Carrier and Company, Positively Chic Interiors

It seems shelves are inundated lately with Interior Designer monographs (the new calling card of many) and occasionally you'll come across one which is actually inspiring.  Or at least that's how I felt when I was sent a copy of 'Carrier and Company, Positively Chic Interiors'.

The work of husband and wife duo Jesse Carrier and Mara Miller is inspirational because it is NOT a calling card of monotonous work like we see from so many decorators, but rather appears to reflect the tastes of the homeowner. No 2 projects look alike. Don't believe me? Check out their awesome website HERE.

Jesse and Mara are setting the backdrop for their clients, spaces to grow into. The factor tying together all of their work are clean lines and good taste. Good taste may be a dirty word to some decorators and 'tastemakers' but is something that is actually valuable to clients; that's what they hire us for afterall: our taste! That's basically what we're selling these days with the growth of online shopping and big box stores offering a range of services. Competition is fierce!

I love that the book features tons of different baths and kitchens covering many styles.  This versatility is much like most magazines, perhaps why so many in the industry have turned to them to work on their own homes such as Anna Wintour who wrote the forward to the monograph and Jay Fielden.

 Frequently published I think you'll find a lot of new work to ogle in this book -seen with fresh eyes.

The work is tailored to the client, to the location, and is thoughtfully appropriate. These aren't statement interiors but rather spaces to be lived in. As Anna Wintour writes in the forward "Each and every interior here embodies a real sense of personal charm; these are homes whose high style comes from a very human-scaled sense of warmth and joy".

From spare and modern to richly traditional there is a project here for everyone.

Pardon the photograph above scanned from the book but it so exemplifies my own taste that I had to include here.  Be sure to get your own copy of one of this seasons best design books; Carrier and Company Positively Chic Interiors from the Vendome Press!
Many thanks to the Vendome Press for my copy of this book -views expressed are my own.

Details of St. Paul's Cathedral

Everyone knows of St Paul's Cathedral in London even if they have not visited (like me). The huge domed structure was designed by one of England's great architects, Sir Christopher Wren,  in 1708 and still stands as the seat of the Bishop of London.

The immense Baroque Cathedral stands tall at 365 feet over the city, seen in this image above from Wikipedia. Until 1965 it was the tallest building in all of London!

Of course everyone associates the Cathedral with the 1964 movie (my favorite!) Mary Poppins.  It was a major tourist destination to Jane and Michael Banks and remains a hot spot in the city to this day.

Oscar winning actress Jane Darwell at 84 years of age depicted the lovable Bird Woman who sold food for pigeons from the steps of St Paul's.

Did you cry? I always do -love that song. Anyway -back on track here - we're here to discuss the details of St. Paul's. The writers may have been influenced to write the song based on said details!

Among the many sculptures decorating the facade are many depicting birds, food, and even mother birds feeding their young (seen above).

The details can get lost in such an impressive structure -above is the front entrance.

Even the rear or Apse of the Cathedral features elaborate ornament.

Birds and cherubs, birds and cherubs -the next Disney song?

Notice the birds above under the cornucopia of produce.

No birds here but plenty of winged cherubs.

Read more about "Feed the Birds" and the connection to St Pauls on their own website HERE.
Thanks as always to my Australian Pen-pal Neil for the gorgeous snapshots!

Inside John Russell Pope's House of the Temple

John Russell Pope was a master architect of the early 20th century whom many of you are probably familiar with. Here in Washington we are lucky to have many of his masterpieces and get to pass them and occasionally enjoy them in our daily lives. One of these that all of us are familiar with but few have been inside is the House of the Temple, headquarters of the Scottish Rite (Masons), located on 16th street in Dupont Circle.

Our local chapter of the ICAA conducted a tour a few months ago and has another coming up next week (information on that tour here). Unfortunately I wasn't able to attend the prior tour nor the upcoming one but my friend, Architect Erich Stanley, was good enough to share his pictures with me (and subsequently us!).

 Pope based the design on the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus and it was completed in October of 1915.

Before heading inside I thought I'd share some of the extraordinary details on the exterior.  The building is quite the attention grabber and I never pass the building without noticing many people stopping to admire it. Notice the huge scale of everything in relation to the handrail above.

Pope won a gold medal from the Architectural League of New York in 1917 for his design of this structure and it quickly became widely known at the time. It has since become one of the most beloved landmarks in the city.

Knowing Pope every detail is just right, highly studied, and faintly unusual. The Egyptian influences are hard to miss.

For those of you not familiar with Washington, this is a prime location in the city, about 1 mile directly north of the White House.  Most of this neighborhood was built up around the same time period and gorgeous buildings line the avenues.

Primarily residential, the Avenue hosts many apartment buildings and grand townhouses (seen in these images taken from the Temple's roof), with hundreds of townhouses lining the side streets. This is ground zero in Washington real estate!

 The drawing above shows the very logical plan devised by Pope - the essence of any Beaux Arts design.

The entrance lobby hints at the details yet to be seen. Notice the beautiful marble Greek Doric columns and all of the many custom light fixtures.

 Don't forget to look up as the ceilings are as detailed as the floors and walls in most spaces. All of the light fixtures were designed by Pope's office expressly for the temple.

 Beautiful Egyptian revival murals surround the space.

 The enfilade effect of the side halls is really a striking part of the design itself.

The building is maintained to within an inch of its life. People don't take as good of care of modern buildings as these ornate Classical structures do they? Just had to point that out..... They're just not as loved.

 The entry to the sanctuary (correct wording?) is of course the grandest facade in the building.

Even the details of the simple library are stunning. Notice all of the custom light fixtures and the pilasters separating the beautiful wooden shelves.

 This paneled conference room is a cozy space despite being so grand.

 All of the furniture was also designed for the space -see the table base above.

 As with any classical Pope designed structure, Greek keys run rampant throughout the space.

 These solid brass door surrounds may be one of my favorite things in the building.

 No surface forgotten or unadorned; this is a temple after all.

 I don't know which light fixture is my favorite but this one might be the one.

 Notice how well polished even the most ornate brass details are; not a job I would want to have!

 I love the lines in these Egyptian revival murals, with multiple Greek key borders no less.

 I'm not sure if the base of this floorlamp in the main stair is more interesting....

 or the top of the same floorlamp is better. I guess it's all just great?

 The wood details are as extraordinary as the stone and metal ones.

Notice the brass portiere hardware in this doorway; imagine this with thick velvet curtains in a vivid hue which I'm sure it once had.

 More and more details!

 This sconce is everything...or at least has a bit of everything.

 Natural daylight is to be found in the deepest recesses of the temple -this skylight is amply sized (and detailed again to within an inch of its life).

Not all spaces are highly detailed however. The building is built of structural Guastavino tiles which were popular in the day. They're so beautiful it's a shame they often get covered up!

Don't miss the ICAA tour next week. If you can't make it don't miss this virtual tour online HERE or plan your own visit to the public spaces HERE!
Thanks again to Erich for supplying us with his gorgeous photography!