Bolection mantel

Located in the decorative arts collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art is this mantel from a London townhouse. Bolection surround mantels like this are still common today; in fact one thinks of them as modern! However when paired with the fascinating wood swags and Ionic columns the entire character changes; this assemblage becomes a focal point rather than simply recedes. Yet another option in our Hearth and Home series.

The World of Department Stores

Just in time for the holidays, Vendome Press released "the World of Department Stores" by Jan Whitaker for every die-hard shopper on your list!Not just pretty pictures (although it contains MANY of those), the book is a fascinating look at the rise of our consumer based society and our new house of worship, the Department Store.

The photos of the old department stores entralled me most, such as the reading room of the Bon Marche (2nd photo above) or an ad for the Palacio de Hierro in Mexico City: such glamour! The book covers the rise of the genre in the 19th century through the changes department stores have made into the 21st century to remain viable. Technology has always been a big part of the business (see the life-like models at Printemps in 1924 above) but on the other hand, nostalgia plays to many as well (see Harrod's food hall today below).

Geared towards the holiday season are the many window displays we all love. What child in us can't appreciate the Christmas windows of Lord & Taylor?

And who can forget Simon Doonan's windows for Barneys (my personal favorite!)

Be sure to add the World of Department Stores to your Christmas wishlist!

Ally Coulter for the Holiday House

I wasn't able to attend this year's Holiday House in NYC (open until December 11!), but my friend Todd from Ralph Lauren Home sent me some great photos of the Living Room designed by Ally Coulter, which featured some of RL's furniture line.

Beautiful Ally is seen seated above in front of her room wearing a Ralph Lauren Collection dress, naturally. The Modern Penthouse Sectional is upholstered in a creamy taupe while the room shimmers in shades of white with a lot of glass for sparkle, like the Carlysle Cocktail table.

Ally used the RL Luxe Console as a bar set in the corner beneath the RL Conservatory Garden Wall Sconce. Isn't that Venetian mirror just so incredibly beautiful!

The RL "Runway Chandelier" fits right in with the architecture of the room; check out this gorgeous door surround with Corinthian columns and a broken pediment.

Not only does the furniture have prominence, the band you see playing is none other than Chris Gillespie from Bemelman’s Bar! It looks like I missed a fantastic party!

The wall paneling has beautiful lilac applique details, which is why Ally also refered to the room as the Mother's Day Room. Beautiful all year round!

Be sure to visit the Holiday House soon before it closes until next year!

Painted Mantel

For the next installment in the "Hearth and Home" holiday series, I bring you this pretty painted mantelpiece from the decorative arts collection at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The chimneypiece was painted by George Brookshaw (also known as G. Brown) in 1793 in the neo-classical style. Originally created for Piercefield House in Wales being remodeled at the time by Sir John Soane (of the eponymous museum), the mantel was later sold from the house when it was stripped and left to ruins in 1926. Wood plaster and painted copper panels; not all grand mantels need to be of stone!

Balsam Hill

This past weekend I cohosted a Holiday Party and Balsam Hill was kind enough to supply me with 2 pre-lit topiaries.

The 2 artificial baby cypress trees came pre-lit and in fabulous classical urns. While I normally prefer real trees (naturally) these were great as they're low maintenance and great for temporary use like a party.They provided a welcome entrance to the party and literally marked the occasion! Thanks to Balsam Hill!

An ornate ceiling

Located down the street from me in the old Riggs Bank building is one of my favorite casual restaurants, Gordon Biersch ( I love their garlic fries and burgers!). I love the repurposing of the old bank lobby into a restaurant (they kept all of the old features such as bank slip stands, etc) and the faux painted marble columns with corinthian capitals and beautifully coffered ceiling never cease to amaze me.Designed by Arthur Heaton and James Hill in 1891, the Richardsonian Romanesque styled building now houses a Courtyard Marriot and retains a lot of the beautiful old details. Do you have any cool old repurposed buildings like this in your neighborhood?

Palazzo Cavalli Franchetti

Located along the Grand Canal in Venice is the Palazzo Cavalli Franchetti. Now housing the Venetian Institute of science, letters and arts, the palace started life in 1565 with many renovations since.

Like many of the palaces facing the Grand Canal, the main rooms are on the upper floors facing the canal providing beautiful views, seen in the room above. Notice the Venetian glass chandelier.

The palace is most known for is grand stairway built for Baron Franchetti in the 1880s by architect Camillo Boito. Boito was one of the preeminent architectural historians and restorationists of the day, chartering the modern historic restoration movement.While the Australian (who was kind enough to share these pictures) was in Venice, the Bienalli was taking place and the palace housed the glass exhibition, seen in part in the stairway above.

Designed in rich Venetian Gothic style, the house is characteristically rather over the top and ornamental: what we expect most in Venetian style.

As in all Venetian Palazzo's, the house fronts the canal with a courtyard or garden behind. I love this ornamental grille work.The palace has a rare side garden facing the canal which during the Bienalli housed a strange house called the Narrow House.Designed by Austrian artist Erwin Wurm as a reconstruction of his childhood house but squished to scale to only 1 meter wide to reflect the crowded conditions in Venice and the tricks our mind plays on our memory.

And I'm showing this because it's just amazing the detail that Wurm went to, but I promise you it's the only toilet you will ever see on ArchitectDesign!

Top photo of the Palazzo from Wikipedia, all others from the Australian.

Gilt andirons

From the period rooms at the Met, these gilt andirons are the perfect addition to any holiday hearth!

You could always tell your kids that the stags are Santa's flying reindeer!

Ca' d'Oro

The Palazzo Santa Sofia, commonly known as the Ca' d'Oro or golden house, is a 15th century palazzo along the Grand Canal in Venice. You probably recognize it from myriad postcards or the backdrop to movies, I know I do!The building is known as the golden house because its exterior used to be decorated with gilt and polychrome but now is natural stone; Old habits die hard I suppose! Built for the Contarini family by sculptor/ architect Giovanni Bon and his son, Bartolomeo Bon, in gothic style, it was a more decorative version of the style prefered by the Venetians which the Bon's made famous throughout Venice.

One arrives off the Grand Canal to the boat launch behind a screened loggia.Which gives entry to the courtyard.The loggias surrounding the courtyard have gorgeous inlaid marble floors and byzantine capitals topping the columns.How many different types of marble can you count here?The loggias upstairs off the main compartments offer breathtaking views of the Grand Canal.Since 1922 the house has been owned by the state and operates as a museum.In the collection is this bronze winged lion. The winged lion is representative of St. Mark the Evangelist who is the patron saint of the city and stands as the symbol of the city. Photos courtesy of the Australian.

Victorian Chimney

Continuing my series on hearth and home, today I'm sharing a Victorian chimney from the National Building Museum here in DC. Arches, corbels and dentils, oh my! How much detail can one fit on one small chimney? It stands as a striking example of what can be done with masonry.