Something Simple...

...Chinoiserie "wallpaper":

Hand drawn by the home's darling owner, Irene Feesey:

Who also sends friends and loved ones beautiful, handmade cards like these:

All from the April 2010 World of Interiors.

Photography by Antony Crolla.

Love It!

By Ross Curtis

Image via 1stdibs.com

A Pretty Interlude...

I am in love with this B-ewe-tiful room! It has been in my image files forever, but I just figured out who designed it! Found here.

All images courtesy of Robertpassal.com

John Lautner in Palm Springs

This past Saturday marked the opening of the Palm Springs Art Museum's John Lautner exhibition "Between Earth and Heaven: The Architecture of John Lautner."

In addition, the Lautner documentary "Infinite Space: The Architecture of John Lautner," is now available here.

Image Sources: (1) - (3) Via www.psmuseum.org

Folly: The View from Nowhere

MOCA's exhibit "Folly: The View from Nowhere" only has a few days left, through this Sunday the 28th. I'm still hoping to visit, but I may have to let Frank Escher and Ravi GuneWardena walk me through instead.

Image Sources: (1) The Dunmore Folly, via here. (2) Lucy the Elephant, via here.

A Lady with Flourish and Flair

I don't remember the specifics, but I came across this painting some time ago, somewhere, somehow. Like so many others pieces of art by which I am completely enchanted, it compelled me to find out more about its creator, Fleur Cowles.

And, oh,what an incredible lady she was! The original bright young thing, Cowles accomplished more in her one lifetime than some might complete in ten. Of course there was her magazine, Flair, an absolute pioneer in its time and still a beacon for many in magazine publishing.

Cowles had a penchant for connecting with people and counted as dear friends everyone from the Queen Mother to Cary Grant.

Besides taking ambassadorships and lending support to several presidents, Cowles piloted planes, sailed boats and decorated cheerful and flamboyant interior spaces.

As if all that wasn't enough, she was also a prolific author and artist and even made some of her own clothes and jewelry. She died just last year at 101, and now, as when I first learned of her, I am incredibly inspired by all that she accomplished.

Images: (1) "Tiger, Flowers in the Moonlight" via artnet.de, (2) Via Vanity Fair, (3) Via Refinery 29, (4) Via dailymail.co.uk, (5) Via littleaugury.blogspot.com, (6) "Little Tiger", via Malleries.com

Merry Christmas!

I'm all ready for Santa, just in the "nick" of time...

I hope everyone has a wonderful, joyous holiday!

Ruminations...

The last time I was in Paris, I ran out of reading material. Although I love a challenge, for some reason I wasn't in the mood to read a book in French (perhaps because I was having a hard enough time just speaking the language). Thank goodness for Galignani, a wonderful English bookshop on the right bank (at 224 rue de rivoli). I am an absolute sucker for a good book store or library, so this shop had me the moment I walked through the front door. Galignani was overflowing with wonderful choices, and I left with this:

"Paris to the Moon," Adam Gopnik's charming account of his family's five years in Paris. The book is a collection of essays Gopnik wrote for the New Yorker while he lived in the City of Light with his wife and young son. The cover features the Jardin de Luxembourg, where I loved settling into a green chaise with Mr. Gopnik's ruminations on life in Paris. The only problem with trying to read in the Luxembourg Gardens is the delightful distractions:

The little birds who would like just a small piece of baguette, S.V.P

The children sailing boats on the pond

The games taking place throughout the gardens

The flowers which change with the seasons

And the beautiful statues and art installations

Despite the distractions, I managed to finish. I really enjoyed "Paris to the Moon"... so much, in fact, that I had to pick up this:

"Through the Children's Gate," another great read, this one about the Gopniks' life in New York after they returned from Paris. Since I have finished both "Paris to the Moon" and "Through the Children's Gate," I am now hoping Gopnik and his family move again! (And also wondering what Charlie Ravioli is up to these days...)

Au Revoir Les Lalanne

Today is the last day of Les Lalanne on Park Avenue. An apple a day keeps boring art away... Ewe will be missed!