domino sale, ny trip

I spent the weekend in NY and had a wonderful time. The first item of business was the much talked about Domino 'tag' sale which was really exciting: talk about a crowd, though! I was lucky to get there early enough thanks to Heather, David Jiminez and some other friends who are morning people: AND Heather brought her famous cookies wrapped with an orange ribbon! I have to admit I ate 3 bags of them over 24 hours. They're addictive!

You can read what the Habitually Chic Heather bought HERE. Pictured below are my finds but I can't help kicking myself over what I did NOT buy: a bolt of gray rough silk fabric that would have been perfect for a table cloth (or 4 or 5 really) for $3, 2 big boxes of gray waterworks subway tiles for $20, 2 totally chic waterworks nickel sconces with black shades for $100 - ARGH -the ones that got away!

What I did get was this tortoiseshell and silver teacaddy and charming antique photo montage of children cooking. What i most liked about the picture (which Heather thrust at me telling me I must buy it!!) was the unusual size and BEAUTIFUL wood frame. It was a bit dusty and sad looking, but nothing some wood soap and orange oil can't fix! Now it's really cute and going onto the gallery wall!

I convinced my friend Eric to get this lovely plaster corbel with greek key design on the side. I should have saved it for myself though, haha!While walking from the Kips Bay Showhouse on Sunday down to see the exhibit of important jewels at Cartier (you have to go, it's amazing with 100s of items - 2nd floor, don't miss it!), I was passing Bergdorf Goodman, trying to be good and not go in when I saw the windows.I recognized the staging of the famous Cecil Beaton photograph of Charles James dresses from the 50s (my favorite image in the world) out of the corner of my eye. My heart stopped - I turned and saw these creative windows devoted to 'the model as muse' and ran across the street to get a closer look. The sun was just right to get the ultimate amount of glare unfortunately, but you can still make out whats going on.

These were well known images of fashionable models and actresses right at the corner near the Plaza. Everyone was stopping to look (hard to get a photo with no people walking by!).Erte inspired, perhaps? I'm sure this is based off a famous image as well - anyone know?

It was a great trip and I have my friends to thank for that. Hope you all had fantastic weekends! Head to NY to see Kips Bay and the Cartier exhibit immediately!

Hillwood Gardens

I spent much of Saturday at Hillwood with JCB and friends. She's already blogged about the estate's gardens through her eyes HERE and I thought I would give it my own (long-winded) spin. If you want to learn more about the estate, I did more extensive posts on the grounds and house back in November, you can read them here. The house, the greenhouse and the Japanese Garden. Above, the approach up the driveway -heavily wooded.

I love gardens. Unfortunately, I have black thumbs but was born with the gene of appreciation. There is a lot to appreciate at Hillwood; surely the most spectacular gardens in DC.The last of the spring tulips greeted us at the visitors center.

Unusual specimens are all around -check out this color combination near the back porch!

White wisteria grows over a pergola which surrounds the rose garden.Marjorie Merriweather Post, the foundress, is buried in the middle of her rose garden under a marble column.

The formal gardens are closest to the house. These were on view from her bedroom, as JCB said in her post.The retro blue chairs are original to Marjorie's reign here.I'm a sucker for the beautiful garden statuary.It was a damp day and plants were heavy with their new leaves and the moisture. Everything just weeps: A very luscious garden.
The plaque above states that this ivy is from Buckingham Palace.

And that this boxwood is from nearby Mt Vernon.The moss was green on the Japanese Garden waterfall.

I thought these Iris in the cutting garden were really spectacular. I had never seen any like this before.

Wisteria drips over the edge of the breakfast room.It will become even more full and lush later in the season.On the other side of the breakfast room is this newly gilded fountain. I was told they cover it in the winter time to protect the gold leafing and keep it bright.Not all of the beautiful blooms are outdoors though. The green house houses a huge collection of orchids of all different types and colors. I loved these reddish orange orchids: for some reason they made me thirsty! Reminded me of blood oranges I suppose!Moss growing on a water storage container. Is there anything prettier?

Visit Hillwood! Information on their WEBSITE.

Clarence Moore House

The embassy of Uzbekistan has always intrigued me. Housed in a beautiful Beaux Arts style townhouse near where I live, the most interesting thing about it is the juxtoposition with its very modern neighbor. I have taken 100's of the two over the years!

The modern building next door - I love the old with the new!

Elevation of the mansion by the architect, Bruce Price.

Saturday I was able to tour the first floor and it was as beautiful as I could have wished. Original woodwork, lightfixtures, mouldings - a preservationist's dream come true! Built in 1909 for Clarence Moore by the architect Bruce Price of blonde brick and limestone 'dressing', the home soon became the embassy of Canada and housed this function until 1988. The entry hall. Not shown here are the beautiful black and white marble floorsI didn't miss out on photographing these AMAZING marble sconces lining the entry hall.These have to be original. Aren't they amazing?!Probably the most interesting sconces I've ever seen!

Ceiling detail in the entry hall. Exquisite plasterwork!At the rear of the LONG entry hall is the stair hall -seen above.This ancient fireplace stands at the foot of the stairs. You can see a glimpse of the marble floors.

Clarence Moore was a coal magnate from West Virginia who only lived in this DC house for 3 years; he sunk with the Titantic in 1912. His wife owned the house for years but rarely used it as she was never in DC after remarrying. She sold it to the Canadian Goverment in 1927 for $375,000 with an additional $100,000 for the furniture! What a fortune that was in the late 20s!

To the right of the entry hall are 2 small salons with delicate plasterwork. Between the 2 is a small hall and original powder room. Above the 1st salon contains textiles from Uzbekistan.

After the Canadian government vacated the premises for their new larger (and uglier) embassy on Pennsylvania Avenue, the government of Uzbekistan bought it in 1992. I have to give them credit that unlike many other countries, they have respected this great home and continue to preserve it.To the left of the entry hall is the large library, seen here.Library ceiling

Fireplace in the libraryTurkish couch in the library. I always thought these were so cozy!!

Official website of the embassy

More on the mansion on Wikipedia.

Lilacs and a Thank You!

I want to thank Michele of My Notting Hill for naming my blog among her favorites in a fantastic interview done by Emily Leaman at Washingtonian magazine! Read the entire article HERE: she has some great solutions for common design problems that I think everyone will appreciate. All of our April showers have brought us beautiful May flowers! These are some fragrant lilacs I picked up tonight, aren't they beautiful!

Save our Urban Centers!

While reading this months Preservation magazine (magazine of the national trust for historic presevation) I came across a plea to save a bank by Louis Sullivan (whom I've blogged about recently here). Of course, Sullivan is a great architect. He was a key innovator in the modern movement and was mentor to such great architects as Frank Lloyd Wright and generations of students. However, I think this is bigger than just this one bank and I'm really upset! Of course, I'm going to blog about my feelings on the matter and I hope you take the time to read this unusually wordy post from me!

Our nation's cities were decimated by city planners in the 50s-70s. They are only now beginning to regain a little strengh and the sense of place they once had thanks to preservation efforts. The powers that be in Cedar Rapids, Iowa are planning on destroying what is left of their historic urban center as well as a NATIONAL ARCHITECTURAL TREASURE in a strategy they feel is a cost effective way to combat nature (building levees).

One of the fundamentals of urban planning is to work with what the land is giving you, in many cases to the advantage of the city! Look at places who have prominently featured rivers and waterways in their recent revitalizations: Chicago, Austin, Pittsburgh, Providence and others are feeling the benefits of creative solutions. Older cities that are based on water management also prove to be popular and successful: Stockholm and Vienna as examples. What do we know about levees? Well...look at how well they worked in New Orleans. Is that a long term or even a creative solution?

So much good work has been happening in the past 20 years to save our nation's architectural heritage as well as our urban cores; to let Cedar Rapids continue on this OUTDATED path of destruction is monstrous. PLEASE join with me and sign the petition to make city planners of Cedar Rapids, Iowa consider alternative ways to manage flood waters and save their urban core! Sign the petition online HERE, I have!

Thanks to Hello Beautiful blog and Fred Camper for letting me use the photographs of the bank.