Architectural collection at the Palais de Chaillot, Trocadero, Paris.

One of the great tourist attractions in Paris lies in Trocadero, the Palais de Chaillot. The palace was partially rebuilt and remodeled in 1937 for the Exposition Internationale in a classical moderne style we would call Art Deco. However, tourists aren't there for the building itself but generally for the best view in town of the Eiffel Tower just across the river.

While tourists jockeyed for selfies in front of the tower I was admiring the crisp neoclassical details and these fantastic gilded statues gracing the courtyard.

8 gilded statues above fountains showing the 'rights of man' flank this terrace. I didn't come just for the Eiffel Tower views though but rather to see an amazing exhibit in the Paris Architectural Museum housed in Chaillot.

I'm not sure how in all of my travels to Paris I had never visited this museum (which was completely deserted, btw) but am so glad I can now add it to my Parisian repertoire.

The exhibit I'm speaking of is the "Masterworks of Architectural Drawing from the Albertina Museum" - a who's who of design history and quite the collection on view in Paris only until March 16, 2020.

Get up close and personal with these incredible drawings such as this rendering of the Hofburg in Vienna.

This stock exchange above for St Petersburg was designed by Giacomo Quarenghi in 1783 but never finished due to funding.

On the modern spectrum of the collection is the model by architect Adolf Loos in 1927 for Josephine Baker's unbuilt townhouse in Paris. 

Loos was a fan of Bakers and designed the townhouse gratis which may explain why it was never built!

Above is only a detail shot of an amazingly detailed painting from 1793 of the Augustus Bridge in Dresden by Johann Gottfried Klinsky. His accurate depiction of Dresden beyond the bridge is pretty amazing;  Compare the Frauenkirche with photos from a post I wrote in 2010 HERE.

I can never get enough of floorplans, even landscape plans. This plan of the Nymphenburg Palace and Gardens date to 1736 by both Dominique and Philipp Girard. 

Trained at Versailles, Dominique was a landscape architect who specialized in water features.  Starting in 1715 he began work at Nymphenburg which was later documented by his son Philipp in this painting in 1736; one of many gardens throughout Europe which were based on Versailles.

Each structure in the garden is carefully rendered and noted to a legend.

The pavilion above is reminiscent of the French Pavilion at the Petit Trianon at Versailles. See photos of that structure from my visit in 2009 HERE.

There are numerous other landscape plans with great details such as the scene above.

This gate was designed for the Beloeil Palace in Belgian by Charles de Wailly in 1782; unfortunately never built because of the French Revolution.

Antonio Galli-Bibiena designed this baroque theatrical backdrop in 1745.

Antonio Canova's monument for the archduchess was immortalized in this drawing by Domenico del Frate in 1805. 

Clemens Holzmeister designed an over-the-top cathedral in 1942 that towered 150 meters high made of reinforced concrete that could hold 14,000 worshipers.  Notice the scale figures of people in the drawing. 

Besides this exhibit which will be closing shortly, sadly, the museum has an enormous collection of plaster architectural fragments such as this copy of an arch at the Hotel de Rohan les Chavaux du Soleil above. One could spend all day wandering around the permanent collection.

A number of plaster architectural models dot the halls as well.

If you haven't been don't delay your visit to the Cite de l'architecture & du Patrimoine at Trocadero -you won't regret it!

The Villa Kerylos and the 'Villa of Delirium' by Adrien Goetz

The Cote D'Azur conjures up all sorts of romantic images, and one of the most romantic (and intellectual) houses dotting the coast is the Villa Kerylos. 

By christophe recoura - http://www.villa-kerylos.com/, CC BY-SA 3.0

Kerylos was the brainchild of wealthy archaeologist Theodore Reinach and designed for him in 1902 by architect Emmanuel Pontremoli, a prominent professor at the Ecole des Beaux Arts.  Designed as an updated ancient Greek palace, the house was complete with ancient looking frescoes and modern conveniences disguised behind antique forms. As most readers of this blog know all about the Villa Kerylos already I'll leave it at that.

 By Christophe Recoura - http://www.villa-kerylos.com/, CC BY-SA 3.0
A wonderful new book, 'Villa of Delirium',  has just been translated into English from the original French by award winning author (and member of the prestigious Institut de France)  Adrien Goetz,  and is soon to be released by New Vessel Press.  Historical fiction, the book traces the building and history of the villa through the eyes of a favored servant.  The novel really brings the house and early 20th century history alive with a few salacious details.

 By culturespaces/christophe Recoura - http://www.villa-kerylos.com/, CC BY-SA 3.0
The New Vessel Press offers a lot of translated European fiction and is a publisher to check out for sure.  This book will be released May 5, 2020 and information about it on their website HERE.

 Courtesy Abxbay - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0

I've never been to the Villa Kerylos (or even to the French Riviera for that matter) but this book transported me there in a way beyond any pictures I've ever seen of the house.  I found myself constantly googling to see if items in the book were true or fiction (most were true!). Check out this book (and author!) for yourself is my highest recommendation. 

Courtesy  Hélène Grenier - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0

All images from Wikipedia article on the Villa Kerylos

Classical Baltimore pied-à-terre for sale

One of my many hobbies is tracking real estate (yes they are all architectural!) so when a friend sent me this apartment for sale in the Mt Vernon neighborhood of Baltimore I knew immediately I would have to share it here with you!

My first condo was a studio and I look fondly back on that time as maintenance is so easy.  There is something to be said for 1 room living -all of your favorite things are right there at all times!

This studio apartment has it all: location, charm, and space.  One of the great things about this apartment is the separate gracious entry hall which features much needed shelving and closets but also beautiful moldings and a window seat before a Palladian window.  The door to the bathroom is located to the left of that dresser.

Looking back towards the front door.  I think a curtain pulled back along the door wall would hide the asymmetry and undersized door which doesn't fit the scale of the space.

 Book storage is always needed and these deep shelves would hold a lot of design books!

The moldings are even more impressive in the main living space including a bay window AND a fireplace!

Notice the trimwork making 3 arched 'openings' along the inside wall with the kitchen to the left and the entry hall to the right. While I don't show the bathroom and kitchen they are totally nice spaces and wouldn't need much (the real estate listing includes those photos).

 Antique marble surrounds the firebox with lovely plaster moldings as mantel and overmantel.

 The moldings all appear to be restored and in good shape, not over-painted through the years.

 I even like the yellow wall color so move right in! (If only I had a reason to live in Baltimore)

 Close up of one of the pilasters with fretwork chair rail.

 Imagine the detailed overmantel picked out in more than 1 color....

I have nothing to do with the sale of this unit but if you want to check it out it is located at 8 W Madison Street, unit #25 in Baltimore, Maryland - REDFIN listing HERE.
All images courtesy of the MLS listing and not my own. 

The Parisians: Tastemakers at Home

As I prepare for my trip to Paris next week, I'm salivating over the houses featured in Catherine Synave's new book: The Parisians: Tastemakers at Home .  Parisians are known the world over for their incredible style and this book steps into the homes of leading French tastemakers to inspire us. 

While the weather next week may be closer to winter, the summer scene above in dealer Alain Demarchy's garden is enchanting. Demarchy was the well known owner of the Camoin Demachy Gallery on the Quai Voltaire and lived above the shop until retiring and selling off the contents of the shop in a sale at Christies (seen here).  He relocated to a charming new apartment which houses all of the treasures he could not bear to part with at auction. 

Dealer Patrick Perrin suffers from the same affliction as me; compulsive art purchasing. His envy-enducing gallery walls display his collection which I'm sure are heavily padded from his shopping at the antique fairs he plans: the Salon du Dessin.  This apartment is actually the family home above his grandfather's shop along the boulevard Saint-Germain which was purchased by his family generations ago. What a charmed life to live in one amazing place your entire life, surrounded by the things you love.

Fashion designer Gilles Dufour's varied collections all find a home in his apartment. This is one not to miss; dial chic hoarders anonymous!

Designer Pierre Yovanovitch is on the opposite side of the spectrum and his work is all about restraint: but not boredom!  His work always includes a few decorative focal points against a quiet background.

Conductor Marc Minkowski refers to his apartment as a 'chic junk shop' with treasures he has picked up around the world on his travels. Emphasis on Chic as I don't see the junk!

Check out The Parisians, Tastemakers at Home for more on these and much more inspiration!

'The Parisians: Tastemakers at Home' by Catherine Synave, Flammarion, 2019.  Images by Guillaume de Laubier

MGM Style - Cedric Gibbons and the art of the golden age of Hollywood

 As long time readers of this blog may remember, I'm a huge fan of movies, particularly classics. A large part of that fascination may be for the sets and the most famous set designer is, of course, Cedric Gibbons. Of the many exciting books out this fall, one looks into his life and work, MGM Style, by Howard Gutner.

Filled with beautiful photography, a lot are of movies I've never heard of.  Not only was Gibbon's career prolific it was long-lived.  Even movies where he isn't listed as designer he was still the head creative director of all MGM pictures.  While he's primarily known for movies from the 30s & 40s, he was working until shortly before his death in 1960.

While MGM promoted him as a son of architects and a trained architect himself, this glossy version was far from the truth. Despite a lack of education he went on to have one of the most influential design careers of the 20th century. Gibbons even designed the Academy Award's Oscar statuette in 1928 (as well as his own notorious house)!

When one thinks of art deco, one immediately thinks of the movies and sets such as these; a look defined by Gibbons.

Remember Crystal's bathtub in 1939's 'The Women'? Gibbons!

Above is the aforementioned house Gibbons designed for his glamorous wife, Dolores Del Rio. You may remember the house from Architectural Digest where it was recently featured after an extensive renovation. Read the story HERE.

I was very excited to receive my copy of this book, a must for any design library of both film buffs and early 20th century design!
All images courtesy Lyons Press