Lechlade, Gloucestershire

I've recently been looking back at a cache of saved emails I have from my online penpal Neil (who if you remember sadly passed away last year) and came across photos of a small town in Gloucestershire, Lechlade, that he had visited.

Not only is the town near one of his favorite houses which I've blogged about before, Buscot Park (see that post HERE), the surrounding towns have a lot to offer including some really beautiful gardens and houses made of the local stone.

There is nothing I love better than an old house with a crunchy gravel drive -note the wisteria on the bay window above too.

Located centrally in the town is the 15th century church of St Lawrence and the beautiful parish house above.

 This is the southern edge of the Cotswolds so you get a fair number of their famous stone cottages here as well.

 I think just these few pictures are reason enough to prove why this area is such a tourist destination.

In nearby Fairford is the Bull Hotel which looks absolutely charming as your home away from home while touring country houses, small villages, and antique shops. Next vacation perhaps?

How They Decorated (P Gaye Tapp) and Why Blogging still Matters

Soon to be released (April 11, 2017) is "How They Decorated", a fascinating book by P. Gaye Tapp with forward by Charlotte Moss and published by Rizzoli.  I've been eagerly awaiting this book both because the subject is endlessly fascinating and because over the years I've become friends with Tapp through our blogs; You may know her better as Little Augury.

I've been studying my preview copy of the book and have been totally engrossed by these fascinating women who were each famous for their (many) style(s) which were well documented throughout the 20th century. Split into 4 sections the book categorizes these style setters (NOT trendsetters) by "The Fashionably Chic", "The Unconventional Eye", "In the Grand Manner", and "Legacy Style".  One of my favorite parts of the book is that they are covered not only by never-before-seen photographs but also charming sketches by Jimmie Henslee, Christian Berard, and Jeremiah Goodman which give the FEEL of a space more than a photograph ever can.

I (and Gaye) say these women were STYLE setters and not TREND setters because they marched to the beat of their own drummer.  They didn't follow trends, they set them.  Big difference; there is very little to be said of a trendsetter but so much to learn from a stylesetter.

So often lately I hear 'blogging is dead' and 'who cares about blogs'. I believe this may in part be a backlash to their popularity 10 years ago and also because so many blogs were created, following the TREND, that had no substance and nothing to say. Every business website one visits has a 'blog' section and those are indeed incredibly dull; they have nothing to say. However blogs still MATTER because they are written for the most part (at least the good ones) by people who are passionate;  Interested enough to put their thoughts and research out into the online universe, generally for free, because they're passionate about their subject.  Whether it be architecture, travel, history, style, or interior design;  Passion, Knowledge and Interest transcend trends. When bloggers cover a subject it's a 21st century technique of passing content - magazines for our century!  I have learned so much about the history of 20th century design through Gaye's blog and her book is a distillation of her many years of research on the topic. I bet if asked she could write another 10 volumes on stylish women (and I would eagerly await each tome)!

Anyone reading this blog, or Gaye's, will love 'How They Decorated' and should definitely include it in their reference library. Also be sure to follow her blog as she passionately covers the history of design. I learn something new from her every posting and now through her book!

Images Copyright from How They Decorated: Inspiration from Great Women of the Twentieth Century by P. Gaye Tapp, Rizzoli NY 2017

Couch vs. sofa - a dialogue

I was thrilled to have lunch recently with one of my favorite bloggers, The Blue Remembered Hills, while he was traveling through DC. As so often happens when bloggers meet for the first time we began chatting at once like old friends and eventually the topic naturally veered towards design.

Both of us have 'pet peeves' with wordage, his being the incorrect use of the word couch instead of sofa (mine is the incorrect use of home vs. house). Above you see the famous couch of Madame Recamier.

The term sofa is what we normally are talking about, the article of furniture found in everyone's living room. It's not a 'formal' term or interchangeable with couch -they are DIFFERENT things. A couch is a specific term reserved for pieces of furniture on which one lies. I immediately thought of Madame Recamier, so well known for having been painted in repose by numerous artists.

While in the Louvre on my last visit I loved Madame Recamier's furniture made for her by Georges Jacob as well as 2 very well known paintings of her, in which she is lying on a couch.

 The rest of her furniture is really beautiful and I just had to have an excuse to post!

In the future think of Madame Recamier on her couch and the sofa you have at home; unless you have a fainting couch or daybed, well then that's another story!

Exciting News: Kips Bay 2014

Exciting news has just been released about the 2014 Kips Bay showhouse. Not only will it be held within one of the 1884 Villard Houses by the famed architectural firm of McKim, Meade, and White but the list of designers selected is stellar!  Much of the rest of the building is the New York Palace hotel which looks stunning (in case you need someplace to stay while visiting the showhouse!)

The list of talented designers with links to their websites are as follows:
Carrier & Company Interiors Ltd.
Christopher Peacock
Cullman & Kravis Inc.
Darryl Carter, Inc.
Edward Lobrano Interior Design, Inc.
Ingrao Inc.
John Douglas Eason Interiors
Juan Montoya Design
Kirsten Kelli, LLC
Mark Hampton LLC
Markham Roberts Inc.
Martyn Lawrence Bullard
Matthew Quinn
Mendelson Group, Inc.
Meyer Davis Studio, Inc
ODADA (Orlando Diaz-Azcuy Design Associates)
Robin Sacks Decorative Painting
SPAN Architecture
Vincente Wolf Associates
Villalobos Desio
William T. Georgis Architect
Young Huh, LLC

Stay tuned for more details and a history of the structure. The house will be open to the public May 1 until May 29th - I'll see you there!

Christmas Greetings

Do you send out Christmas cards? I admit my list dwindles each year as I slowly move into the digital age (ironic as I'm an early blogger!). Patricia, that wonderful artist who writes PVEdesign and in fact did my blog banner, was kind enough to send me an image for use on my card this year!  You may remember a few weeks back I posted about adding 'That touch of black' to your fireplace and showed the change to my own fireplace at home.  Patricia magically imagined my mantelpiece at Christmas and I have to say the results are charming.   So please consider this my Christmas Greeting to you and your family with hopes for a very happy new year!
Many thanks to Patricia for this image which I treasure. You might consider contacting her to create your own image!

My latest finds!

This past weekend was terribly busy with lots of events including the 2 fun neighborhood House Tours I wrote about last week. Was nice to see some of you there! However, I still managed to get in an amazing estate sale in my own neighborhood of Cleveland Park. I hope I'm not boring you with my weekly posts of my found treasures for my still relatively 'new' condo but they're really fun for me!

My apartment is quickly becoming a wayward home for stray chairs and tables. I can't turn a good one down! I found this interesting vintage Baker furniture tea-height side table with Queen Anne styled legs but also some art deco influences that I placed in my dining room window. The floorlamp to the right was another find and one that came together nicely. The John Robshaw lampshade was found at an estate sale LAST week and the lamp finial from a 3rd estate sale last month (for a grand total of $35 in its entirety)!  I love how the floorlamp matches the antique tablelamp I got on Thomas Jaynes OneKingLane's sale seen on the table. The floorlamp will live in my bedroom next to last week's chair find!

These intriguing floral pieces stand about 4" tall each and are carved entirely out of antique ivory which was then stained and painted. They aren't something I would ordinarily be drawn to but the craftsmanship is so amazing!

I love collecting small finds like hotel ashtrays (no I don't smoke!) and they can normally be had for under a dollar. They come in handy for lots of other things after a good scrub.

These miniature brass candlesticks were really a fun find -you can see here where I had already polished the stick on the right. They're sized for birthday candles (give or take).  I debated polishing them but thought it would be a good way to clean them up. This summer I had a conversation with my good friend JCB about antique brass and how originally they were MEANT to shine and be rather 'bling'y on a tabletop to reflect the light.

One can always use another picture frame. This 8x10 wood frame with tiny gilt detailing cleaned up nicely after getting off years of smoke and grime!

This last piece took me awhile to figure out what it was but the lady running the estate sale filled me in - it's a strawberry dessert basket. Made of white porcelain for Tiffany & Co - the basket holds strawberries with cream in the small pitcher and sugar in the bowl. What fun finds; you never know what you'll find at an estate sale!

Beyond Chic: Truth in advertising

Of the many exciting design books out this fall one of the most highly anticipated must surely be that of photographer Ivan Terestchenko.  His book Beyond Chic has just been released by Vendome Press and I have to say the book lives up to its title.

For the past few decades Ivan has been capturing the world's most stylish interiors, people, and events for the most influential magazines. In doing so he has had privileged access to the inner sanctums of some of the most creative individuals of our day which he now shares with us in Beyond Chic. Not surprisingly these are not overly-decorated nor predictable abodes but truly personal, stylish, and creative homes; One almost feels as if they were trespassing.

If a picture is worth a thousand words this book has a billion while still short on terms. The short introductions are soulful and descriptive while letting the work, the photographs, speak for themselves.

Definitely add this book to your fall book order and you won't be disappointed.

Photographs courtesy of Vendome Press by Ivan Terestchenko.

New York City dreams

As a blogger one receives a lot of PR emails and every once in awhile something catches your eye. Such was the case when an apartment in the famed El Dorado building on Central Park West decorated by Alexander Doherty was sent to me last week.

The building is an icon seen from central park and has been home to many big names for decades.

The homeowners own and run Blithfield & Co, a line of luxury textiles, and evidence of this is seen throughout the personal abode. I love this living room and those old steel casement windows!

 Design Development NYC was brought on board to do the extensive gut renovation and created all of the custom millwork and mouldings seen in the apartment which give it an art deco / old New York character.

 I love their idea of floating a fuzzy white rug over a heavily patterned antique.

 Some of the gorgeous fabrics from the owner's company used throughout the apartment are seen above.

 Notice the antique brass hardware on the jib door above -such a great little detail that's so important to get right.

 Books are to be found throughout the apartment even on either side of the guestroom bed; no wonder I like it so much!

 More space for cookbooks in the beautiful kitchen.

 I think this may be my dream kitchen. I love a galley kitchen as they're so efficient especially with tons of counterspace and natural light. You can keep your islands!

I love the mixture of wood floors, painted cabinets (a custom Farrow & Ball color), wood and marble countertops with a marble slab backsplash (so clean and easy!).

 After the kitchen, the cozy library has to be my favorite space. Can't you see yourself living in here?

Tons of books, a large tv for movies, and a comfy couch to curl up with a book or favorite magazine seem like heaven to me. I love the addition of a glass desk which doesn't block light from the windows.

Also notice those herringbone floors in the library. The floors are bleached oak to best reflect the light; always important in an apartment!

The master bathroom is a refuge of gleaming nickel and soft white marble off the white and bright master bedroom.

 I love a bed like this; lots of pillows, a fluffy down duvet, and all white - no fuss no muss!

I hope you enjoyed this tour as much as I did!
Photographs courtesy of Trevor Tondro.