White House; Red, Blue and Green rooms

Directly across the Entry and Cross Hall from the front door is a series of parlors named after their color schemes;The Green, Blue and Red rooms.

These rooms have held a variety of functions over the years but are all currently decorated in an empire style (early 19th century). I suppose they have been the most popular entertaining rooms of the white house for their proximity to the entry, their access to the south portico as well as their intimate scale.

The blue room serves as a reception area and is the most formal of the 3 spaces based on the shape of the room, an oval. The color comes from the wallpaper border, sumptuous curtains and upholstery.

The view from this room is stunning, right on axis with the crescent fountain with views of the Washington Monument and Jefferson Memorial beyond.

The tree in the center of the room is the official tree of the white house (each room seems to have at least one!) and represents the simple gifts of our nation from coast to coast.The Blue room has been home to the official White House Christmas tree since First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy switched locations from the more formal East Room.

The 19.5' tall tree scrapes the ceiling and is crowned with a shaft of wheat.

A friend had asked me how the plan dealt with the odd corners the oval rooms created (which the available drawings don't really make clear). They are used for storage behind these beautiful wooden doors along short vestibules.

The Green Room (which reminded me more than any other room of an old folks home lounge, I had to say it....) was used to celebrate preserving and cherishing the gifts of nature (fitting: green). Therefore the decorations were all of recyled magazines and newspapers.

This was a favorite room of Thomas Jefferson and he used it as his dining room. However, James Madison had it repurposed as a parlor which it has functioned as ever since.

The art in this room was some of my favorite. I was stunned to see this John Singer Sargent painting.

Fittingly, there is a marvelous view of the Jefferson memorial from his dining room.

The curtains had this detail on them -what are these red tassel-like things called? Did they ever serve a purpose or are they purely decorative; Who knows? I'll call them bobbins.

The Red Room is the parlor which first ladies typically use to receive their guests. It is also where President Hayes was sworn in (1877).

The New York made American Empire styled furniture dates from the 1820s while the fireplace was installed in 1819.

I loved these gilt metal sconces against the dramatic red walls. Join me tomorrow as we continue the tour!

White House entry halls

Last night I had the opportunity to tour the White House for the first time and see all of the holiday decor.

Everyone knows this iconic building and the history is taught to school children the country over. I was embaressed to admit I had never visited given that it's a mere 4 blocks from my apartment!

Everyone says their first impression is that it's small, but that was not mine. It's a BIG house! However, I thought it felt sort of institutional and not residential at all, did anyone else ever get that impression? It could have been the crowds of tourists that led me to feel this.

Today I'm going to show some of the details I noticed in the entrance and cross halls - probably my favorite parts of the house; certainly the most elegant that I was able to see.

The space was dramatically lit, which probably helped my impression! I loved the uplit tree branches in the oversized urns.

The first of many trees greets you, flanking the colonnade.

I thought these drapery rods were unusual and interesting!

A portrait of Bill Clinton above an empire daybed sits on the right of the entry beside the fireplace -certainly a place of honor?

Across the entry hall from the fireplace is the grand staircase where we have all seen pictures of our many presidents before formal occasions, draped in poinsettias for the season.

Directly across the hall from the front door is the seal of the president over the blue room. As the hall is relatively monochrome, it really makes a statement!

The cross hall was probably the most beautiful room in the house. The pink and white marble checkered floor really gleamed in the light. No wonder so many presidential press conferences are held in the East Room with the hall as a backdrop.

I think these photos say more than a thousand words on how multiple lighting sources create a good effect!

A detail of the urns.

These chandeliers which line the cross hall really are stunning!

More poinsettias drape the entry to the State Dining room.

The mouldings are all intricate and obviously well cared for. They could have been made recently -no gloopy paint in sight!

Behind the main staircase was this empire settee. Now, the White House is full of Empire furniture, which I'm not a huge fan of -does anyone know why? A piece or two mixed in is great but a whole house full?

A bust of George Washington lies in the niche between the entrance hall and state dining room.

On the opposite side of the Cross Hall, Lincoln lies in the niche right before the East Room

Lafayette is in a niche in the overdoor of the beautiful cherry doors which lead to the back staircase.

Stay tuned tomorrow for more interiors from the White House!

Textile Museum

Located above the Museu de Arts Decoratives in the Palau Reial de Padralbes is the Barcelona Textile Museum.

Not where you would probably expect me to be spending time, but honestly, we had some time to kill! What a pleasant surprise I had in store.

The amazing collection traces the evolution of fashion: providing interesting 'how tos' such as how the 'new look' bust was created, seen above, and contrasting elements of different styles.

The patterns of these victorian skirts below were contrasted to a much later 20th century version.

And just how are those hoop skirts held high? Well, here's how! Seeing the clothing in person and relatively close up was much better than reading about them in a book or magazine.The workmanship and details on some of the pieces were amazing, especially loved this flapper look. Notice the white suit in the background, so Gatsby'esque!

Examples such as these mid 19th century Empire styled dresses were in such immaculate condition with such vivid colors you would have thought they were just sewn yesterday.Seeing this fairly recent dress compared with an Edwardian train was another example of a great pairing.And just how are those bustles kept up (throughout different periods)?The layout of this exhibit really is impeccable. I always say the right presentation can make the most mundane exhibit interesting (I recently saw a fascinating exhibit on parking garages at the NBM. Come on, I mean...they made parking structures interesting!).These bodices were in such beautiful colors.More amazing beading work.This is a whole lot of look, but in the right situation, pretty fabulous!Spain's own Balenciaga is of course represented. I loved all of his clothing they showed. Some more bizarre pairings showing yet again how things never change; they just come in and out of fashion, nothing is ever 'new'. These body conscious dresses below come from all different styles and time periods.Not everything is so beautiful, will these ever be back in style? That red men's polyester number really made my skin itch!Make sure to stop by this amazing museum, right on the metro line. You can't beat 3 museums in 1: Textile, Ceramics and decorative arts.

Katherine Hepburn

While going through some pictures I took, I came across this photo of Katherine Hepburn's portrait at the National Portrait gallery along with 4 of her oscars. I love that you can see how the Oscar has changed over the years since its' beginnings in 1927; larger as time has passed (much like our nation's cars and waist bands!). Stamps with Hepburn's image are currently available at the USPS HERE. I used them on my Christmas cards this year and have already had a lot of comments about them! I may have to stock up again.