Long stretches of cold weather like we're having help me realize why people have decorated the interiors of their homes with flower images for centuries: reminders of warmer weather! This exuberant wallpaper panel is all you need: I feel warmer already! It is paired with 18th century painted furniture which bears more of the same fruit. Hopefully this will help warm you!
In the heart of Antwerp lies a 16th century warehouse which now bears the Vervoordt stamp. Not Axel, but his son Boris.
The former coffee warehouse, from 1577, was one of many in Antwerp owned by the family. In 1995 Boris moved in and slowly took over, floor by floor, turning it into his private home. A feature which most caught my eye, the staircase from a 1970s renovation, is a pre-cast concrete structure with chunky wood treads seen in the top photo and through the dining room above. While I don't think the staircase would meet code here in the US, I would be tempted to try. This is a seriously sexy stair.
Boris, while having his own eye, is still very much his father's son: see his living room above. Time worn finishes, oversize sofas, natural linens, rough wood and honed stone: all similar to a space by his father, Axel, but with a new twist. I hope to see much more of Boris in the future and that staircase is just a divine inspiration!
I'm loving this image from the kitchen of Safia Bendali, as captured by Marie-Pierre Morel for the Oct. 2009 issue of Elle Decoration. Her collection of beautiful china (i spy wedgwood jasperware!) is elegantly housed alongside of cookbooks in a practical but beautiful storage application. If I could only have shelves like that! The table from Astier de Villatte is unusual and I'm not sure what I feel about it -what do you think? Too bulky or just right? I can't help but think it looks like a flat topped pool table!
Do you know your Louis? If not, this wall at the Louvre's Musee des Arts Decoratifs might help. Talk about reference library! The colors against the dark backdrop take my breath away. 
This frigid weather has me thinking of warmer climates and the beach: What about you? In the October 2009 edition of Elle Decoration is a beautiful house on the water in Normandy.
Look at that view from the terrace! Would love to have a glass of iced tea on this terrace and soak up the sun.
The interiors focus on the magnificent views as well, thanks to the gracious color scheme which does not compete for attention. I think this lends a very relaxed atmosphere. It's not fussy but you know a lot of care and planning went into this decoration.
I especially liked the white washed wood walls found throughout the house. The seagrass carpets help make some of the more formal antiques feel casual. The simple treatment of the interiors throughout adds to the vacation 'aire' of the house.
The living room has ample seating for a large group of friends. I can imagine sitting around the fireplace on chilly nights with a few bottles of wine. Even the artwork fits into the color scheme which generally I find a little forced, but works in a beach house such as this for me.
The kitchen continues the gray and mirrored surfaces. The space looks small and efficient with some interesting storage ideas. I love the all glass cabinets which seperate the cooking area from the breakfast room. Check out the interesting glass ventilation hood.
The house seems to have a great flow to it. Very few doors and lots of big windows.
The small den looks like a great place to curl up with a book on a rainy day. I think the high placement of the sconces is unusual, but helps to bring the high ceilings down a bit for a less formal feeling.
The master bedroom is an ocean of white and blue which is so inviting!
Even the master bathroom has a cozy nook to curl up onto with the built in bench. A lot of thought was obviously put into how this house is used daily. Quiet private areas as well as more gracious entertaining zones coexist in a grand but informal style without sacrificing the flow of spaces.
I hope this house reminds everyone of warmer days to come!
The bright young thing mentality: the penchant for fantasy and masquerade had become an expression of the disregard they felt for the immediate past or the immediate future. They lived -or tried to live - outside their time. Philip Hoare, Serious Pleasures, the life of stephen tennant
New Years Eve is the perfect time for fantasy. What do you want your life to be this coming year?
Or fantasy could be as simple as dressing up in costume for the evening: full of high hopes for the future and escaping the past year.
Fantasy is not dead, it survives. 
Whatever form your fantasies take or whatever you may wear, I hope you have great New Years celebrations!
Featured in the March 2008 issue of Metropolitan Home magazine was an example of a city apartment with great bones which was renovated efficiently and beautifully. The great bones were there, natural light, outdoor space and tall ceilings on a high floor.
Jeffrey Povero, an architect in NYC, renovated the space for himself and his partner in a 1914 hospital buiding which had been converted to apartments in the 80s. The space was a bland box when he found it, but he saw promise in the 11 foot ceilings and views of the brooklyn bridge. I'm sure the huge terrace and three exposures didn't hurt either!
What started out as plans for minimal renovations turned into a gut job, as these types of jobs often do. Why do anything half way? While not a small apartment by New York standards at 860 SF, it still had to operate efficiently for the two.
I would buy a rat filled shoebox of an apartment for that terrace. Amazing! I'm in love with the walnut paneling Povero had installed behind the fireplace (top image) and in the kitchen below and with the acres of white marble. I would have used a beefier countertop at the island though I think.....it looks fragile and skimpy.
Povero wanted to create a modern men's club, which I think reads very strongly. While a bit minimal for my personal tastes, I think the apartment is stunning.
One thing Povero and I share is a love of organization, although he takes it further than I; his books, seen above, are arranged in Dewey Decimal order! He worked for years at Robert Stern designing libraries: I suppose that will do it for you!
The closet is also a work of supreme organization. How many closets get published in magazines? I drooled over this.....
The sad news is that my old camera (2002 canon powershot sds) finally died yesterday and I'm in the market for a new one. The good news is that I get to take advantage of updated technologies, mainly size! My old camera was small for the time (basically pocketsize) and has performed really well, but as the years progressed smaller versions were being released. As I like to carry my camera around with me all the time, size is so important -it must fit in my pocket! 
I hope everyone is recovering nicely from their holiday activities: Have a regal weekend!
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