A 'Duesy' of a Duesenberg

Recently while in Maine visiting friends I spent some time in the lovely, revitalized town of Portsmouth, New Hampshire; definitely worth a visit let me tell you, charming town! While walking the streets I noticed this fantastic car and thought 'WHAT IS THAT?'. Clean lines like a greyhound and obviously much beloved by its owner in pristine condition.

Duesenberg was an American luxury car company in operation from 1913 until 1937 when it succumbed to the depression. Each car was a limited production and entirely built by hand so they are obviously much valued by collectors today (such as Jay Leno and a fantastic looking car MUSEUM).

While I don't even own a car myself (believe it or not, Americans) and have never considered myself a 'car person' I definitely appreciate the design of many antique cars. Have you noticed any extraordinary cars lately?

Kenwood House

Located in London is Kenwood House, a stately house that has acted as an art museum since 1928 which was re-envisioned by Robert Adam in the 1770s for the Earl of Mansfield.

Recently the house has been in the news after both a massive restoration as well as having one of its' former occupants immortalized in film:  Dido Belle (Belle, 2013). Unfortunately I have yet to see the movie, portions of it filmed at Kenwood House (also portions of the film Notting Hill) .

The shallow Ionic entrance portico was added by Adam during his renovation of the house as well as the side wings.

 Adams' hand is evident throughout many of the public spaces.

None of the furniture was included with the house when Lord Iveagh donated the house and art to the nation in 1927. Since then all of the furniture seen has been donated and collected, some originally from Kenwood.

 Notice the fabric covered pelmet with these curtains.

 The most famous room of the house is no doubt Adam's library.

 I've read that the spines of many of these books are fake but they sure look real to me, don't you think?

 The ceilings are a neoclassical masterpiece.

 Gilded pelmets grace the windows of the library, notice how the motif echoes the ceiling decoration.

 Another graceful cantilevered stair graces the house.

 I wonder why no art is hung on the stair walls; it looks so naked.

 But there is no shortage of amazing art throughout the rest of the house.

The quality of the art is so good that you probably recognize much of it, including the Van Dyck above the fireplace below of Princess Henrietta of Lorraine.

Of course Lord Iveagh had help amassing his collection, he hailed from the Guinness family.

 I love the subtle reminder of the large thistles to not sit on the armchairs; much more elegant than rope.

The breakfast room seen above includes other notable paintings such as Lady Hamilton at the spinning wheel by George Romney.

The collection of Robert Adams upholstered furniture was designed for the house but was of course later donated and with impressive provenance.

During the Kennedy era renovation of the White House the sofa was expressly donated back to Kenwood House by Jackie Kennedy.

 Not sure I love the upholstery of the matching armchair above.

Lastly this collection of lovely desks caught both my eye as well as my penpals who provided me with these pictures.

In this age of email, the laptop, and tablet will desks go away? They really are one of my favorite pieces of furniture so that would be a shame -although admittedly I sold my own desk years ago.

 Kenwood House is conveniently located in London so be sure to include a visit to the house and its' art collection on your next visit!

Basildon Park

Lets leave the continent and travel to Basildon Park in England, outside of London, courtesy of my Australian penpal yet again.

You may recognize the Palladian house as it has been featured in many recent movies and tv shows: Downton Abbey, Marie Antoinette, Dorian Gray, and Pride & Prejudice to name a few.

The couple who donated the house and collection to the National Trust in 1978 after restoring it, Lord and Lady Iliffe, retired to the wing seen above to the left. Not a bad retirement, no?

One of my favorite parts of any English Country house are the staircases: here you can see the stone delicately cantilevering out of the walls.

The house is actually a rather recent building as it was basically a shell when the Iliffes acquired it.

The couple spent decades collecting pieces of 18th century houses which were being demolished at an astonishing rate to restore the houses' neoclassical interiors.

 Much like other country houses decoration from many centuries are shown side by side.

 I love this pair of knife boxes in the shape of urns shown flanking the fireplace in the dining room above.

The decoration encompasses all manner of furnishings and art that one expects to see in a house which has been constantly occupied for centuries: all gathered in the span of 3 decades.

 This Adamesque painted ceiling is stunning.

 And I know many of you will love these formal pelmets.

 Recognize any of the interiors yet from your favorite tv shows or movies?

 I especially love the library, particularly the mid century fabric on the couch and easy chairs.

 Many great mirrors are to be found in all of the rooms.

 The plasterwork in the hall above is stunning.

While none of the artwork is particularly important it is highly decorative.  Each piece was chosen for its scale and to add to each room's ambiance.

 Although with ceilings like this do you even need artwork on the walls?

 And of course it wouldn't be an English country house without beautiful bedrooms.

I'll leave you with this image of Lady Illife's very 1950s bathtub (I hear the kitchens also were the height of 50s high style!) - don't miss those fabulous faucets!