The Scottish Country House

Just in time for the holidays is James Knox's release of The Scottish Country House from the Vendome Press. This lushly filled tome features a number of estates which have been in the same families for hundreds of years, in some cases since the houses were first built.

Because of this familial longevity, these houses have layers added over time in their decoration and architectural additions. An example of this is seen at Balcaskie where the gallery above was decorated in the 19th century (I love the paisley wallpaper) and many bedrooms (one seen below) were redecorated in the 1930s.

The gardens in many of these houses reflect the beautiful but rugged Scottish landscape.

Also because of this progeny and layering you also get televisions in rooms decorated in the 18th century, microwaves on top of Edwardian stoves and other adorable quirks (notice the modern silver framed photographs in the room below).

These are living, breathing houses with so much character and soul it makes you want to hop on a plane and spend your next vacation in Scotland.

Many of the houses feature sumptuous public spaces, fit for royalty. Actually in many cases they actually WERE built for royalty and their summer visits. The histories featured in the book are astoundingly interesting - it's more than a pretty picture book!

This is the perfect gift for any travel, photography or design enthusiast and would make an invaluable addition to any library; it is in mine!

All photographs by James Fennell for The Scottish Country House.

Shopping for antique lighting

I was in Artisan Lamp Co in my neighborhod the other day checking out the 'new' inventory.  I say 'new' because the store carries refurbished vintage and antique light fixtures. You may remember my blog post on it from last year HERE.  Since then I've found a few items for my own new place as well as for some projects.

I always love the very architectural empire style chandliers and they must be popular because they never last long in the store!

This gilded chanelier is beautiful and I loved that it has LOTS of lightbulbs. I have to say I love the chandelier I chose for my dining room from Artisan but I wish it gave off more light.

 If crystal is your thing, how about real rock crystal? Very elegant.

 I have a soft spot for lamps, you can never have too many. I loved this little art nouveau lady and the favrille glass one to the right..

 The crackle finish on this vase turned lamp was beautiful.

 A pair of marble lamps with ormolu might be more your thing? Very handsome if a tad somber.

I've love this French painted lamp and am not sure why it has not sold in a few months; waiting to come home with me perhaps?

 This unusual peacock lamp is really fun! Great for an entry hall.

They always carry an array of sconces as well in the back of the store. These victorian crystal ones would look very stately flanking a fireplace.

 These enormous French gilded sconces are so elegant.

And for the equestrian in your life, how about a pair of horse sconces?  I always think light fixtures are the jewelry in a room, so bling out your space!

Patrick Aubriot for Rue de Seine at Century Furniture

One of the greatest pleasures of Highpoint Market is not only seeing what's new, but also meeting the designers.  While touring Century, French interior architect/designer Patrick Aubriot and his wife Nathalie took us through their new collection which harks back to one of my favorite periods, mid-20th century French design.

Patrick and his wife are no stranger to American furniture companies.  A few years ago they collaborated with Baker furniture on the fantastic Andre Arbus collection.

The lines and style of these pieces are admittedly similar to the Baker collection in that they have simple forms which rely on the strength of the line and the balance of proportions.

I loved this desk chair from the collection.

And who wouldn't want this beautiful bar cabinet in their living room or den? I love the mirrored interior.

These elegant upholstered chairs would look fantastic in my new living room! Note the sheen on the selected fabric.

The details on these pieces are really what make them special - check out the inlays on the Rue du Bac martini table.

The clean modern lines of the end table below could fit in with any number of styles from arts and crafts to contemporary.

 This upholstered bed had some incredible detailing while still remaining simple.

 Notice the upholstery built into the wood frame.

The inlays on this wood bedframe were incredible too. What do you think of the collection? I obviously loved it!

Look for this collection soon!

Creativity at Work, Habitually Chic

As many of you know, blogger Heather Clawson has released a book entitled Habitually Chic, Creativity at Work.  The book chronicles the work spaces of many creative designers and is thoroughly inspiring.

I've been planning my own blogging work space in my new apartment and the book has provided me with a lot of ideas. I took it to bed one night and stayed up way too late reading all of the interviews and exploring the detail shots. Most amazing is that Heather took all of the photos herself!

Heather is a dear friend of mine but despite that I am truly so in love with this book, relationships aside (and I'm honored to even be included in the acknowledgements)!

After reading the book and my trip to Market I wondered just how one could create their own Habitually Chic workspace?  The Highpoint showrooms provide a lot of inspiration on their own. The Alice Desk by Alexa Hampton for Hickory Chair is great for a small space so you can hide the mess away!

Also at Hickory Chair was a workspace set up utilizing a dining table and chairs.  I may be using my dining room as an office in my own apartment so this was great to see in place.

The Jasper Writing Desk by Mariette Himes Gomez for Hickory Chair is a beautiful piece of furniture and I especially appreciate the drawer locks and metal feet!

Jeffrey Alan Marks designed this stunning Middlefork center table for his new collection for Palecek which I think would make a great workspace.

The most beautiful collection I've seen in years and everyone was talking about at Market was by Thomas Pheasant for Baker.

I snapped these photos at the product launch party in the Baker Georgetown store. The details on the desk are beautiful: the greek key, the square brass pulls, and that metal stretcher detail.

And what is the perfect workspace without lighting? I loved the Bacco floorlamp from Julian Chichester which frees up workspace.  For a larger desk where space isn't at a premium this capitol lamp from Regina Andrew fits the bill. Now go get inspired by checking out Heather's book!

First three images from Habitually Chic: Creativity At Work by Heather Clawson, published by powerHouse Books.  Other snapshots are my own.

The Houses of James Means

Last weekend I attended the estate sale of a retired British antiques dealer here in DC and one of the treasures I picked up was a book on the Houses of James Means. I've been attending a lot of these local estate sales recently to feather my new nest.

The majority of Means's work is in the Atlanta, Georgia area and his name is still a catch phrase with many realtors in that region. A steadfast classicist in an age of modernity, his work heavily influenced Atlanta's residential architecture and many developers still working in the city. See a contemporary photo of the above house at Things that Inspire blog HERE.

What I find most surprising is that Means incorporated a lot of reclaimed materials to lend patina to his classical designs. Bricks from torn down churches, wood beams from barns, etc. This sounds very avant garde to many of us but Means was doing this as early as the 1950s! While rooms had been imported from Europe for generations before, actual building materials was a bit unusual.

His work was heavily split between beautiful Colonial and Georgian houses, and French Provincial. I love his lean interpretation of these French styles, many based on actual chateau.

The Haverty Residence in Atlanta was inspired by the James River houses in Virginia. No planting beds were created against the house in European fashion. The cobblestone parking court was saved from Atlanta cobblestone streets which were being torn out.

The brick on the front facade was reclaimed from the Federal Reserve in downtown Atlanta, the columns on the rear porch were rescued from another building downtown, the balusters in the terrace wall above were from a Charleston, South Carolina house and the heart pine floors throughout were rescued from a house in Athen's Georgia. 

The paneling in the interior was also built of reclaimed heart pine which took a year to collect.

The Hedges Residence was based on the Chateau Chantecaille in Touraine and sits on the crest of Lookout Mountain in Tennessee.

The brick, cobblestones, interior woodwork, doors and hardware here too were all salvaged from demolition sites. One problem during construction was to instruct the workmen to not make all of the salvaged materials too perfect and to keep some age on them!

The Moore residence in Atlanta was inspired by the houses of Charleston with a piano nobile above a full basement with double stairs to the main level.

The materials in this project were not reclaimed but were all hand-made or honed.

Each room features a custom designed surround and mantel with raised paneling and over-mantels.

A Palladian window at the staircase floods the front hall with light.  You never know what you'll find at an estate sale!