How To Create A Calm French Inspired Morning

Small ways to bring a touch of Paris into your morning routine

Bonjour,

Welcome to the first Sunday Savoir of the New Year. I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful holiday season. Over the last few weeks, I have really enjoyed spending time with my family and taking some time to prepare for the New Year in my business, La Vie On Grand (more about the business side in an upcoming post).

One routine I’ve enjoyed the most has been the slow mornings. No rush to get up for an early morning workout, to make breakfast quickly, get London off to school, and then rush through the day. We’ve appreciated being able to wake up later, have our coffee around the table, and then eventually start the day. I’ve even been doing my workouts later in the morning, which has been a nice break.

As I’ve been enjoying these mornings, I'm reminded of mornings in Paris and how the locals start their days. Obviously, we can’t all be in Paris every morning, but there are small, gentle ways to channel that at home.

Mornings in Paris unfold at a gentler rhythm, not because the French have more time, but because they choose to use it differently. Daily life carries on as it does everywhere else — people go to work, run errands, manage families — yet there’s an unmistakable sense of presence woven into even the smallest rituals. Coffee isn’t gulped down while standing over the sink or distracted by endless scrolling; it’s poured into a proper cup, carried to a small table, and enjoyed with intention, even if only for a few minutes. That pause matters. It’s a quiet acknowledgment that the day deserves a thoughtful beginning. The French don’t romanticize every moment — they simply respect them — and in doing so, they remind us that slowing down isn’t about having less to do, but about how we choose to move through it.

Here are a few small shifts inspired by French mornings: