If you read my last newsletter, A Public Manifestation, you already know a little about how Thibault and I met.
On a vacation in London, during a time when I was mostly living out of a suitcase for work, I met a mixed Frenchman. He felt like home the moment we met — which is a strange thing to say, given that I had spent my entire life moving between cultures and countries and versions of myself, never quite feeling a true sense of belonging.
We both came into that first meeting — on Valentine’s Day in London — with full lives happening on either side of the Atlantic. The end of other love stories. Once in a lifetime career opportunities. And the weight of late 2016 — a political moment that shifted a lot of people’s sense of where they belonged and what they were doing with their lives. There was a reason we were both untethered enough to be in London at all.
And Thibault has his own version of how it all unfolded.
In this episode, we sit down over lunch to tell the story of how we met — which, it turns out, we don’t always remember the same way.
There’s a lot of laughing. And a lot of love.
… wait, you have a podcast?
If you missed Episode 1 from — checks notes — 2023, you can find it below. We're back.
New to Blend?
My last newsletter was a public manifestation — the collaborations I want, the clients I want to find, the editorials I haven’t pitched, the service exchanges I’m open to, The Book. It’s already finding the right people.
If any of this resonated — as a potential collaborator, an editor, a brand, or as a reader who recognized something, I’d love to hear — in the comments or by reply.
— Shana
About the Author:
Hello, bonjour. I’m Shana, an interior designer in Paris who grew up in the U.S. I have lived between cultures my entire life — Vietnamese mother, Jewish American father, French Vietnamese husband — and now I help people feel at home in theirs.
I moved to Paris in 2019, just weeks after marrying the French man I met on a spontaneous trip to London. That move marked the beginning of a completely different life and career.
I enrolled in a Master’s in Interior Decoration and Decorative Arts, studying entirely in French — a language I barely spoke at the time.
Today, I translate your cultures into interiors. I help people who live between identities create spaces that don’t force them to choose.
This newsletter is where I share what I’m noticing — in Paris, in my home, and in the spaces in between.
Want to go deeper? Here’s how I can help:
Work with me — interior design for spaces that feel like you — all of you.
Book a 1:1 session — a focused session for your space and next steps
Explore my recommendations — interiors | style | living & travel
… and if you want to stay connected outside of your inbox, follow me on Instagram.
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