sheets to drapes

Moving around I have not wanted to invest in drapes. Honestly, we never know if we're only in a location for six months or six years so why order drapes to fit windows that may not work in the next place? I recently found this thrifty and totally doable tutorial for making unique drapes and valences from a sheet.

Source: bibbidi-bobbidi-beautiful.blogspot.com via Ann on Pinterest

This is definitely something I'll be keeping in my back pocket.

gush I have a crush - juliette récamier

Rumor has it that the récamier is named like the Birkin bag. This furnishing was supposedly influenced by a woman named, Madame Juliette Recamier. It seemed she popularized the image of a languid beauty lounging on her favorite, namesake, style of sofa.

From this reading, she sounds like quite the character. She, "walked like a goddess on the clouds and her voice thrilled the senses’. She dressed in a cloud of diaphanous white mousseline, never wore diamonds only pearls, and appealed to romantic sensibility, wearing crowns of real pansies and cornflowers on her head and posies on her gown. Juliette was married at 15 to the wealthy banker Jacques Recamier...

"Juliette insisted on having flowers everywhere, even on the stairs, and would greet invited guests with a charming smile and invite them to see her famous bedroom. The bed itself was raised on a dais, and declared the most beautiful in Paris, against its background of mirrored walls, draped as it was in a froth of transparent gauze, a white vapor falling from the ceiling, surrounded by vases and candelabra, and an artificial rose tree."

Oh to be a muse. Rough gig.


Want to see the namesake in action? Now technically speaking, as I recall, a chaise is the genus and the récamier the species. Not to be confused with the duchesse brisée, or méridienne. And don't mistake it with a lit bateau, goodness; that's not for the living room... Confused yet? Quick recap, the duchesse brisée is a chaise broken into two with a footstool and a seat. The méridienne is asymmetrical with a higher side to rest your head and downward sloping place to put your feet. Ah, old school La-Z-Boy, yes! And lastly, the récamier looks just like the lit bateau with two sides that are generally even. But for eye-candy sake, let's just look at them all. ref


Image and excerpt from Culture Concept. Other images from Wikipedia, Chateau of Coppet: Mme Récamier's bedroom, Lessing Photo Archive, Candace Bushnell/Alex Papachristidis for Elle Decor,Encyclopédies sur 'Academic', Architect Design at Vizcaya (btw loved this room in person too!), This is Glamorous

Source: Uploaded by user via Ann on Pinterest

Source: horsecountrychic.blogspot.com via Ann on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Ann on Pinterest

Source: elementsofstyleblog.com via Ann on Pinterest

pinspiration

I've fully come to terms with the fact that I've developed a sickening pinterest addiction. In light of this fact, I thought it would be nice to share an image once in awhile that I found captivating. I chose today's, which I originally found in Architectural Digest, to start. It is a dining room by Mario Buatta. I love it because the cozy, tented dining room is offset from a cavernous living room - such a play in dimensions. Tell me what you think!

Source: architecturaldigest.com via Ann on Pinterest

unpainted inspiration - french girls

So on the topic of little girls' rooms, I found this adorable room on babycenter. What? Don't judge me. I don't have children but some of those moms come up with fantastic easy recipes so yes, I occasionally scan babycenter. Anyways, this room is from the blog Cinq Mai and is a perfect example of a warm and simple room with unpainted walls.

for the girls

I read a lot of blogs throughout my day and one of my favorites is Mrs. Howard Personal Shopper. Recently I saw this touching post where they are looking for one preteen/teen girl to whom Phoebe Howard will offer a bedroom makeover. They're looking for someone special and deserving and if you can think of that someone, please check it out.

This would also be a good time to tell you that I am going to be their newest team member (don't worry, I'm not paid - just there to learn) and I'm quite excited about this opportunity!

jason wu and target

Not ashamed to admit that I'm a "Targeteer" if anyone remembers those commericals from the 90's. I am really excited about the Jason Wu collection. Every single item is wearable, unlike some of the past collaborations. I'll be there opening day... image



My husband reads this blog, too. Sorry dear.

around palm beach

After visiting Palm Beach many times over the years, I've decided the island is one of my favorite, more charming, places around the States. I love the architectural aesthetic be it Mizner's Mediterranean Revival, the work of Maurice Fatio, Marion Sims Wyeth (who worked at Carrère & Hastings before opening his own firm) or John L. Volk who was very versatile but it seems largely practiced Georgian-Revival. Anyways here are a few snapshots and architectural details from around town.

For more information, I highly recommend the Preservation Foundation's website or the Historical Society of Palm Beach County.

whitehall, the details

Forgive me, I lied. One more Whitehall post only because there are so many unique details I want to share with you.

Light fixtures throughout were astounding. Made by Caldwell Lighting Company, often the bulbs were "slip covered" with a net of Baccarat crystal.

Finally my favorite detail of the stairs however I wish this photo had turned out better... Oh well!

art history 101

I really do believe that interiors can be extension of you but also your tastes and studies of the arts. In and of themselves as specimens of decorative arts, obviously, but also as a showplace for the accomplishments of civilization. Or at least that's what I think about when I'm shampooing my hair... Anyways, I found this lovely interactive timeline, replete with articles and discussions, from the Met. As a form of Art History 101, it could save someone a couple semesters of tuition! Have a great weekend!

Images from the Met

whitehall, three of three

Finally, one of the least photographed areas of the house. The Second floor is set along a unifying hallway to include a number of bedrooms. Let's see if I can remember which is which! Starting with the Green Room

Colonial Chamber, a favorite. Maybe it is because the bed in this room is similar to mine at home? It was hard to get a good photo of it but do you see that little table next to the chair in the second photo. Any clue about it? It looks to be made of porcelain. Ah yes and all the fireplaces are decorative on this floor. Honestly, why would you need a fireplace in Florida? Friends who live down there year-round say they need to run the AC to burn a fire! Interesting fact, they ran the heat system during the summer to keep the humidity from ruining the furnishings and artworks.

Heliotrope Room, i.e. light purple, i.e. lavender but is sounds lovelier to use the arcane description of the color.

Gold Room

Louis XV Room

Pink Room

Blue Room, another favorite of mine. Call me crazy but I could see a little boy living here. Maybe just my imaginary children would be spoiled?

The Master in bright chartreuse. It is just as bold and, dare I say it - acidic, in person.

I just have to gush over this Master Bath. I want someone to revive those fixtures, notice how they don't stick out over the bowl of the sink - perfect for shaving and washing up without recreating Lake Superior on the bathroom floor.

Here's a better shot at similar fixtures in a guest bath. If you can't tell, I find modern sinks often have too shallow of a bowl with too large of a fixture. Impossible to keep clean!

And then a walk-in closet with gorgeous built-ins.

And a room for the monsieur, the Silver Maple Room. I had to include the museum's photo so you can see the details in the bed itself.

Another Colonial Room

Yellow Roses Room for Flagler's secretary. Did you ever see that movie, "Mona Lisa Smile" where Nancy goes, "I just loooove chintz!"

Mrs. Flagler's Morning Room. Now I'm really liking the details on the window treatments which are entirely relevant to modern design.

All that without museum legs. Seriously, if you are in the area, I highly recommend a visit simply because the immensity cannot be conveyed by dark photos. To see more from home, stop by the Flagler Museum's site for a virtual tour.