimes our busy schedules put our homes at the bottom of the priority list. We take our home for granted. When we do our daily chores we would rather be doing anything else in the world. At Home With Madame Chic aims to bring pleasure and passion back to your daily routine and to revive the art of homemaking for the benefit of the entire family.

Here is the book description from Simon & Schuster:

Approach life at home the Madame Chic way: a beautiful, illustrated toolbox of tips and ideas for organizing, entertaining, and savoring a stylish life.

When she arrived at Madame Chic’s Parisian apartment as a foreign exchange student, Jennifer Scott was a casual California girl who thought sweatpants were appropriate street attire. Madame Chic took Jennifer under her wing and tutored her in the secrets of how the French elevate the little things in life to the art of living.

Years later, Jennifer was back in California with a husband, two young daughters, a dog, and her first home. Every day she confronted mundane duties like folding laundry and unloading the dishwasher, and she began to think about Madame Chic’s home—how the breakfast table was set beautifully the night before, the music that always played in the background, the calm of Madame and Monsieur Chic’s ritual cocktail hour together. Jennifer wanted that life. She decided to see what would happen if she didn’t perform her chores impatiently or mindlessly, if, instead, she could live like Madame Chic.

At Home with Madame Chic reveals the secrets to having a happy, fulfilling, and passionate life at home. Jennifer explains the morning send-off need not be chaotic, it’s possible to look stylish with minimal time and effort, a little forethought makes it possible to serve a home-cooked dinner every night, and details like music and scented candles can set the tone for the whole family’s evening. Organized by the pleasures that can be found throughout the day, this charming, helpful book is full of ideas, playlists, recipes, beauty routines, and advice that can turn an irritating day into an enjoyable experience.

Over the coming weeks we will discuss many of the valuable topics in this book. I look forward to delving into it with you!

If you enjoy reading At Home With Madame Chic, please help spread the word: share it with your friends, write a review online or mention it on your social media outlets. By helping to spread the message of Madame Chic and The Daily Connoisseur, together we can make the world a classier place. Check out the video above to hear more.

I have a thing for books about French-inspired living. I just adore reading about how the French live and learning how to incorporate a bit of that joie de vivre into my own life.

This post may contain affiliate links and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Read more here.

One of the best books I’ve read on this topic recently is Lessons From Madame Chic: 20 Stylish Secrets I Learned While Living in Paris by Jennifer L. Scott. I’ve long been a fan of Ms. Scott’s blog and YouTube channel, “The Daily Connoisseur” so I’m not sure why it took me so long to get around to reading this book. I zipped through it pretty quickly and knew immediately that I should review it here for you, my readers.

The book is divided into three parts:

Part 1: Diet and Exercise

Part 2: Style and Beauty

Part 3: How to Live Well

I’m going to review the book in four posts because there is a lot of material to cover.

Post 1: Chapters 1-3

Post 2: Chapters 4-9

Post 3: Chapters 10-13

Post 4: Chapters 14-20

Lessons From Madame Chic

So let’s get started.

Introduction:

The author, Jennifer L. Scott, spent six months in Paris as a foreign exchange student in 2001. She left behind the casual lifestyle of Southern California to live with a family she refers to as “Famille Chic” in order to preserve their privacy. Madame Chic and her family lived in a beautiful Parisian apartment decorated with antiques. Everything about this family was formal – their manners, dress, daily routines – and very French.

Part 1 covers diet and exercise. It’s no secret that French women tend to be much slimmer than their American counterparts. It seems counterintuitive considering the French penchant for wine, cheese, rich sauces, and croissants. However, it isn’t magic. The typical French woman stays slim for several reasons.

Chapter 1: Snacking Is So Not Chic

The author begins this chapter with a little story about her first night at the home of Famille Chic. Late that night, a bit hungry and in search of a midnight snack, she discovers that the French don’t snack. Instead, they eat at mealtimes, sitting at a table and enjoying the experience. You’ll rarely see a French person walking down the street eating or drinking something. Food is almost an obsession with the French and as such, they believe it deserves the respect of proper mealtimes. Besides, mindless snacking isn’t chic.

Chapter 2: Deprive Yourself Not

The French may not snack but they DO enjoy their food. With a passion. Rather than following strict diets which forbid whole categories of foods like so many popular American diets, the French believe in moderation. They may have their delicious, buttery croissants but those are usually a special treat on the weekends, not an everyday breakfast choice. Those rich cheeses? Served in tiny slivers.

When my husband and I went to Paris we found that while portion sizes were much smaller than in America, the meals were completely satisfying. Meals were served in courses and often took an hour or more to eat. By taking our time, eating slowly and enjoying a glass or two of wine with our food, we left the table comfortably satiated and feeling pretty happy about life.

Chapter 3: Exercise Is A Part Of Life, Not A Chore

I wish I’d had a pedometer when we went to Paris. We walked a LOT. And that’s one of the ways the French stay in shape. Rather than getting all sweaty at a gym or running in those ghastly shoes, the typical French woman is striding through the streets, often in high heels, as she goes about her daily life. Daily shopping for food, buildings without elevators, visiting friends or running errands on foot…the French lifestyle is an active one. This is an approach I am working to incorporate into my own life. Because really, sweating is just not chic.

What happened to Jennifer L Scott?

A 911 caller told dispatchers that someone was lying on the ground in the area and was not moving. At the scene, responding officers reportedly found Jennifer L. Scott, 39, dead in front of a home with an apparent gunshot wound.

Who is the real Madame Chic?

Jennifer L. Scott is the New York Times bestselling author of LESSONS FROM MADAME CHIC, AT HOME WITH MADAME CHIC and POLISH YOUR POISE WITH MADAME CHIC (Simon & Schuster) and CONNOISSEUR KIDS (Chronicle Books). On this channel you will see ten-item capsule wardrobe, homemaking, elegant living, etiquette, and much more.

What is the book Madame Chic about?

As an American student living abroad, Jennifer L. Scott found a Parisian mentor in her host mother, Madame Chic, who instructed her in the fine art of living. Now, Jennifer shares her lessons in her Madame Chic series: Lessons from Madame Chic, At Home with Madame Chic, and Polish Your Poise with Madame Chic.