Friday, January 20, 2012

Good Old 1033

I was going through some old files and I came across pictures of our old apartment in Philadelphia.
It's the old breakfast and dining rooms of a once grand townhouse and downstairs are the old kitchens, which we used as bedrooms and a garden. It was a dark apartment, but very beautiful and I can honestly say that it sparkled at night.





The front room, which was the breakfast room and which we used as a hallway/library/dining room. I made the walls a very dark Tudor Gray, with the crispy white as a foil and a mix of regency and mod pieces.....bookcases from Ikea.





The small hallway with kitchen and powder room to either side.




The living room, which was the original dining room. It retained much of it's original architectural decoration, so all we did was add our furniture. No art work required.


The main bedroom downstairs had walls upholstered in green wool and a collection of grand tour bronzes.

Wouldn't be be great if you could just pick a place up and bring it with you?

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Versailles Historical and Contemporary Furniture

We were fortunate enough to visit Versailles last September to see the installation " The palace of Versailles and the Mobilier National". The exhibition was split into two sections the first devoted to historic furniture from the Garde-Mueble Royale, the Royal Furniture Store, under Louis XIV to the present.




The Hall of Mirrors




The Queen's Bedroom












The Dauphin's rooms furnished with choice Louis XV and XVI pieces along with contemporary furniture designed by Mobilier National whose primary task is furnishing the Republic's official buildings.


Saturday, January 7, 2012

Henri Samuel



Henri Samuel was one of the world's great tastemakers. His clients ranged from the Rothschilds and the Aga Khan to Valentino as well as the French government in restorations of many important buildings. The pictures here are from Architectual Digest and House and Garden's Best in Decorating.




His own apartment pictured here shows how easily he mixed periods and styles. I especially love the sculptural furniture by Phillipe Hiquily.




For all of the talk today about 'the mix' no one has done it better. Considering that the apartment is part of an 18c house in Paris and is filled with antiques and was photographed in the 80's, I'd say that you could do these rooms today without changing one thing....now that's says everything you need to about great decoration.

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Schemes for a Room: Vogue Regency [with a twist]


It seems that the only thing out there today is still mid-century modern, but while I think it's great that the Jetsons and Happy Days is going strong there are many different styles that coexisted together and I am entirely against following 'trends' .....anyhow,you can always mix a few mod pieces along the way if you have to follow fashion.


A huge pair of Chinese export papers 19th c 


A pair of chartreuse shaded boulliote lamps


A leopard upholstered chaise


Streamlined pedestals


Gueridon table



A pair of mercury glass screens



A cowhide rug for a kick


A Mod copper chandelier by Winnie Liu
a few more chairs and you could have a pretty grand room.

Friday, December 2, 2011

More Bienale


A few very large candles








Cement sculptures






Silk panels


best to just look at them and not think too much is what I say.......

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

What I'm Looking at Today: Silkwork


I love collections and I always encourage my clients to find something they love and to collect as many as they can. I have a few ladies that have taken a shining to textile pictures or silkwork, woollies [ done mostly by sailors] and stumpwork [raised work].


Back in the olde days fine ladies were taught to sew. Queen Catherine, of Aragon, Henry VIII first wife went so far as to make the king's shirts. So fine sticthery was looked upon as an accomplishment to which every young lady of quality should aspire.

The pictures were at times quite complex and often based on popular prints of the day. They are generally quite colorful and the best ones are exquisitely done with various stitches. More complex than needlepoint and not loomed like tapestry, the work encompasses drawing, painting and craft.....and expense as they were made mostly of silk. 




Two 17th century English embroidered panels of Biblical scenes in period frames.


18th c American picture. very fine quality.


18c scene of a young boy in a garden



A pair of 18th c wax and silk embroidered panels.


An 18th c. embroidered panel

Love finding these....they are becoming scarce and it's getting harder to find them in good original condition.

Hope you enjoy these as much as I.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Venice Biennale. Zen and then some....Future Pass.....From Asia to the World


The courtyard of the Pallazo angilli-Valmarana



Everything else was 'cute' in that cartoony kind of way....and a bit disturbing.