Ironworks

Old buildings typically have the most interesting details, don't you think? Walking around DC on a typical day, you find many examples of beautiful metal work. Above, a detail from an old banister at the National Portrait Gallery. I love how they have saved pieces and display them as art. A detail from a cast iron facade downtown. Thanks to the industrial revolution, ornate details like this are common on buildings from the turn of the last century. Much more interesting than the blank glass facades going up today. On a side note, I think a clever place to hide surveillance cameras would be in the eyes of this figure!

This piece of an unusual round iron fountain used to be in the courtyard of the national portrait gallery in an earlier life before it was enclosed. I love the patina on this piece. Imagine how beautiful it was with flowing water inside and geraniums planted in these urns.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Thank you, Examiner

Many thanks to Kerry Steele who, for some reason, thought I was interesting enough to feature in an article on examiner.com! If you're so inclined, you can read the interview HERE.

Patina

Recently on a walk through Georgetown, I noticed this beautiful house. Not just for the gorgeous greek key design on the entablature but for the paint finish.So often, we architects try to mimic an older house and details such as peeling paint are a way to create instant 'history' but there is no subsitute for the real thing. Do you like patina like this or do you prefer clean and new?

Color of the moment

It seems everyone is talking about the April issue of Elle Decor in the blogosphere, which will hit newstands next week, the travel issue. However, I'm mostly interested in seeing the stylish Paris apartment of Olivier Gagnere......well, that and 12 things Nate Berkus can’t live without, my favorite monthly column! I'm sure Nate will have fascinating finds to share with us.

Purple seems to be everywhere this year. I tend to scoff at trends and have not been on board with purple until I saw this photo. I love this chair with velvet upholstery paired with accents of red and black against a gray background; this is a trend I can get on board with! I'm thinking a purple accent pillow for my couch in my gray apartment with black accents. Start small, baby steps, and maybe someday I'll be trendy!

Cover photo for Elle Decor by Simon Upton

Is it just me....

Is it just me, or did Tim Burton borrow heavily from the artist Maxfield Parrish for Alice in Wonderland, particularly the scenes with the White Witch (played so unconvincingly, in my opinion, by the beautiful Anne Hathaway).

Seeing this movie in 3-d was spectacular: like walking into a painting by Maxfield-Parrish meets a watered-down/commercialized Tim Burton landscape. While I doubt it will be winning any awards next year (sorry!), I definitely call it a 'must-see' for anyone interested in movies purely for aesthetics. I think my general summation of the film was that it is to Tim Burton what the original Hairspray was to John Waters.