Containment

[Naturally aged round metal mid-20th-century bucket from Inner Gardens]


Ever since I watched Eric Pike secure a fresh tree in a garden urn on Martha Stewart's show, I've been drawn to alternatives to Christmas tree stands, and for the past few years my dad has set one up for me using rocks to stabilize the tree trunk. To my amazement, none of the trees have crashed to the ground, although truth be told, Dad uses a small subtle wire in the back for added stability. My trees are never pruned or thinned out for that lovely symmetry that works so well with Eric's interiors, but rather left a bit irregular and full.

[Above, circa early-19th-century oversized cylindrical copper planter with rivets, Kingdom of Bhutan, and below, large green cement Watts pots, both from Inner Gardens]

If you have a very wide pot or bucket, you can put a tree stand down into it. I'm considering that approach this year, to accommodate a bigger tree. And I'm also focused on more rugged, completely unfussy containers. So that brings me back to Haskell. What did she place her tree in? A big terracotta pot painted with black chalkboard paint. She also rubbed chalk all over it to mimic the look of slate and she filled the bottom with walnuts.



[Terracotta pot is from Lowes, paint is from Rust-Oleum and walnut image is via Mariani.]

Works of the Day: Tim Kent

I am forever fascinated by interior paintings that highlight other pieces of art hung salon-style. It's the art within the art, you might say, that is so intriguing.

Tim Kent is a young artist who is quite masterful at these types of works and he really captures the soul of a room. When you have a moment be sure to look at his portfolio, keeping your eyes peeled for the super-chic pink living room of a beloved New York-based designer who hails from Atlanta. Some of Kent's other clients include Annette and Oscar de la Renta, and he draws on a solid foundation: he earned his BA in Fine Art and Art History and his MA in Visual Culture.

Stay tuned for more, too. In England in the fall of 2010, Kent is scheduled to exhibit a new series of works that will encompass interior paintings from the houses of the Duke of Devonshire and the Duke of Normandy, as well as Castle Howard and others.

All images above copyright Tim Kent, 2009. Posted with permission from the artist.

In other art related news, Holly Bryan is exhibiting small works at the Holiday Art and Gift Show on Saturday, November 21 from 3 to 5:30 p.m. at Murphy's Restaurant, 997 Virginia Avenue, Atlanta Georgia 30306. Shown above, Holly's True North, posted with her permission.

Mr. Boddington's Studio (and Handmade Things)

Last year I had fun lining my own envelopes to correspond with holiday cards.

Envelope liner kits cost around $10.95 at Paper Source and decorative paper usually runs between $6 to $10 per sheet and yields roughly eight or nine standard size envelope liners.

[Directly above and below, some choices at Kate's Paperie. If you are in Atlanta, Binders has a fresh new display of decorative papers.]


Lining envelopes just adds a luxe element, and it's something most people can do. But since this season I'll be doing fewer hands on activities, I started browsing for an alternative. Mr. Boddington's Studio is probably best known for wedding invitations and social stationery, but I'm loving their boxed holiday cards, shown here at top and below. (I read about them over at Soolip's blog.)


A box of of eight with hand-lined envelops costs $30 . Here are the linings that are available.

And just a couple of reminders: photographer Gemma Ingalls sometimes makes her own gift wrap by having one of her images blown-up onto wide sheets of paper. Neighborhood photo-copiers can do this with non-copyrighted photographs. On a smaller scale, you can scan a favorite fabric and make paper envelope liners as Mary McDonald did with Scalamandre's Chi'en Dragon.

[House Beautiful, May 2005]

If solids are still your first choice for gift wrap, Bell'occhio has one more thing that might be great paired with brown kraft paper: strands of fabric boxwood. $9 for 25 feet.

Afterthought: Speaking of handmade things, check out this story about embroiderer Susie Cowie who created the "tree pillow" in Bright Star. [Image via Jane Campion's production scrapbook.]

Harris Holiday Style II

Before the ambulance ride, I was in the middle of contrasting the holiday style of Virginia-based interior designer Lou Harris with that of her daughter, G & G editor Haskell Harris.

Haskell loves her mother's richly colored old school approach but in her own house she is definitely less formal. (A lot of us will be tempted to copy some of her straightforward ideas.)

"I like everything real. I know it's a fire hazard but I can't help it. I love the smell. So I put up real greenery and real wreaths with very little embellishment," she says. Instead of hanging wreaths from ribbon, she uses natural rope.

"I only use white lights on my tree and I cover it top to bottom with clear round glass ornaments in different sizes (from huge ones to little teeny tiny ones), hung from thin black satin ribbon, black-and-white ticking striped ribbon, twine, and thin satin ribbon in silver and gold. When I put the last one up and stand back, they all look like champagne bubbles floating through the tree or at least that's what comes to my mind when I look at it," she adds.

Two of her favorite things in the whole world -- clementines and apple cider -- are always on hand at Haskell's house.

Echoing Michael Smith, Fifi Laughlin, Grace Bonney, and the Burnham Design team, Haskell favors presents wrapped in plain brown parchment or kraft paper, and she usually opts to use some sort of luxe ribbon for contrast, such as the moire ribbon her mom loves in a not-so-Christmas-green like Botticelli-green, or gold or silver, or chocolate-brown.


Like Adrienne Casbarian, Haskell sometimes uses newsprint and moire ribbon, "because I like the graphic fonts and because my Dad is a newspaperman." You may remember that to make her house in Birmingham feel more personal, she decoupaged the inside of her bookshelves with newsprint from the Virginia newspaper where her dad works.


All images courtesy Haskell unless otherwise noted. The rope is from Home Improvement Superstore, the wreath is from Stone Family Wreath Co., the satin ribbon is from M & J and the ticking ribbon is from Ribbons Galore.

The peach treated butcher paper can be found here, the vintage French ribbon is an Etsy find, the brown velvet ribbon is from Paper Source and Botticelli's Primavera belongs to the Uffizi. The Primavera image is via Wikipedia.

Under Duress

Normally I prefer not to share unnecessary personal information on this blog -- the focus is supposed to be on decorative arts, design, and all things visual -- but since I woke up in the hospital Thursday to a backlog of unanswered emails, I feel the need to explain that it may be a while before I'm back to blogging as usual. I also want to apologize to Haskell for not completing the previous post as planned. It was supposed to compare and contrast mother/daughter holiday style, and she provided me with some great images and information, but I was not myself when I put it together.

At the moment, I'm way too exhausted to comment on the history of the iconic red cross graphic. Hopefully I'll be back next week. As always, thanks for stopping by.

Harris Holiday Style

One of the more gratifying aspects of blogging involves sharing other people's highly creative holiday traditions. December will be here in about three weeks, so I hope that posting some ideas now will help a few readers who are looking to get organized and inspired.

G & G editor and Belle Decor blogger, Haskell Harris, has always said that her parents created a sense of wonder for her as she grew up in a beautiful old Virginia house that functioned as headquarters for her mother Lou's interior design business and as a laboratory for her handy dad. Christmas was no exception.

When Haskell and her siblings were little, Lou found a huge antique horse-drawn sleigh at a flea market and brought it home to put on the big front porch that welcomed both her clients and family. "It was dark wicker with black leather seats and these iron skis at the bottom for going over actual snow. It looked like something from Austria and Mom usually decorated it with real greenery. Our entire family could fit in it," says Haskell.

"Mom also taught us how to make pomanders. My sister, Chandler, and I would sit at the dining room table with her and punch holes in each orange with a nail and then stuff cloves in them until we had enough to fill bowls around the house. They smelled absolutely amazing."


"Some of my earliest memories involve seeing Mom in the wrapping room of her store. Everything she does is very classic. She has bolts of lacquered wrapping paper in every color and spools and spools of different ribbons in varied widths and textures. At Christmas, she does all kinds of combinations: yellow lacquered paper and silver moire ribbon; white lacquered paper and a wide red plaid ribbon; silver moire paper and white ribbon with a candy cane tied into the bow, that sort of thing."


Lou also loves ribbon candy and she used to put loads of it into big glass jars with brass tops. In terms of ornaments, she loves color -- especially red -- and she's started collecting hand-blown Venetian glass ornaments in different shapes and sizes and using them everywhere.


"We used to have a huge real tree every year but in 1995 our Christmas tree caught on fire and burned the house down. The morning after the whole fiasco a package arrived on my grandmother's front steps (we lived there for months while our house was being rebuilt). It was a giant artificial tree that looked about as real as they get. To this day we're not sure who brought it by, but it's the one Mom still uses."

For Haskell, though, the tree and greenery have to be fresh. Stay tuned to learn about her own understated grown-up holiday style. Below is a hint.


All images courtesy Haskell unless otherwise noted. The vintage French ribbon was found on eBay, the wool tartan ribbon is from The Scottish Weaver, the picture of multiple ribbons is from Paris Made by Hand and photographed by Pia Jane Bijkerk. The ribbon candy is from Hammond's, and the glass ornament is from Venetian Glass Art. Ticking ribbon is from Ribbons Galore.

Inspiring Each Other

Mrs. Blandings and I are often drawn to the same thing. Late last night when I opened my copy of Style and Substance, The Best of Elle Decor, the first thing I noticed was this iconic art-filled vignette in Albert Hadley's living room. And, sure enough, this morning Mrs. Blandings has written a terrific post about the democracy of paint using this image to prove her theory. With inspiration from design legends like Hadley, all of us can have something stunning; it's not always about the price tag, she notes. Hadley's use of a large plain panel painted pale blue to amplify a very personal collection of smaller works on paper is genius.

And the concept inspired a young Miles Redd.

Here is a little refresher. When a bedroom Redd decorated for his sister was published in Elle Decor, March 2001, the designer described it as a pastiche of famous elements.

The raspberry-painted board was the homage to Hadley, and the broad blue-and-white stripes on the Louis XV-style settee and chair were said by Redd to be "rip-off Pauline de Rothschild." For a lot of us, the open Louis XVI-style four-poster bed has become a Redd signature.

Image at top photographed by Fernando Bengoechea, from Style and Substance, The Best of Elle Decor, via Mrs. Blandings.

A Daily Dose of Charm

World Market has in stock some really charming cloth animal ornaments with jointed limbs that are priced just under $4 each. The facial features are made with thread -- no choking hazard beads to worry about -- and I can see small children having fun posing the legs. I can also picture these creatures on a Christmas tree inspired by Deyrolle, the natural-history emporium in Paris.

If you're buying gifts for any godchildren this year, another option would be to use one of these animals in combination with Joelle Jolivet's Zoologique. Wrap the oversized book in kraft paper and tie a lion, elephant, kangaroo, or zebra to the present to hint at the contents.

A book that will appeal to grown-ups who appreciate cut-paper arts is Emma Rutherford's Silhouette: The Art of the Shadow. This volume is featured in Elle Decor's beautiful holiday issue.

Art historian Rutherford deals in-depth with the social history of the paper craft, looking back at it's beginnings in the 18th-century, but also discusses Kara Walker's edgier use of the traditional form in her contemporary art.

Click here and here for related past posts about cut-paper arts.

Flowers, Birds, Branchs and Trim

I'll be honest, I think I'm as drawn to The Gables' antique wood-handled tools used for making millinery flowers as to the finished product. (Although Dulken & Derrick's silk camellias do look amazing on the back of a wedding dress.) I'm not certain how many of the 19th-century flower presses are left, but initially some were priced under $50. On the whole the tools range from $45 to $225. And while they kind of fall into that "for-the-person-who-has-everything" category, I can imagine some of my creative friends really using them. It would be interesting to hunt for vintage versions with character (but less age) that might not cost as much.

Another gift idea for an artistic nature lover is a back issue of Bloom. (Thanks Miguel for the lovely reminder!) Lisa's husband should order issue 12, unless our favorite Bloomsbury enthusiast already has it. That said, Bloom is expensive. Just under $100 for U.S. buyers. A used copy of Bloom Book: Horticulture for the 21st Century, published by Flammarion, is more budget-friendly and usually can be found for under $50.

I know gift wrapping isn't supposed to be as serious as Project Runway but during the process I do find myself stripping away trim that I first thought would be great. In the pleated ribbon category, the less expensive, narrow double-faced satin trim is more pleasing on packages, at least to me. So far the chunky velvet is, well, way too chunky.

I still like how the box pleats are suggestive of the detailed clothes in Bright Star and even the ruffled edge of Miles Redd's curtains (photo by Paul Costello for domino, October 2005). However the thick trim might work better on gift tags for little girls' presents.

Something inspired by the frilly plackets on the Crewcuts cardigans.

Paper Source in Virginia Highland, Atlanta, sells card stock mittens in pale blue and red. These look good left plain but recycling ribbon scraps into little cuffs is a fun holiday project for kids.

Now if the last few images feel too fussy for you, take a look back at ideas from Hollister and Porter Hovey.

Remember Amanda Talley's tea paper from Pearl River bound with twine and a twig painted gold? Last year she told us, "I just get a small limb, spray it gold, and then break off a little piece for each present."

The fabric camellia shown toward the top is from Dulken & Derrick. To order Bloom, click here. To see the photography, click here.

Update: 7 p.m.


Barnes & Noble continues to offer 30 % off beautiful holiday cards including Elum Designs' Joyful Birds.

Remembering Fifth Grade

When I was in fifth grade we didn't have Twitter, we had elaborately folded notes. So I thought it would be a cinch to recreate the star-like paper valentines featured in Jane Campion's production scrapbook.


As mentioned in an earlier post, my plan was to copy the shape, not the heart decorations, and use the folded notes as holiday gift tags. Originally I liked the idea that the paper stars (or pinwheels) cost almost nothing and aren't wasteful, but do require a certain amount of effort. For tutorials, I turned here, here, and here.

Did I say effort? On the first go round, these can be brain teasers, hence the less than stellar results above. No wonder these are called "puzzle purses." Without the Regency-era handwriting, it remains to be seen if these intricately folded pinwheels will be as interesting on packages as I had initially hoped. (I may rubber stamp pretty initials.)

At least now if I'm ever asked about paper folding history, I know where to find the mother lode of information. But if you are searching for an inventive way to attach a romantic or mysterious note to a gift, this could be a fun option.

Credits: Rubber stamp set image via Kate's. Images two, three and four are from Jane Campion's production scrapbook.

Running with Scissors II

For the crafter or designer who has everything, Sajou offers a line of scissors inspired by well-made 19th-century styles. Shown above, new scissors reminiscent of old tartanware. In the U.S., The Bag Smith sells them as part of a sewing set, with the simplest set priced at $106.

[Part of Ralph Lauren's tartanware collection cropped from a Town & Country photograph, October 2002. I spotted what looks like a bone-handled magnifying glass but couldn't make out any scissors.]

If whimsical designs make you smile, hop over to Bell'occhio. Although this San Francisco shop has many of Sajou's high-end scissors, other options include the fun nine-blade "fringe benefits" demonstrated at Daily Grommet.

These scissors cost $24 and can be used to embellish gift wrap or to manually shred documents.


For something more tailored, try Rupalee's hand-forged steel and brass scissors made for use on fabric and ribbon or paper (but not cloth and paper at the same time).

Listed retail prices range from $12 to $30 depending on size.

Update: 11.15.09

Be sure to read Mrs. Blandings' tartan story here.

Bright Star Inspired Gift Wrap

Not sure if Bright Star is still playing in Atlanta but I may need to see it one more time to go over those visual elements again. The refined pleats on Fanny's dresses (that triple-pleat mushroom collar being her ne plus ultra) and the way her homemade-but-luxe clothes stood out against an understated, sometimes humble backdrop, are the details a lot of us responded to. So, thinking about holiday gift wrap that could be loosely inspired by the film, I'm starting to zone in on very plain paper (probably kraft) paired with lavishly pleated velvet or taffeta ribbon from M & J.

The ribbon examples shown above are muted greens but M & J offers a wide range of colors. An optional touch: handmade butterfly or star shaped gift tag.



Paper star via Jane Campion's production scrapbook.

Movie images © Bright Star, Apparition 2009.

Update: 9:11 p.m.
Stopped by Anthropologie at Lenox Square, Atlanta, to see unpacking of holiday ornaments and new seasonal items including boxes of the enormous leather scrapbooks. The picture above shows the album in its decorative gift box. Deep pink and rich blue options were in stock when I left.

Getting Organized 2009

If you want to be elegant and old school, but also save time this year writing your return address on dozens of envelopes, a desk embosser can be a nice option (although I'm not sure the braille-like lettering makes the postman's life easier). The lead time to order personal embosser plates, which are used with desk embossers, is generally one week at Paper Source.

By the way, the paper emporium has an instructional video that candidly shows how the tool works. Between the embosser and personal plates, the investment is around $60, but with these tools you can finish an unlimited number of envelopes. The good news is that, assuming you don't run into any production delays, there's still plenty of time to order an embosser and address your envelopes in advance. Ideally, I like to pace things out and get the tedious tasks out of the way before Thanksgiving, then I can enjoy the fun holiday rush in December.

Here's a link to last year's holiday card guide. It covers everything from when not to send greetings to sending cards to friends who are in mourning to using festive stamps. And, yes, these organization pictures are very last year (two years ago, actually). My goal is to pull out supplies and start some kind of fresh plan at the end of the week...

Remind You of Anything?

I'm not sure if it was intended to be a balm for some of the year's bleaker events, but Anthropologie's first holiday catalog of 2009 is among their most fanciful and inspiring. (A few of my favorite ornaments are highlighted here.) Does the mammoth scrapbook above remind you of a vintage image from Horst Interiors?

When I saw the giant pink book styled with a French chair, I immediately thought of the art portfolio Annette Reed (now Mrs. Oscar de la Renta) displayed in her home in the 60s.

At 24" by 17.5", Anthropologie's leather album isn't quite as big as the one Horst photographed, and it costs $198, but for someone who loves to create artistic scrapbooks this would be a lovely gift. It could become a striking focal point in a library or living room too.

Two images above © Horst Interiors

And after seeing a new view of Anthropologie's butterfly ornaments, I think they are strong candidates for a Bright Star-inspired tree.

Reader Request: Holiday Cards

I've received some requests to start the annual tradition of highlighting holiday cards. It probably feels way too early to some of you, after all most of us still have soggy pumpkins that need to be cleared away.

But we also want to take advantage of the card sales. My friend Alli alerted me to the ongoing sale at Kate's Paperie, which has been extended through November 21. Shown here are a few discounted favorites: letterpress pine needles, at top, $11.06 for six cards and coordinating envelopes; Vera Wang's cardinal, second, $28.44 for ten cards with ten hand-lined envelopes.

William Arthur's letterpress snowflake with blue metallic accents, another Kate's find, $22.91 for ten cards and ten blue-lined envelopes.


Kate Spade for Crane options are always hard to resist. This year it's Partridge in a Pear Tree, litho printed using red and green with gold accents. $35 for ten cards and ten red-lined envelopes.

Anne continues to add to her Etsy shop selections with pretty interiors. Stay tuned for upcoming posts that explore handmade options.

Houseplants and Antiques

Shampoo is a satire that deals with narcissism and superficiality in L.A. during the late 1960s. According to TCM's database, the movie's production designer, Richard Sylbert, received an Academy Award nomination for his effective use of mirrors, extensive latticework, and "soft and dreamy" overexposed film.

But other aspects that grabbed my attention when I first saw it played late at night on TV were the handsome antiques and abundance of houseplants.

Looking at Julie Christie's house (she plays the character Jackie), it's hard not to think of designer Michael Taylor and his famed "California Look." Taylor favored a liberal use of white but appreciated wood left in its natural state. He loved bringing in green plants and maximizing that California sunshine, and he often used large-scale pieces.

Although Shampoo's story takes place in November 1968, the movie was made in the mid-70s. Since Christie's pieces are so timeless -- French commode, Asian screen, unfussy armoire, Chinese lamps, silver candlesticks, and Chippendale-like chairs -- it's difficult to tell if much about the decor skews toward either the 70s or the 60s. I need an expert on electronics, kitchen appliances and hanging baskets to weigh in. It's said that Michael Taylor's signature style really crystallized in the early 70s, but his California look had been evolving for decades.

Here are pre-1964 examples of Taylor's work from The Finest Rooms. The massive screen behind the sofa was made from old French boiserie and the book says that the woods throughout the room were left unpainted to serve as a warm and mellow counterpoint to cool greens and white.

After reading that Shampoo was released in 1975, I remembered that Rose Tarlow opened R. Tarlow Antiques on Melrose Place a year later. Curious to see more examples of French and English antiques used in late 70s/early 80s interiors, I hit the books.

As mentioned in a past post, American designer Dick Dumas lived and worked in France for several decades and restored a 14th-century monastery barn that was published in 1984 in Pierre Deux's French Country. Shown directly above and below, Dumas' approach to rustic French style avoided anything overly quaint and embraced a blend of the modern with the old. Lintel and border stones of a tall 18th-century French rectory doorway were brought in to frame double doors that open into a small, contemporary at the time, library.

In the living room, the authors explain, Dumas kept earthy regional elements including rough stone walls, beamed ceilings and tile floors, but mixed in highly refined things such as an elegant 18th-century fireplace, and Asian and modern art. To me, the ample cream-colored sofas slipcovered in quilted muslin, the indoor plants, and the general lightness echo California style in the 70s.

The house wasn't without color, though. Below, reminders from the previous post.

A four-poster bed made from plumbing pipes is painted in panther spots and the red-and-white fabric is from Manuel Canovas. In the dressing area, Dumas covered a Louis XV-style chair with an Ivory Coast batik.

Below, a pretty French commode similar to Julie Christie's was photographed in the 21st century at Michele et Cie, located in The Stalls on Bennett Street in Atlanta.

Giving Out Eye Candy

It seems that serious rug enthusiasts tend to be familiar with Renaissance artist Carlo Crivelli because lavishly detailed textiles and decorative carpets feature prominently in the Venetian painter's work. In the autumn issue, Hali explains that the "Crivelli star," a classical carpet ornament, is named for him and next month a new exhibition at Milan's Pinacoteca di Brera will explore the connection between real rugs and Crivelli's paintings.

As I understand it, Italian textiles and three rugs including the 15th century Crivelli star example, shown second above via Hali, will be on view along with the art. Designers (interior, fashion, graphic) are often saying that they look to art history for inspiration, so it's always interesting to stumble across an exhibition that examines this symbiotic relationship. Unfortunately, I can't read Italian and will therefore be clueless when it comes to ordering an exhibition catalog.

Shown at top and directly above, The Annunciation, with Saint Emidius, 1486, Carlo Crivelli, via The National Gallery, London.

Slinks: A Haunted House in Charleston (and the Touch of Cotton)

This is as close as I think I'm going to get to a haunted house post. Click here to learn about the amazing 18th-century digs Haskell Harris rented when she first moved to Charleston.

And here are a few more pics from G & G. I wanted to revisit the feature on Andrea Nutt because everywhere I turn lately I'm seeing bouquets of cotton.

Even Tara Guérard recently used cotton for a wedding.

First two pictures are courtesy Haskell Harris; Andrea Nutt holds the copyright for image three; image four is from G & G; and the last picture is from Soiree by Tara Guérard.

Anne's New Work

[image ©Anne Harwell]

New to painter Anne Harwell's online shop is a set of Christmas cards featuring her original rendering of an 18th-century French chest topped with pretty packages. How great is that green with the gilt bronze mounts? Apart from her attention to detail and her light hand, I think it's Anne's color sense that makes the work sing. Click here for a peek behind the scenes.

I'm not sure how booked up she is between now and New Year's, but for those who don't know, Anne also welcomes commissions. We had fun recently working on a fall/winter version of my blog banner, and when I saw the finished piece, I was struck by how many different creative spirits had indirectly been a part of it. (Sounds a bit hoaky, but it's true.) Long before I started blogging, I'd been saving pictures of Louis XV chairs covered in caramel leather (like Stephen Shubel's from the cover of San Francisco Style by Diane Dorrans Saeks). Lately I've added to the pile of images.

Chairs are great because they are among the most accessible pieces of furniture. When there's no way that tall secretary or extra long chesterfield is fitting through the front door, even the tiniest one-room apartment can accommodate your fantasy chair. They are portable, cost less to reupholster than a sofa, and nearly all of the classic styles are available at varied prices, depending on whether they are found at a fine antique shop or a garage sale. In terms of design history, chairs are usually the best embodiment of a given era.

So I styled a vintage Louis XV-style chair that I have with a cup of art supplies and old books bought from Lynn over at Paris Hotel Boutique, photographed the composition, and asked Anne to do a virtual "reupholstery" job based on some inspiration pictures. As we brainstormed, Amanda serendipitously sent me a photo of an authentic period chair snapped at Gerrie Bremermann's. The aged pumpkin-ish leather with painted green frame was perfection. I asked Anne if she could make a green frame work with a background of leafy-green burlap I'd found in the remnant section at Forsyth Fabrics, and as always she was up for the challenge.

I hope you can see what a lovely job she did with the nailheads and chair frame.

Credits for the inspiration board: Cover of San Francisco Style photographed by David Duncan Livingston; Miguel Flores-Vianna photographed Peter Dunham's bedroom for domino; the books shown include Goodbye Picasso, The World in Vogue, and Cecil Beaton's Far East.

For the record: Anne has in her shop a couple of prints with my name in the title -- they were inspired by my things -- but we are not business partners and I receive no compensation of any kind (no money or free services) from her.

Is it the Same Artist?

Yes, it is. A friend asked me if Francesco Clemente, the Italian artist who painted Kelly Klein's portrait above, is the man who did the art seen in 1998's Great Expectations.

In the movie, Ethan Hawke's character, Finn, is an artist and Clemente worked behind the scenes contributing all of the original drawings and paintings featured as Finn's -- even the art he does as a child. Click here for a refresher.

Whatever you thought of the film, the distinct palette is interesting to many designers. Green dominates nearly every frame and a wide spectrum of verdant shades appear. Apparently director Alfonso Cuarón simply loves the color. (More on that here.)

By the way, Clemente is among the contributors to Assouline's To India with Love. And if you have time to listen to the entire segment, the artist's conversation with Charlie Rose is really fascinating.

Francesco Clemente portrait of Kelly Klein, via Town & Country, October 2008; last image courtesy Assouline.

The Cup Runneth Over

It usually starts with a slightly over-the-top idea. MaoSayWhat shared this picture on Flickr as part of a set of photos taken at Billy Reid (I believe the NYC shop). It's such a striking look for instore display but I think, on an everyday basis at home, trying to store such a dense arrangement of scarves or handkerchiefs in a vintage trophy or urn would become impractical. However, the image did remind me of another use for ice buckets: napkin storage. Not super-crisp linen napkins that look best ironed, but less formal cotton napkins that can be stored in rolls on a kitchen shelf. Just another way to enjoy a terrific old bucket without waiting for a special occasion.

I don't have a walk-in closet, but if I had a place where I kept some accessories out and close at hand, I might keep a few wool scarves in a silver bucket. Probably too much of a dust magnet, though.

Maybe Mary McDonald still has the best idea. Take a closer look.

She suggests using pretty buckets to hold blueprint-like rolls of paper, or to serve as part-time waste baskets.

Three "blue office" photos above by Melanie Acevedo for domino, January/February 2006.

More pragmatic options. Flipping through San Francisco Style by Diane Dorrans Saeks, I spotted something I used to do: keep paintbrushes in smaller urns. Shown above are detailed views of artist Ira Yeager's barn cropped from David Duncan Livingston's lovely photographs. (I did a double take too. David Douglas Duncan is the photographer behind the Picasso books, one of which appears in my new blog banner painted by talented Anne Harwell.)

[©Anne Harwell]

Happily, overstuffed cups in paintings never tip over. More on Anne's work and the muses behind the picture to follow. Related past post: Best in Show.


Off topic, but I suppose a different kind of bounty, Anthropologie's holiday ornaments are in. For me, the standouts are the swan, the skates, the peacock, and the ombre caribou.




If you have any plans this year to display ornaments in a vintage punch bowl, here's an inspirational image, also from David Duncan Livingston and San Francisco Style.

Update: 10.29.09

When I first put this post together, I should have included a reminder of the umbrella stand used by William Pahlmann Associates to hold blueprints as seen decades ago at the Tiffany Decorators' Show. Love this idea for wrapping paper too. Photograph is from Tiffany Table Settings.

These brass open-work styles aren't always so easy to find but they are really sharp.

Art in Context

As her online presence has evolved this year, artist Hayley Gaberlavage has frequently popped up on this blog but to date I haven't shared many images that show her work framed and hanging in a residential-like setting. And I think for potential collectors it's helpful to see certain works paired with furniture. Something about the vignette above, photographed at Udwell in New Orleans, feels reminiscent of the interiors in 1960s movies. Maybe it's the mix of abstract art, French Provincial cabinet, and white-brick walls.

By the way, if you're researching art collections in film, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner is a great one to rent. Lots of large-scale lamps mixed with antiques too.

Like photographer Lacey Terrell, Hayley favors the clean look of white or very light frames for her work. Although that style might be typically associated with more modern interiors, the look can really work in a traditional setting as evidenced by this Miles Redd-designed room, shown below.

[Photograph by Simon Upton for Elle Decor, January/February 2009]

Similarly, Millie chose a perfectly understated frame for her Cecil Touchon collage.

Hayley has uploaded more of her pieces here. (And no, in case it crossed your mind, I don't receive a penny or any free art from the artists and galleries I highlight.)

A quick reminder for Atlantans, beginning tomorrow, Thursday, October 29 from 6 to 9 p.m., Holly Bryan is hosting an open house and sale at her studio located at 3725 Powers Ferry Road. Additional hours are Friday and Saturday, October 30 and 31, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Shown above is a very big painting, Ten-Run Inning, but if you're interested in Holly's small works be sure to explore her site and inquire about her price range.

November Happenings

Sister Parish fans in Atlanta will be happy to know that Mrs. Howard is hosting a book signing for the new release, Sister Parish Design: On Decorating, from noon to 5 p.m. on Thursday, November 5 at 425 Peachtree Hills Avenue. Authors Susan Bartlett Crater and Libby Cameron will be on hand to greet guests, sign books and chat about Parish’s work. Sounds like a great opportunity to pick up a holiday gift.

Later in the month on Thursday, November 19, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., the Birmingham Museum of Art's curator of decorative arts, Anne Forschler-Tarrasch, will discuss the Buten Wedgwood Collection. In celebration of Wedgwood’s 250th anniversary, Lord Wedgwood is scheduled to be there to present a gift to the Museum, and while supplies last, lecture attendees will receive Tricia Foley's latest book, At Home with Wedgwood: The Art of the Table, compliments of Wedgwood and signed by Lord Wedgwood. The Museum is located at 2000 Reverend Abraham Woods, Jr. Boulevard.



And just in time for the Thanksgiving table, Pacific & Rose is offering its popular blocked paisley print linens in new colorways including black-and-white or green-and-white. Tablecloths are also available. My mom has purchased some of these cotton textiles, so I can report that they are even lovelier in person and quite durable.

If you want to try your own hand at making holiday linens, Elizabeth continues to sell the wood blocks too.

Update: 10.27.09

This morning I purchased a copy of Sister Parish Design: On Decorating. As expected, Mita Corsini Bland's watercolor illustrations are seriously charming. Many of her room portraits capture contemporary designs from talents such as Tom Scheerer, so that is a nice surprise. The book's tone is conversational, and a gathering of decorating heavyweights (Miles Redd, Bunny Williams, Suzanne Rheinstein, Todd Romano, Jeffrey Bilhuber, John Rosselli, Mitchell Owens, Jane Churchill and Peter Dunham, just to name a few) share what Sister's legacy has meant to their work.

The topic of comfort seems to be a big theme; not simply furniture placement but the importance of a client feeling attractive and fascinating in his or her own home. In short, many say, let the client outshine the decor. Although there are interesting anecdotes peppered throughout the chapters, the book has distinct focuses ranging from how to display collections to working with textures, so I think design enthusiasts in search of a new "bible" or handbook will like the approach. Bonus: Underneath Mita's dust jacket the book is bound with Sister's "Burma" in blue.


Below are the latest colorways.


Oh, and yes, I'll be picking up at least one more copy for a Christmas gift!

In other book news, Taschen's spectacular Ornament, a tome I covet each time I'm at Sam Flax, is now available in a more budget-friendly $75 edition. Quite a savings from the original large-scale $200 version. The new volume also includes access to an online image library with over 4000 high-resolution scans of ornamental designs and patterns.

Remember this post about late-17th/early-18th-century artist Maria Sibylla Merian? Taschen has also released a lavish volume of her work.

Update: 10.29.09

Don't miss Grant's conversation with Lord Wedgewood!