Just a few visual clues to tell you that I am far from home. (Hint: it's spring here.)
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Signifiers ...
Just a few visual clues to tell you that I am far from home. (Hint: it's spring here.)
DC in 24, 12 here
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running up to DC for a quick look at a restaurant-
while I'm there
go here
12 "new to me" Blogs I Love
THE MEDIEVAL GARDEN ENCLOSED
the Cloister Museum & Garden
LUCINDAVILLE
stirring things up & the companion blog
THE BLUE REMEMBERED HILLS
beautiful ramblings- design worldly
THE ERRANT AESTHETE
c'est chic
DAILY ICON
the place the bloggers go
MICROJOURNAL
a slice of heaven
PARIS ORIGINALS
art, fashion & design converge here
the Cloister Museum & Garden
LUCINDAVILLE
stirring things up & the companion blog
THE BLUE REMEMBERED HILLS
beautiful ramblings- design worldly
THE ERRANT AESTHETE
c'est chic
DAILY ICON
the place the bloggers go
MICROJOURNAL
a slice of heaven
PARIS ORIGINALS
art, fashion & design converge here
design credentials galore, best up to the moment design
design authority with a twist
( should I shake up my blog list & add some-take some away?
let me know what you think, you like-)You know-You can not tell a lie.
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Team Uncool Likes: Stephanie Frost Symonds (Johannesburg)
Art Director/Designer Stephanie Frost Symonds is not just a good designer but a pretty face too. We profiled her unique look on the blog.
Enjoy
Ct 2009
Photography by Chris Saunders
French Essence
As I am five thousand miles away, my mum and her private army of Sydney grannies hit the bookstores yesterday for the release of Vicki Archer's French Essence (the book not the blog). Unfortunately I couldn't be there in person to witness our second collaboration hit the bookstores but my enthusiastic replacements (Mum and her squad) were besides themselves with delight when they got their hands on a copy at 9.01 Sydney time!You may know Vicki through her blog French Essence but the book is even more sumptuous, snaps of Vicki's beautiful home, artistic stylng and her favourite places in Provence. For all of you who loved My French Life Vicki's latest book will have you swooning, dreaming of la vie Francaise. and reaching for a chilled bottle of rosé. Ohh la la I can't wait to be in Sydney to see it in person. A big hug and thanks to mum and the girls.... Carla x
IN HOUSE- a must have for YOUR House
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When I heard about the book IN HOUSE- soon to be released title from Mitchell Owens- I closed my eyes, clicked my heels together three times and said There's no Place like Home-then I rushed to preorder- and will continue to repeat my mantra every day until that book arrives here in my own home.
Go order, get a first edition, I can play around because- I've preordered several copies-How many? I won't divulge.
but I do want my readers and my design clients to get IN HOUSE -You often ask "what are he best design books to buy?" Here It Is.
If you don't know the name- Where have you been?-&- You will. The pairing of Mitchell Owens, writer- Elle Decor, Nest, Architectural Design, the NYTimes, and the TIMES Magazine (my favorite is Pauline on My Mind here & do see the links below to more of them) & editor- JANSEN, ELSIE DE WOLFE-The Birth of the Modern Interior WITH legendary interiors photographer Derry Moore-who just happens to be the 12 Earl of Drogheda, makes This book THE book of the year.
& Oh goodie! from the Book's graphic designer Johnathan Barnbrook here- find a sneak peak on his <
" Richly diverse in style and period, what these extraordinary interiors share is an eccentricity and a commitment to decorative aesthetics that has singled them out in the eyes of the world’s most discerning arbiters of taste. From an airy and colorful Moroccan palace to an austere but whimsical Scottish castle; from an Art Deco masterpiece in Jodhpur to Alphonse Mucha’s cluttered apartment in Prague; and from the museumlike home of one of London’s most macabre collectors to the extravagant remnants of Madrid’s aristocratic heritage... from Rizzoli IN HOUSE publisher & Amazon where You can pre-Order here.
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trompe l'oeil this!
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door from the dining room to the pantry at
Nancy Lancaster's Haseley Court
Nancy Lancaster's Haseley Court
Yes, it's a pot de chambre with the lady's initials painted in. Surely, Nancy found this door to be funnier than some of the people she knew. The lady obviously had a sense of humor-in this case- the bathroom sort.
enlarge the picture to see details-the leg of the console, the door pull, the tall lamp on pedestal & or course , Nancy's pot...
(photograph from the beautiful book NANCY LANCASTER English Country House Style by Martin Wood.)
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WOW: Synchronicity
The word synchronize is relatively easy to identify and simply means to occur at the same time and operate in unison, much like the simultaneous movements of synchronized swimmers. Originally developed by Swiss psychologist Carl Gustav Jung, OBG's WOW (Word of the Week) - synchronicity - is different in that it is described as the experience of two or more events that are causally unrelated occurring together in a meaningful manner. To count as synchronicity, the events should be unlikely to occur together by chance (i.e., a coincidence of events). By way of example, Wikipedia goes on to say that the French writer Émile Deschamps claims in his memoirs that in 1805, he was treated to some plum pudding by a stranger named Monsieur de Fontgibu. Ten years later, the writer encountered plum pudding on the menu of a Paris restaurant and wanted to order some, but the waiter told him that the last dish had already been served to another customer, who turned out to be de Fontgibu. Many years later, in 1832, Émile Deschamps was at a diner and was once again offered plum pudding. He recalled the earlier incident and told his friends that only de Fontgibu was missing to make the setting complete—and in the same instant, de Fontgibu entered the room. Coincidence?
is it Avedon?
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The inevitable likenesses are made to the beautiful Jean Shrimpton- Though she is most closely tied to photographer-David Bailey-these are my favorite shots of the model-photographed by Richard Avedon.
I have the Vogue April 15 1968 issue with Shrimpton on the cover -again- photographed by Avedon & it is absolutely gorgeous. "Heroines All- A romantic Charade Starring Jean Shrimpton" by Avedon features 8 pages of Shrimpton evoking great 18th century beauties like Lady Hamilton(as Nature), Princess Mary(as Diana), The Duchess of Cleveland(as Minerva), striking poses of these goddesses as painted by the likes of Romney, Lely, Reynolds & Cosway. The model, the subject both beautiful- but the photographer is the magician. Every aspect of this forty year old Vogue spread could insert itself right into a current issue and all the better I might add.
Shrimpton as Nike by Richard Avedon*
... ethereal, au courant.
so when I saw this- I immediately thought, This is Avedon. What do you think? The lighting, the strong resemblance to Jean Shrimpton.
It is in fact-actress Kasia Smutniak. Is the photographer Richard Burbridge? I couldn't discover- and that is unfortunate because the photograph is breathtaking. I haven't sampled the fragrance-but the photograph will no doubt sell many bottles. The photographs here by Burbridge in 2008 again capture a beauty that I see in Avedon's photography. Whoever- the photographer is certainly influenced by Richard Avedon.
I just saw a wonderful quote by Avedon at the Errant Aesthete's site (here)
“The ideal of beauty then
was the opposite of what it is now.
It stood for an extension
of the aristocratic view of women as ideals,
of women as dreams,
of women as almost surreal objects."
-AVEDON
It seems Giorgio Armani agrees-
“I have always carried with me an ideal of femininity – an irresistible combination of grace, beauty and independent spirit. IDOLE d’ARMANI is my tribute to this ideal, and to women everywhere.”
Whether right or wrong- It still seems to be this IDEAL Beauty Avedon describes that makes us think-
Ah Ha-"This is Beauty."
*from the 1968 Vogue April 15 issue
Read more about IDOLE here
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The Negro and Learning to Swim
(Above) Sculpture at an artist's studio in the Marais (Paris, France); Photo taken 26 September 2009 There is a myth that is alive and well about people of African descent and their alleged inability to swim. The root of this myth is likely established because of a 1969 book entitled The Negro and Learning to Swim: The Buoyancy Problem Related to Reported Biological Differences. Anthony W. Harding of South Africa sums up the report (on his Facebook page) as follows: The authors concluded, based on a survey of students at universities in the USA, that blacks couldn't swim, because (it was said) blacks have heavy bones (and other genetic and physical characteristics). Harding goes on to say: In a recent series of Survivor South Africa, the black contestants were shocked when they were challenged in the early moments of the reality competition as a weak link in a tribe on the assumption that they couldn't swim - which was later shown to be false, with black competitors showing overall prowess in relation to other contestants.
Likewise, in a recent Survivor: Samoa (on U.S. television), teams selected their strongest teammates to compete in a multi-course challenge and an African-American was selected (and won) the swimming leg. One of the contestants said he was surprised that an Afro-American could swim since they aren't known for that. (Egads.) Visiting the Caribbean alone would dispel that myth; not to mention the U.S., Africa, etc.
Can you swim? She can.
Could a Mixed-Race Contestant Become a Chinese Idol?
In many ways, Lou Jing is a typical young woman from Shanghai. Pretty and confident, she speaks Mandarin heavily accented with the lilting tones of the Shanghai dialect and browses the malls of this huge city for the latest fashions. But there is one thing that distinguishes this 20-year-old from her peers, something that has made her the unwitting focus of an intense public debate about what exactly it means to be Chinese: the color of her skin. Read the rest of this TIME article here.
Revisiting Verrieres
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As with most decorators- I have my favorites. This is my absolute favorite printed fabric. VERRIERES has a glorious history creating some of the most memorable rooms in print.
After seeing the Verrieres covered screen photographed by Horst, with model Verushka in the picture as well- I couldn't resist revisiting its past. Verrieres, is forever bound to Louise Vilmorin- heiress, author, paramour to the famous & the most noted chatelaine of her family Chateau de Vilmorin in Verrieres-le-Busisson. Though she lived many places the family home remained her domain- as six doting brothers saw to it. The main salon of the house was deliciously smothered in the cotton print now widely known at Verrieres. The salon remained unchanged for decades- a testament to the idea that if you get it right the first time- there is no need to make changes in the future. This should be the credo of any successful room-Yes, additions can be made, touches here and there-But leave a good thing as is.
Verushka by Horst, I think Vilmorin would approve
The life of Louise de Vilmorin is a book within itself-An Aesthete' Lament noted the French biography by Francoise Wagener Je suis nee inconsolable in this posting (here) called Jeez Louise. Do go and read this one-it brings the Salon Bleu with Verrieres to life and sweetens things by dishing about Louise de V.'s loves. The post features two wonderful-new to me- Verrieres Rooms. Enlarge the photographs and see the ceiling detail on the Jansen room. The edge of Verrieres has a small scalloped border that creates all the edging details and defines the print. The Aesthete says since posting he has discovered the room was decorated by Henri Samuel- making perfect sense, Henri Samuel's masterful design & the Aesthete's finding this out.
Louise was described by Evelyn Waugh to author Nancy Mitford "as an Hungarian countess who pretended to be a French poet. An egocentric maniac with the eyes of a witch. She is the Spirit of France. How I hate the French." With Mitford adding "Oh how glad I am you feel this about Lulu—I can't sit in a room with her she makes me so nervous. And vicious… She is much more like a middle European than a French woman." (Ivry 1996) The inevitable darts get thrown at women whose lives are lived in opposition to polite society and both of these writers had reason to be a bit green where Louise de V was concerned. Their acerbic comments were likely dead on however. The lady described her own passions-that is writing- by saying "Sexual conquest lights my lantern, that's what pushed me to write." Intrigued yet?
The lady and the fabric are inexorably linked. The original, batik inspired print was designed by Jacques de Luze in Switzerland and printed in 1810 in black, white & red on a red brown background. From Switzerland, the fabric made its journey to the fabric house, Le Manach, in France- and is known as "Batik." Brunschwig and Fils now prints the fabric under license in the States in several colorways - It's Vilmorin blue being THE color. Most successful are the rooms that use the fabric on every possible surface in the room full out- as done at the Chateau. Murray Douglas is heir to Brunschwig and Fils and She was niece to Zelina Brunschwig. Her Aunt Zelina took young Murray Douglas to the Chateau de Vilmorin advising her, "Don't Talk, Just Look." (How wonderful!) Douglas describes the experience of meeting the divine Louise and taking tea in the Salon- " I just sat there completely overwhelmed-I guess you could say I was scared blue." Murray Douglas used the Verrieres Blue in her own bedroom and dressing room-the room, the lady and the fabric must have made an indelible impression on Douglas, as it has on countless others.
Designer Mario Buatta's Kips Bay room is probably my first exposure to Verrieres. Here, at the 1984 Kips Bay Showhouse, Buatta lavished the room in the B&F Verrieres and the results were stunning. I think this is Buatta's best published room hands down. It captures a mood, a spirit, an energy that makes a room timeless- of course Verrieres helps out loads. The Brunschwig motto " GOOD DESIGN IS FOREVER" echos in this beautiful room. The August 1984 issue of House Beautiful is filled with pages of the Buatta room & an interview with Buatta. Mario Buatta started with Verrieres-it is the room's inspiration. "This is a timeless room. There's no date on it because nothing is faddish. It's a forever kind of decorating."
Mathilde Agostinelli's Jacques Grange decorated Paris home was featured in House and Garden in May 2006. Mathilde Agostinelli planned her daughter's room with Pink Verrieres curtains from her own childhood room. Again Verrieres casts its life long spell. Agostinelli's apartment is one of my favorites in print from the House and Garden archives. Her own past is lined with luminaries in the design world. She is tied to the house of Miuccia Prada in promoting the Prada brand. Her half sister, Victoire de Castellane, is an artistic director at Dior, while uncle, Gilles Dufour is a fashion designer, noted for his stints as creative director at Balmain and he called Chanel home as Lagerfeld's go to guy for years. Matilde is also niece several times removed to the renowned architect and designer, Emilio Terry.
photograph by Francois Halard
Another Pink Verrieres in Cawdor Castle, Scotland. Countess Cawdor picked the B&F fabric for one of the Guest Rooms in the Castle.
to see the Agostinelli roooms in House and Garden go to the Peak of Chic for a tour (here)
.
As with most decorators- I have my favorites. This is my absolute favorite printed fabric. VERRIERES has a glorious history creating some of the most memorable rooms in print.
After seeing the Verrieres covered screen photographed by Horst, with model Verushka in the picture as well- I couldn't resist revisiting its past. Verrieres, is forever bound to Louise Vilmorin- heiress, author, paramour to the famous & the most noted chatelaine of her family Chateau de Vilmorin in Verrieres-le-Busisson. Though she lived many places the family home remained her domain- as six doting brothers saw to it. The main salon of the house was deliciously smothered in the cotton print now widely known at Verrieres. The salon remained unchanged for decades- a testament to the idea that if you get it right the first time- there is no need to make changes in the future. This should be the credo of any successful room-Yes, additions can be made, touches here and there-But leave a good thing as is.
Verushka by Horst, I think Vilmorin would approve
Louise was described by Evelyn Waugh to author Nancy Mitford "as an Hungarian countess who pretended to be a French poet. An egocentric maniac with the eyes of a witch. She is the Spirit of France. How I hate the French." With Mitford adding "Oh how glad I am you feel this about Lulu—I can't sit in a room with her she makes me so nervous. And vicious… She is much more like a middle European than a French woman." (Ivry 1996) The inevitable darts get thrown at women whose lives are lived in opposition to polite society and both of these writers had reason to be a bit green where Louise de V was concerned. Their acerbic comments were likely dead on however. The lady described her own passions-that is writing- by saying "Sexual conquest lights my lantern, that's what pushed me to write." Intrigued yet?
Designer Mario Buatta's Kips Bay room is probably my first exposure to Verrieres. Here, at the 1984 Kips Bay Showhouse, Buatta lavished the room in the B&F Verrieres and the results were stunning. I think this is Buatta's best published room hands down. It captures a mood, a spirit, an energy that makes a room timeless- of course Verrieres helps out loads. The Brunschwig motto " GOOD DESIGN IS FOREVER" echos in this beautiful room. The August 1984 issue of House Beautiful is filled with pages of the Buatta room & an interview with Buatta. Mario Buatta started with Verrieres-it is the room's inspiration. "This is a timeless room. There's no date on it because nothing is faddish. It's a forever kind of decorating."
Mathilde Agostinelli's Jacques Grange decorated Paris home was featured in House and Garden in May 2006. Mathilde Agostinelli planned her daughter's room with Pink Verrieres curtains from her own childhood room. Again Verrieres casts its life long spell. Agostinelli's apartment is one of my favorites in print from the House and Garden archives. Her own past is lined with luminaries in the design world. She is tied to the house of Miuccia Prada in promoting the Prada brand. Her half sister, Victoire de Castellane, is an artistic director at Dior, while uncle, Gilles Dufour is a fashion designer, noted for his stints as creative director at Balmain and he called Chanel home as Lagerfeld's go to guy for years. Matilde is also niece several times removed to the renowned architect and designer, Emilio Terry.
Agostinelli's Childhood Verrieres
photograph by Francois HalardAnother Pink Verrieres in Cawdor Castle, Scotland. Countess Cawdor picked the B&F fabric for one of the Guest Rooms in the Castle.
... and so the story goes on with Verrieres. Do let me know if you want to be added to the Verrieres legends list? I can assist.
Sources for this post- not mentioned in the text
Brunschwig & Fils Style By Murray Douglas & Chippy Irvine
Madame de by Louise de Vilmorin Seductress: Women Who Ravished the World & their Lost Art of Love by Elizabeth Stevens Prioleau
Sources for this post- not mentioned in the text
Brunschwig & Fils Style By Murray Douglas & Chippy Irvine
Madame de by Louise de Vilmorin Seductress: Women Who Ravished the World & their Lost Art of Love by Elizabeth Stevens Prioleau
to see the Agostinelli roooms in House and Garden go to the Peak of Chic for a tour (here)
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I See Red
My big sister told me it was drastic but I would have never imagined this! Today millions of tonnes of red dust blew in from the outback and covered Sydney in a red veil of dust. The photographers had a field day but I bet the farmers, housewives and clean up crews are crying. Wonderful images of an environmental disaster. 292 King's Road
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The Hall of Argyll Houseby Sir John Lavery
Few well known, nay Famous, Designers are actually skilled decorative painters. We could name a few, but for the moment let's concentrate on John Fowler. He was that-and more. Legendary decorator, John Fowler held a great fascination with Marie Antoinette, and He had what makes a decorator great- An EYE. He had THE EYE- as far as they go during this era. The names Syrie Maugham, Sybil Colefax-with important social connections may trip off the tongue-but John Fowler was the name the National Trust would turn to in the future for his rare knowledge & historical correctness. When savvy Lady Colfax took John Fowler as a partner in 1938- the finest estates in England opened their doors to him & their firm became synonymous with the much loved English Country decorating style. This was the day when the word DECORATOR was a fine distinction, less so now. Happily- I answer to that in the great traditions of the decorators of the past.
but prior to the COLEFAX & FOWLER dynasty, John Fowler was coming into his own. As Fowler's biographer, Martin Wood (in Nancy Lancaster) puts it-" He was not a rich amateur aesthete but a professional artisan." John Fowler had painted for other decorators for years and in 1934, He became a decorator and shop owner. 292 King's Road became known as a place ladies would stop in to see the room settings that Fowler and his creative teams did up. He had studied and grounded his ideas in historical references- his curtains took on the life of elaborate 18th century festooned, ruched, tucked &bowed silken costumes. He took apart old curtains and studied the construction. He learned to paint, really masterfully paint- the light brushwork of fine faux details- an Art- today-sadly reduced to clunky flat, soulless geegawish paint.
292 King's Road was the laboratory, the Place, where Fowler was perfecting all his talents. He distilled the essence of French design into delicate notes in its rooms, he added painted furniture, swathed toile de jouy & lightened up the floors with rush matting. Fowler changed out the shop window with his latest creations. In the traditions of all "1st" shops-it was dripping with ambiance. The wiring was shaky- but candlelit chandeliers filled the rooms with romantic shadows. The rooms were cold-but warmed with scented juniper.
These are the heady days for a decorator- surely some of the most exciting for Fowler- this Pride of Ownership.
and so-the ladies came. Namely his neighbors- Bringing gifts to the shop? Well, maybe they did- but, his neighbors just happened to be Syrie Maugham & Sybil Colefax-no less. Imagine! Great rivals, these two grandees, must have shared in witnessing the phenomenon of a PRINCE come into the world right across the road. According to Fowler devotees, the two got into the habit of "nipping" over to 292 to have a look about. I can only guess how exciting and excruciating it must have been.
Sir John Lavery's painting perhaps, captures a tete a tete about their neighbor-the future PRINCE of DECORATORS- on the staircase of Colefax's Chelsea home, Argyll House.
Sources
English Decoration in the 18th Century by John Fowler
Colefax & Fowler THE BEST IN ENGLISH INTERIOR DECORATION by Chester Jones
Nancy Lancaster, English Country House Style by Martin Wood
The Prince of Decorators by Martin Wood
various articles from the many tear outs I have collected
GO See JOHN FOWLER HERE "thinking of pinking" about the Prince and the Baroness.
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No it's not Audubon
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Life size Operatic Animal watercolors from Walton Ford. The WALTON FORD PANCHA TANTRA book reveals the artist's allegorical views of the animal world-maybe we can learn something.
Pancha Tantra is an ancient Indian book of animal tales considered the precursor to Aesop s Fables.
take a look at Walton Ford's studio
Life size Operatic Animal watercolors from Walton Ford. The WALTON FORD PANCHA TANTRA book reveals the artist's allegorical views of the animal world-maybe we can learn something.
Pancha Tantra is an ancient Indian book of animal tales considered the precursor to Aesop s Fables.
take a look at Walton Ford's studio
Patchwork III Erte
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ERTE
the most divine fashion illustrator of them all(photographed by Snowdon)
How I do love Patchwork. This is an ongoing series at Little Augury. I hope if you don't Love it too-Patchwork will grow on you.
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Ara Güler “Photographs of İstanbul in the 1950s and 1960s”
Yesterday I saw my first exhibition since returning to Paris. Turkish photographer Ara Güler's exhibition, 'Photographs of Istanbul in the 1950's and 1960's is showing at the MEP in Paris. Güler's exhibition is stunning, a series of photos that inspire you to hop on a plane and leave for his city tomorrow - his photos are breathtaking. Istanbul in Güler's photos is mysterious and moody and the elegant Santa Sofia is ever present in the background as is the Bosphore sea. I have long loved photos taken at night at Güler proves to be a master capturing extraordinary emotion. And a round of applause for the printer, the prints are strong, deep blacks that only add to the photos beauty. I first heard about Ara Guler in Orham Pamuk's Istanbul, where the author recounts an Istanbul that has disappeared, the Istanbul of his childhood. You have to be quick as it finishes on October 11. Highly recommended!!! 
