Pied-à-terre Jansen 1943

The colors in these illustrations of Mme M's Parisian pied-à-terre by Jansen are a pure delight. Illustrator, Pierre Mourgue, better known for his work in fashion , captures the glowing quality of burnt tones set off by the surrounding cool violet-touched silver sophistication.

This elegant apartment served for receptions and as an after-theatre gathering place. It was created in 1943 when wartime transportation had become unreliable making Mme M's grand suburban residence unattainable during the late hours of her Parisian social life. This former atelier in the rue Saint Didier with loggia and a multitude of nooks made original interpretations of the space possible. The silver folding screen, modern tapestries by Legueux et Planson and heavy curtains of bordeaux velvet hung from the ceiling give a characteristic theatrical feel -

all worked in with the supreme refinement of the color scheme.

I couldn't help but think of another divan by Jansen in seeing this image...

The enviable object is here in the home of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.

These illustrations by Mourgue are from the Gazette du Bon Ton and date to the 20s. Alas,

I didn't have an example contemporary with the interior to show.

Illustrations such as these are full of color inspiration - be it for clothing or interiors.

As for Maison Jansen, probably the first of interior design firm, it was such a large operation and lasted so long (1880-1989) that at any given moment there are furnishings to offer on the market. In passing, a design school now occupies Jansen's manufacturing sites.
These sconces are to be found on eBay until the 21st of November.



The following three pieces were part of the Manalo March sale last October at Christie's. March was one of the firm's most important clients, after the Shah of Iran, during the second half of the 20th century.
Ormolu and glass table by Stéphane Boudin circa 1960

Lacquered brass and lapis lazuli gueridon circa 1965 by Pierre Delbée of Maison Jansen Christie's

4 green painted and parcel gilt side chairs circa 1965

Pierre Delbée of Maison Jansen Christie's

Autumn Trip

Where am I?

fare-thee-well - objets en fer

Can one object be more an object than another? These articles made of iron - wrought, cast, sculpted - seem to be the very essence of objects. Everything in the Musée LeSecq des Tournelles of Rouen is a useful and often, a usual item. It may be the heavy process of taming iron, the bending, stretching, heating, hammering it into shape that gives it such fighting spirit. From heavy forged grills to dainty lacy pierced screens, they seem to say, "I was made by the sweat of the brow and now I stand alone." Objects par excellence.

L'arbre sec or the dry tree is a symbol for a cloth merchant and gave its name to a very old street in Paris. This wrought iron tree hung there until c. 1660. The street is located just next to the Samaritaine and I used to go there often to see a friend so I was particularly interested to discover the meaning of the name and its textile link. It seems that cloth merchants referred to Oriental legend for their symbol, since the most beautiful fabrics came from the East. The legend speaks of a tree visited by pilgrims to the valley of Josephat in the Holy Land. It was thought to have existed since the beginning of the world and to have grown on Lot's burial place; by the time of the death of Christ, the tree was dry.


At the sign of the cloth seller. Here the merchant holds the emblems of his profession measuring stick and scissors.

"How do you do?"

One of my favorite items in the museum is this candlestick that seems to be tipping a brass hat. It is really a bougeoir avec éteignoir automatique/ candlestick with automatic snuffer - an important item for those who liked to read in bed. When the candle burned low, the brass snuffer would fold over the flame, extinguishing it and preventing the start of a fire even if the reader had nodded off over his book. These items continued to be perfected until the beginning of the 19Th century.

Light fixture from 1930 which recalls the ancestral tradition of nailing the night creature to barn doors to ward off bad luck.

Dentist's pliers in the form of a bird head. The fun way to have a tooth pulled.

This robust 15-16th century door knocker seems to taunt us to have survived so many a man.
Its arms serve to balance its weight.

English lock from an Oriental cabinet.

Master project for locksmith. Note sun and moon emblems.

German orthopedic corsets, artificial arm, defensive collars (?).

Strength in numbers.


Door knocker with lion and salamander.



A magic lantern, ancestor of the projector.

Strong boxes and coffers.

Canes

Miniature furniture
The museum sponsored contemporary artists to create new "fencing" to surround the museum garden. Each panel represents a part of the collection. Here Epées by Ferdinando Nava, Carole Nava (St Cler-sur-Epte), Michel Mouton (Brussels), Florence (Arras), Ludovic Boyer (Paris).

The collection was started by pioneering photographer, Henri Secq (1818-1882) and continued by his son. It is housed in the former church St Laurent built in the late 15th century and renovated in 1911 for the millennium of the city of Rouen.

For further views and close ups, visit the site Musée Le Secq des Tournelles.

Stairway

Don't get lost in the stairway

Musée des Beaux Arts Rouen

Monomaniac

Yves Saint Laurent - Pierre Bergé bis

Little Augury has been exploring fascinating terrain in her recent post: should we judge a book by its cover? Literally and figuratively, we do. And if we do, we should take into account cultural bagage, what you bring with you when you are face to face with something new, with any experience in fact. Take the same book and observe the differences in the American book cover, the British one, the French one etc. Sometimes a flashy best seller from the US is published with an artistic or intellectual looking cover in France. The novel is the same, but our impression is different. Is this just marketing? (There seems to be less difference in recent years though.)

A book on art or decoration doesn't undergo such radical changes. There is the integrity of the work or artist to be taken into account, but choices are made. The results can be very different.The beauté above (top photo) is the cover of the French edition of the Robert Murphy/Ivan Terestchenko book on Yves St Laurent and Pierre Bergé. It is the purist of the three covers (see below and Little Augury).

Is that YSL and PB as the Greek god Janus, keeping watch at the gate of their secret paradise? Does Janus, looking to the past and to the future, mark the transition for the places, people and things contained between the covers of this book? The mood is solemnly commemorative as with a funerary stele. Is this a way of not turning the page?! In any case, even if this is the edition you prefer, the book that came out only in February is not available; it's already out of stock. Good news! The word from Ivan Terestchenko is that it will be available once again at the end of the year.

For more of the stunning photography of Ivan Terestchenko, click*

American

Open door, color, pattern.

UK

Closed space, graphic elegance.

Along with the aesthetic, notice too the title differences.

Are the differences more due to the respective audiences or to their views of YSL-Pierre Bergé?

The universe may be expanding but this old world is shrinking. Where differences exist, let them be celebrated, because even in imitating we always manage to create something new.

On the silver screen

The other day I had the pleasure of discovering Mankiewicz' A Letter to Three Wives. The story was intriguing, the dialogues sharply chiseled, the filming original. It's the story of three women who are leaving for an outing when they receive a letter from their mutual friend, Addie Ross. The letter announces that she is about to leave and never return - with one of their husbands. Addie is a sort of Rebeca we never see but whose voice narrates the story, a powerful seductress as much envied by each of the women as she is admired by each of their husbands. The fact that each couple is living through some difficulties increases the women's feelings of insecurity. Whose husband is it?

We see the house that each woman lives in. Deborah lives with Brad in a big house with a colonnaded porch. Addie tells us that Brad, who gave her her first black eye and her first kiss, bought the house before going off to war.



Deborah on her way to pick up Rita for a picnic with the other wives, while the men...?


Rita Phipps ( Ann Sothern) has been waiting for Deborah in front of her home in a neighborhood shared by those on their way up and those on their way down. "Rita is on her way up and wouldn't have it any other way," says the voice of Addie. She rushes back in to say goodbye to the twins, oblivious of her husband, George (Kirk Douglas).

The beautiful Lora Mae (Linda Darnell) is from a shack on the wrong side of the tracks. It shakes and rattles when the train passes by but Lora Mae stays cool and steady for she knows what she wants...

and gets it.

Lora Mae guesses the identity of the beautiful woman in the portrait. We only see the back of the frame.

Rita Phipps is the working woman of the three. An ambitious soap opera writer for the radio, she invites her over-bearing employer for dinner trying to win her favor. Her attempts to put her best face forward naturally include sprucing up home and husband. They purchase expensive Scotch for the occasion, though "Bourbon is a better drink," because it's in fashion with "those showbiz types." Husband is expected to wear his tuxedo and the housekeeper has a new uniform complete with a saucy cap that she detests - all this is designed to impress. George, a school teacher, is indulgent but fairly put off by his wife's attempt at pretence.

Rita: People in the show business, you know what I mean, those kind of

people always drink scotch.

George: Well, I know what you mean, but I wish you wouldn't say it in radio English. "That kind", not "those kind".

Rita: There are men who say "those kind" who earn $100,000 dollars a year.

George: There are men who say "stick 'em up" who earn more.

I don't expect to do either.

There is tension in the air with such a cocktail of personalities. The guests bicker and the oafish boss and her submissive husband won't touch the Scotch though the others find it very necessary to partake. There is a clatter...

when it comes time to dine. Sadie (Thelma Ritter) unveils the dining area by removing a screen Betty had apparently thought a more elegant way to proceed. Ah ha! The ultimate sign of

Rita's pretense!

The cumbersome folding screen practically comes tumbling through the viewing screen,

a struggle ensues,

the cap goes askew.

As Sadie wrestles to put it aside, she sighs wisely saying, "I tol' ya the screen was

a crummy idea. Soup's on."

Of course, this was a great screen moment for me ! Clever Mankiewicz.
I leave you to you to find out about the rest of the story.

Yesterday

If you are in love with the worn and faded souvenirs of yesterday and sometimes feel your most at one with humanity when it reaches out to you from the bygone days ... you might enjoy my views of one of my favorite fairs on the Ile des Impressionists. Now that I can't get my mind off Screens, it is naturally their direction I pointed my camera.

It must be difficult to restore some of these.

This double screen with views of Paris and Versailles dates from the 50s

and is in perfect shape.

Is it worth it to get an old screen or would a new frame be better for this sort of fabric model?

Color Identity -Colorstrology

photo from VOGUE Fée Couture by Michael Thompson robe Dior

I love all colors. I have definite leanings, but for me any color blooms in relation to other colors so I can't exclude a single one. Sometimes there's a color you just want to sink your teeth into. There's an immediate reaction. Is it emotional need?

Some people identify strongly with an animal, but have you ever asked yourself --IF YOU WERE A COLOR, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE ?

Just for fun, look into your personal color on this site; it's not necessarily your favorite color, astrologer Michele Bernhardt explains but a description of your personality based on your birth date.

"The colors we see all around us are a reflection of the sun's light in all its glory. It is
magic made visible. There is nothing more miraculous, unexpected or wondrous than seeing a rainbow appear in the sky.

You are part of that rainbow of light and just as being born on a particular day under a particular sun sign offers insights into your personality and nature, there is also a
personal color that corresponds to the real you. It is the color that reflects the very
essence of your specific birth date."

I don't know what serious astrologers would say about this but I did find that Aspen Gold had the right vibrations for me!

screen story - la suite

Screens have divided and conquered Eastern and Western living spaces through the ages. With their distant origins in China dating to the 300B.C., their use became more widespread in the 7th century China. First heavy, lacquered, relatively stationary objects, they became truly mobile when made of beautiful papers and cloths later in 8th century Japan. Their easy transport made them ideal for tea ceremonies or as backdrops for religious ceremonies, dance and theatrical productions. The wild enthusiasm for all Oriental articles of luxury and refinement of the late 17th early 18th century naturally included not only porcelains, lacquer furniture and silks, but also screens. It seems to me their introduction into Western living spaces altered our relation to those spaces.
( European illustration for a fan, 1700,Victoria & Albert Museum)

This very simple screen made from a frame with dark green fabric nailed through a ribbon on to it seems to show that the utility of screens had been known for some time already; a screen wasn't only a highly ornamental piece from the Orient. Homemade would do. (Gérhard ter Borch 1665)

Mme de Rambouillet (1588-1665) is thought to have first brought screens into fashion in France. Their introduction into living quarters coincides with the start of a new desire for privacy in a world where personal isolation was yet unheard of. Interiors were teaming with humanity. Aristocratic circles were surrounded by servants and constant social movement and in simpler home settings, one room served for everything and everybody; living was a collective venture. Folding screens could designate a more intimate space. Behind the protection of its shielding presence, one could listen and dream unseen. (Francois Boucher 1743)

Vast rooms would begin to be marked off with areas for particular domestic functions. The notion of comfort had started to make headway. Daybeds and low slung fauteuils encouraged a different kind of posture and less self-conscious behavior. One could set off precious chosen company as jewels in front of its richly decorated folds, the better to appreciate glittering banter or stylish readings. Luxury had met with a new sense of douceur de vivre, stiff etiquette could be relaxed here.

(Jean Francois de Troy 1679-1752)

With the progression of the home to a personal sanctuary, privacy became more and more natural to the point of being taken for granted. The 19th and 20th centuries saw homes become increasingly the expression of their owner's personalities and this as a prerogative for many.

The use of screens on the stage has long been known as a simple way to change scenery. To those who approach life as an art form, screens seem an especially fitting accessory for the home. You have only to provide the theatrics before the backdrop of your choice. Here's quite an example to follow with Dame Edith Sitwell in this famous photograph by Cecil Beaton.

Anna de Noailles, poetess with a flair for exotic costume. Many photographs show her with this screen positioned behind her daybed or her bed.

It's so much more effective to strike a pose against the vibrant color of a Chinese screen - a method tried and true for us in Western interiors for 400 years. Women's magazines throughout the 19th and beginning of the 20th century were filled with projects for homemade screens using postage stamps, wallpaper, or prints - just as today we may see similar projects using stencils, photographs or storage pockets.

André Arbus proves the utility of screens even in a very streamlined setting. There are no paintings on the walls but a screen of the same cream tones as the walls sets the accent on the sofa, giving it importance and a level of comfort that it would lack without it.

Click for more information on screens

Body-Spirit

If for any reason the body must be clothed,

the clothing should be to the body as nearly as possible

what the body is to the spirit.

HENRY HOLIDAY

painting from the Four Elements, Air by Mariano Fortuny

photos and model Knossos by Fortuny

Screenery

It came on innocently enough. A simple idea of moving the furniture around. Soon after, the obsession set in. And then came the need.

The living room was too heavy with two sofas. Project: open up the living room so it flows once again into the dining room by removing one of the two sofas. Easy enough, but this also means changing the television from its nice unobtrusive corner position to throne in the middle of the room facing the entrance. That's right, a cocky rectangular presence is going to be the first thing you see on walking into the living room. How's that for a decorating dilemma? And out with the grandfather clock given by Grandmère. But where is the piano going to go now that it can't be backed up to old big and bulky?

So I thought of using a folding screen in the middle of the room to nestle its leaves against one wall then to project out providing a backdrop for the telly's wide screen on one side and for the piano on the other. Its folds don't have to hide the TV but they should help to work it into the room more gracefully. Ideally it wouldn't go higher than 30 cm past the top of the television so the windows on the living room side and the dining room side would still be visible. An extra half wall, but better. The search began and I soon realized they were everywhere.

Mine would be a very utilitarian use of a screen. Come to think of it, how are screens usually used? In fact, they may be one of the most curious articles of furniture we have because they are constantly pirouetting between their useful role and that of objects of art. Any piece of furniture can be appreciated for its pure decorative qualities, but a desk is for writing, a chair for sitting, a table for eating. Whereas a screen . . . is all about limiting, hiding, revealing, showing off . . .
a screen . . .

*Dedicates a space to a particular purpose faster than any other means. This screen and bed were designed by Hubert Le Gall in the tradition of fine lacquer work.

photo: Jerome Galland, AD

*Hides what we don't want to be seen. A work area/office space, pipes, a sink or some unsightly but necessary element is tucked away from the general view. This Suttecliffe print work screen hides a stereo ...

photo: Huntley Hedworth

*Provides an additional wall and protection from drafts. The French name for screen is paravent, indicating a shield from dreaded courrants d'air. This one also serves as extra
gallery space.
photo:Jacques Dirand

* Stands on its own as an artwork.

*Replaces shutters as mobile window dressing for windows that don't cry out for curtains.
photo: Franck Bel

*Gives a bit of privacy to a dressing area. Think of all those titillating backstage moments in old films where an actress changes behind a screen, flinging one piece of clothing after another across the top all the while talking to her visitor. Nothing could illustrate better how a screen hides from and beckons to our attention at the same time.

Sometimes we aren't sure why they show up in an interior. They just happen to be
kicking around.
photo: Guillaume de Laubier

A screen...

*Creates a special place, a backdrop and a focal point. Cezanne used this one that he made with Zola when they were young in his Atelier des Lauves in Aix-en-Provence.

photo: Christine Soler, Maison Francaise

*It furnishes lonely corners and balances out a decorative theme.
Jean Michel Frank's straw marquetry screen illustrates one of his master stokes in the transformation of simple materials into precious surfaces. The first ever exhibit of his work in France opens today at the Fondation Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent.

photo: Jacques Dirand

My explorations don't stop here, but in the meantime I have bought a simple folding screen frame and pinned fabric to it.The game of permutation has begun whether the ideal solution has been found or not and the room feels better already, but I'm fully hooked on screens now.

To be continued...

top photos: Serge Korniloff, Décoration Internationale 17TH century Japanese;

Jerome Galland, AD

Autumn tea

Le rituel du thé, cette reconduction précise des mêmes gestes et de la même dégustation, cette accession à des sensations simples, authentiques et raffinées, cette licence donnée à chacun, à peu de frais, de devenir un aristocrate du goût parce que le thé est la boisson des riches comme elle est celle des pauvres, le rituel du thé, donc, a cette vertu extraordinaire d'introduire dans l'absurdité de nos vies une brèche de harmonie sereine. Oui, l'univers conspire à la vacuité, les âmes perdues pleurent la beauté, insignifiance nous encercle. Alors, buvons une tasse de thé. Le silence se fait, on entend le vent qui souffle dehors, les feuilles d'automne bruissent et s'envolent, le chat dort dans une chaude lumière. Et, dans chaque gorgée, se sublime le temps.

The tea ritual, this precious renewal of the selfsame gestures and of the same savoring, this accession to simple sensations, authentic and refined, this pass granted to each of us at little cost to become an aristocrate of taste - because tea is the drink of the rich just as it is of the poor, and thus the tea ritual has the extraordinary virtue of inserting a breach of serene harmony into the absurdity of our lives. Yes, the universe conspires to vacuity, lost souls morn beauty, insignifiance surrounds us. So, let us drink a cup of tea. Silence comes upon us, we hear the wind blow outside, automn leaves rustle and fly away, the cat sleeps in a warm ray of light. And in each sip time is sublimed.

L'élégance du hérisson/The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel BARBERY

The beauty and the rigor of a Japanese school of tea where each gesture of the tea ceremony is part of a meditation.

This has long been one of my favorite paintings of an interior. Isn't it inviting with the tea tray
just barely perceptible on the left? It was painted in 1898 by Thomas Matthews Rooke,
assistant to Burne-Jones.

En prenant le thé by David Emil Joseph de Voter 1825

Thé by Gérard Auburgan
Why is tea often associated with melancholy or pensive states?

Silence comes upon us, we hear the wind blow outside...

A book to explore: a French-English bilingual guide of some nice places to explore for tea time.

Salons du thé are more worldly but they are still places where

you take time to savor your steaming cup.

Pattern Profusion

Thinking about my last post on Sophie Digard's textile creations, I wondered where I would imagine seeing her work. I certainly imagine of her fabrics in a real textile lover's home. I got to picturing the way many textile lovers and collectors display their treasures in a way that amounts to a kaleidoscope of color and pattern. This can get oppressive but I think the above picture shows it is all a question of tone and degree.

Collector-decorator-textile specialist Michel Biehn's home/boutique in the charming antiquing town, l' Ile-sur-la-Sorgue in Provence, was sold in 2008. I was there for the first time only this August, so I missed it! It must have been impressive to see the textiles and objects made with as he says "hand and soul" collected since his teen years. Biehn didn't hesitate to mix all sorts of fabrics as the buttoned hound's tooth on the Syrian armchairs from the 30s proves above. The cushion with the circular patterns is Pendjabi; the orange one is Azara (Nomadic Afghan).

As a decorator, Biehn recommends working from a favorite fabric as a point of depart for a room.

His shop looked like a real Ali Baba's cave. The armoire is filled with Provencal quilts from 18Th and 19Th centuries; an Anatolian blanket and Sindh cushions are placed on a a Spanish velvet bench. Since closing shop, Michel Biehn is working on other projects. Something tells me he may still be in the process of selling his collections. His website, La Maison Biehn, is still up and is a delight to see. He is working on a guest house in Fez that combines with a Turkish bath, café, and exposition space.

Biehn is also an author. He has written many interesting books found in English on costume, lifestyle, and cuisine in the south of France. As one who likes good things and in quantity, he has written Healthy Recipes from the South of France (Mincir de plaisir). Since he managed to trim down considerably, it's probably a good book to know about for those of us who want to be reasonable epicureans!




These two have yet to be translated: La conversation des objets: Ou les confessions d'un collectioneur (autobiographical) and Cruelle coqueterie: les artifices de la contrainte (concerning cultural visions of beauty and how we torture ourselves to attain it or il faut souffrire pour etre belle).

In general, my favorite way to mix pattern doesn't forget to play off textures against one another.

Suede, damask, a remnant of tapestry, velvet, embroidered mohair...
photo David George

A patchwork of oriental carpets makes for an interesting staircase

photo Andrew Wood

Allegra Hicks expertly mixes her own designs in various weights and fibers with traditional textiles.

Here we see a cintamani embroidered cloth used as a bed cover and Indian silk tussah hangings along side geometric motifs. The foremost cushion is painted with a linear design called Emblem on raw silk. Monochrome shades of yellow keep a restful spirit for the bedroom.

More patterns for the bedroom - this time in contrasting dominants of green and red. Where to you prefer to rest your head?

3 photos Bill Batten

Sophie Digard at Maison et Objet

This year at Maison et Objet the influence of handmade textiles was surprisingly evident. Sophie Digard, well appreciated for her crochet and knit fashion accessories for about 10 years now, has made a recent foray into the world of interior design.


Her textiles may seem akin to what your granny made but the fine qualities of her yarns and the delicate color harmonies carry them into the world of luxury furnishings. Seeing these patterns on another scale gives a jolt. The upholstery for each chair is made to measure and if it takes about 4 months for delivery, the result is of lasting quality.



The craft appeal is plain to see. This seems to be an effective way to add warmth to a modern interior without weighing it down. Many of her patterns are patchworks or mosaics of color. These knobby cushions come in a wide color range of about 50 variants.


Only natural fibers are used and their quality is a pleasure for eye and hand alike.


The wool and linen of this bed set is supple and fine with a real luxury handle.

I particularly liked the subtlety of these textiles.

The entire collection is handmade in Sophie's workshop in Madagascar.

I fear the pictures don't do the cloths justice. Fabric is one of the most difficult things to photograph and a crowded stand makes it even worse! The first sample here has the wonderful textured appearance of handmade paper.

Maybe this shot from a magazine gives a clearer idea of the fine quality of the yarns

and craft in this open work shawl.

top and bottom photos from Selvedge

Maison et Objet: Jean Boggio for Franz

The stunning designs by Jean Boggio made up one of the most sumptuous stands at

Maison et Objet this season.

Since 2006 this designer from Lyon has paired his talent with the manufacturer Franz resulting in a style that combines French aesthetic with Chinese, creating rich but clean-lined, exotic and art deco inspired furniture and ornaments.


Black acrobats -

Boggio also creates many highly colored porcelain pieces
which are seen in abundance on his site.

His showroom in the rue Danielle Casanova just off the place Vendôme , Paris.

A gold and silversmith by training, Jean Boggio is also known for the fantastic flavor of

his jewellery.

La rentrée

La rentrée is more than back to school time; it's time for all life forms to get churned up again
to face the bustle of the oncoming Fall. This interior decorator's shop chose just the right fabric to screen the view during it's annual closing period.

2 SEPTEMBRE 2009

Time to open back up !

Jacques Grange's Refined Rustic

The morning's traffic report spoke of journées orange and ROUGE this weekend as masses of people head back home from vacation. So summer larks are just about officially over now. And though the weather report predicted hesitating skies (ciels hésitants!), I still have some summery subjects to share.

This is one straw house is not about to be huffed and puffed away, but is one of a group of four owned by Jacques Grange near the dunes of Alentejo, Portugal. They are made of rice-straw thatch and white-washed planks. Outwardly, these houses have kept the appearance of the traditional homes of Portuguese fishermen which are already bristling with charm; the difference here is in the measured detailing.

Since I spent part of my vacation among sticks and stones (previous post), I'm truly in the mood to appreciate the choices made here. What a change from the decorator's Palais Royal apartment! Some great decorators will not be pinned down to a single style. M. Grange is respectful of local tradition.

Banquettes made of cement serve as sunny day beds

Inside the volumes have been changed by taking down walls and new window openings added.

Ethnic pieces from various provenances, furnishing from the 50s and works from Pierre Passebon's gallery have been selected for their simple lines and interesting textures.

Bronze table with painted tiles is a delicate beauty from the Galerie du Passage. The designer was unfortunately not specified.

Bowl by Mario Prassinos on ceramic table by Roger Capron

Square corded armchairs by Audoux-Minet

Italian chairs from the 50s, table from Eric Philippe

American Indian baskets frame the door, Berber rug

1950s ceramics by Jean Buffile

chairs from Galerie du Passage, 18Th century ceramic tile panel from Solar, Lisbon

Sarongs from Indonesia and Syria

The guest room is Jacques Grange's rendition of the local straw tradition complete with pine floor. The bed is covered with a Syrian cloth and an Indian mat is used at the head of the bed. A wonderful place !

Outdoor shower and stools made from the plentiful local cork forests make this simple vacation home a practical place.

The important thing is to break with habit for vacation. Laurence Dougier's article in Maisons Coté Sud states Grange's desire to preserve the truth of place, striving for perfection and elegance of detail. Bien Vu!

photos Nicolas Mathés Maisons Coté Sud

Log architecture

One of my vacation spots this summer - was it just last week ? -
was in a rented log house straddling the Limousin/Auvergne regions.

Now a log house is no common site in France, so I knew it would be
something special - someone's dream house. A "tree house" as a vacation house. We rent houses often for weekends and vacation times and it is something I truly like. It's a grown up way of playing house - trying out living styles that I wouldn't normally.

In a way, the construction of this house was any thing but rustic despite the
rough-hewn logs. I was pleased with the attention to detail and the
respect for the natural forms in the placement of each and every
trunk of Douglas Pine. Every log was chosen for its position according
to its shape rather than adapting to wood to the general building
plan. The builder certainly enjoyed himself fitting together this puzzle.

Windows are fitted into the knots and irregularities. The closest thing
to this style is a mountain chalet with wide overhang of the eaves.

Here the building tradition is Scandinavian.

This projecting surface, like another one found upstairs inside the house, can serve as an impromptu bar (I put it to test!) or to place a piece of sculpture or plants.

Tender twigs

The builder found just the right log for this beam junction.


Another thing I liked about the house was that just because it was
built of of logs didn't mean that the theme was carried over to the
interior. No clunky log tables and chairs here.

This fireplace from the 17Th century was brought in from Tours.

"Armoire glace Madame"

X

As for the furnishings, they were mostly contemporary, art deco or
19Th century pieces with modern light fixtures and window
dressings. This is not an interior for purists of any kind ! Somehow -
as a vacation home - it all works.



The downstairs bath.

Handsome modern doors (Bombay rosewood?).


Sliding japonizing door for the upstairs bath.



The Venetian mirror here is faced by a 40s mirror-clad coiffeuse.

The house is neatly settled into land that has been pampered and
planted by the owner for many years prior to building the house.


A little zen garden was begun at the foot of the terrace.

Its 4 ponds are literally jumping with fish and crawfish all day and
night. Their splashes and the occasional sheep serenade from afar
are about the only noises around.

reputations

This slogan is also available on a mirror ! Hmmmm.

by Emmanuel Desormeaux et Jérémie Scart

from I love rien

Fêtes

A fascinating book on the subject of masked balls is Fetes memorables, Bals costumés 1922-1972 (title in English, Legendary Parties). It was written by Jean-Louis de Faucigny-Lucinge, descendant of the the princess of the same name pictured in the first photo of my last post "Artful Evenings."

artful evenings

hotel Masseran

While some were out gallivanting these recent summer days, others were pursuing the most edifying of divertissements, creating living masterpieces, fusing with the artworks with which they could identify and ephemerally striking a harmony with past masters for the time of an evening. Why it was just last month that the Comte and Comtesse de Beaumont thrilled the beau monde with the refinement of their costumed ball in their hotel particulier, Paris, rue du Bac. Ah, but time has warped ! This was another July and the guests some of the most creative of the high living aesthetes of their day, with that other legendary master of fetes and decoration, Charles de Besteigui, was among them.

Such perfection! The mansion's park was decorated by the Count himself and toward the rear of it curtains of green satin parted upon the presentation of each guest or set of guests representing a painting or sculpture.

The tradition of these living paintings, tableaux vivants was especially popular in the 19th century. Scenes depicted in paintings were meticulously reproduced and intended to awe and transport viewers and subjects alike. In very different contexts, this activity was merely a sneaky way to get around censorship and show a bit of flesh by proclaiming artistic endeavor. The most common use of this form of entertainment today comes at Christmas time in living nativity scenes.


The comte de Beaumont, a wealthy descendant of one of the grandes familles de France, was a painter and designer of stage decors for ballet, costumes and jewelery (sometimes for Chanel) and like Besteigui, was known for his masked balls and his generosity as a patron of modern art.

In May 1924 he inaugurated the "Soireés de Paris" at the Theatre de la Cigale at Montmartre. These artistic evenings were given throughout the year and provided music hall, ballet, poetry and theatre with the participation of Jean Cocteau, Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque or Erik Satie and Darius Milhaud. With his wife Edith, Etienne de Beaumont was at the origin of avant-garde films and ballets and after WW II founded the Association Franco-américaine which financed numerous important exhibits. Paul Morand, Maurice Sachs, Jean Cocteau, Marc Allégret, Bernard Faÿ, Léonide Massine, Lucien Daudet, René Crevel have described the fabulous personality of the comte de Beaumont; he and his home, the hotel Masseran, were models for the principal character and setting of Raymond Radiguet's Le Bal du comte d'Orgel. (source: IMEC)



Imagine a collection of these figurines for your mantel !



These photos by Brassai, pictures of another age, call to mind the Welly Bry party in an Edith Wharton 1905 novel in which Lily Bart poses as Gainsborough's portrait of Mrs Lloyd.


Tableaux vivants depend for their effect not only on the happy disposal of lights and the delusive interposition of layers of gauze, but on a corresponding adjustment of the mental vision. To unfurnished minds they remain, in spite of every enhancement of art, only a superior kind of waxworks; but to the responsive fancy they may give magic glimpses of the boundary world between fact and imagination.


Selden's mind was of this order: he could yield to vision-making influences as completely as a child to the spell of a fairy-tale. Mrs Bry's tableaux wanted none of the qualities which go to the producing of such illusions, and under Morpeth's organizing hand the pictures succeeded each other with the rhythmic march of some splendid frieze, in which the fugitive curves of living flesh and the wandering light of young eyes have been subdued to plastic harmony without losing the charm of life.

Edith Wharton The House of Mirth


photos Brassai for Plaisir de France Aout 1935

It's nice to go trav'ling

Voyager, c'est demander d'un coup à la distance ce que le temps ne pourrait nous donner que peu à peu.
To travel is to ask all at once of distance what time could give us only little by little.

PAUL MORANDThree weeks spent in three different places means new impressions - sights, smells, tastes, notions -to mix with old ideas. A bit of rest, a bit of sport, a smidgen of glamour, communing with nature, walking in history's paths, exhibits, conversations, books, new faces.... Who can tell the full effects of this potion? Plans and new projects start to bud. Vacation is about all these things.

Getting the big picture.

Criss-crossing civilisations

Taking a closer look.

But it's oh, so nice to come home...



(last photo by my daughter)

Drinking in the summer sun

And now - time for some rest and relaxation. . .

Hope you will all have a wonderful summer !

a room of his own

Are men neglected when it comes to traditional family homes? Men certainly carve out their own spaces very well and the existence of garconnières has a certain reality when they are on their own, but within the family circle...


A 1950 issue of Plaisir de France touches on the sleeping habits of the French as compares to Anglo-saxon countries. At this period, the article states, Anglo-Saxon countries twin beds seem to be the most current way of outfitting the master suite. In France, the shared bed and bedroom have long been the most frequent custom. Maybe movies made the separate bed configuration seem the only way at the time; filming restrictions wouldn't permit unmarried actors to lie in the same bed. We know, however, that both bedding solutions have always existed. I can think of examples of both separate and shared beds among my own grandparents.

But back to double beds in France 1950 - Should we rethink our habits rather than take it for granted that the bed and bedroom must always be shared the author asks? Custom should not take on the character of a dictate! This can be for the benefit of one as much as the other in a couple. With this in mind, the magazine proposes something we rarely see in magazines: Trois Chambres d'Hommes, three decorative styles for men's bedrooms.



"We think what many think and don't dare to say - that there are those who would find it agréable for a man to have his solitude, for work - or for reading into the late hours without disturbing his partner."


Paris apartment. Alcove with modern lit of Cuban mahogony to accompany the Directoire seating and tables, signed pieces by Jacob. Curtains and draperies of the alcove are of striped satin cream and bordeaux. Mantle with Empire style clock and oil lamps which form the sconces. (decorator Raphael)


Hotel living at Neuilly. Bed-divan and armchairs Brown leather covers the armchairs and bed-divan whose covering is of the same tone surpiqué with yellow. Coffee table, desk, and armchairs made of satinwood. (decorator Jean Pascaud)

Chateau in the Orne region of Normandy. Pine paneling with undulating frieze. Fireplace of green and white glazed brick. Bergère in natural tone chamois skin.

Bedcover and curtains of white cotton cloqué embroidered over with green, as the curtains. Niches painted bright green to set off bibelots (decorators J and B Barroux)

If you're going to do it, do it in style!

photos: The Thin Man, Plaisir de France avril 1950, drawings by Louis Moles 1950

Remembrance of vacations past

The French side of my family (my husband's) has a habit of remembering what they were doing at different points during the year and comparing this year's April with last year's April, this year's autumn occupations with those of the last year's... "Was there much rain? Were there many mushrooms in the forest? It was dry with a scanty harvest two years ago. Lots of giroles and not many cepes. It was definitely in 1998 that we visited Ecouen; I know because we went there in the new Peugeot that we had just bought the month before. We couldn't have gone to William Christie's concert at the Theatre de Chatelet in 2001 because we knew the Bereaux already and we saw them there. It was in 2003!" And so on and so forth.

If there is any dissension, out come the datebooks to verify, because most things are noted down. Always comparing, pinning down, reliving the rhythm of seasons and events. Keeping time. My own memories are often more nebulous, but their ways have gained me little by little. So as I've been preparing for a different trip this year, I've also been thinking about last summer.


Everyone knows that July and August are not considered the optimal months for visiting Louisiana. Still, when one is in need of true heat and a real change with the sultry grip of a place's reality thrown in, it's a good place to go. The sacro-saint vacances d'été dictate a period of discovery, relaxation, or contemplation for the summer months - and if you can have all three, so much better the bargain.

Last summer at this time, I was in New Orleans and made a point to go down the River Road and off to visit more of southern Louisiana. Some of the places I had never been to and some I hadn't seen for a long time.

Hoary branches dangle over passing alligators

the graceful symmetry of oaken reverences

The Laura plantation, a new discovery for me and one of my favorites from last summer.The site is especially informative and has great pictures of Laura and the plantation's inhabiants.

a closer view of spirited creole color

Louisiana is a nostalgic place. Long ago, I lived there, but there's still room for discovery. Travel is often synonymous with exploring new places and people, but there is also a kind of unveiling of the familiar that comes with a different outlook, emphasized with distance and time. You can't go back? I like to think we share places that touch us and take a little bit of them away with us.

photos of Rosedown, Destrehan, Laura, and Shadows on the Teche plantations

pois de senteur

De tous les sens, l'odorat est celui qui me frappe le plus.
Comment l'odeur, le goût, se font-ils parfum,
comment nos nerfs se font-ils nuances, interprètes subtiles, sublimes
de ce qui ne se voit pas, ne s'entend pas, ne s'écrit pas avec des mots ?
L'odeur serait comme une âme, immatérielle.

Of all the senses, the olfactory is the one that strikes me the most. How do smell and taste make perfume? How do our nerves make nuances, subtle, sublime interprets of that which we cannot see, cannot hear, cannot write about with words?
Smell would be like a soul, immaterial.

Marcel Hanoun

quatorze juillet

Sizzling, sparkling city. After the pomp of the day's parades on the Champs-Elysées, the night's festivities promise to be exceptional.

Celebrating France's fête nationale and the 120th anniversary of its Iron Lady, a 3D firework display has been planned by the same team that dreamed up the pyrotechnics for the year 2000. Images will be projected on the tower in tribute to Gustav Eiffel and the beauty of his design. The poster above is a bit of a curiosity, so I'll be eager to see how it turns out!

top photo Amandine Masina, poster Mairie de Paris

bookish

I was very pleased to participate in Little Augury's summer reading interviews. It's funny how we can discover our own tastes better when we have to pin them down for someone else. Little Augury has a penetrating gaze and a very creative way of interpreting fellow bloggers.

Her interviews are fascinating and fun and give great book ideas -some

of which are perles rares.

Go take a look ! It's not just for my interview, look at all of them. They are sure to inspire !

images: Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face, Félix Vallotton, Jean Cocteau

Last show?

The robes were mostly black, the salon in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs

was donated, the audience deeply moved.

To one of the most sensitive and original of the couturiers,

good luck and may you rebound from these difficult times.

la mariée

Voilà l'été

Summer fun music by the Négresses Vertes:

VOILA L' ETE

Voila l'été, j'aperçois le soleil
Les nuages filent et le ciel s'éclarcit
Et dans me tête qui bourdonnent?
Les abeilles!
J'entends rugir les plaisirs de la vie
Cest le retour des amours
Qui nous chauffent les oreilles
Il fait si chaud
Qu'il nous poussent des envies
C'est le bonheur rafraîchi d'un cocktail
Les filles sont belles et les dieux sont ravis.

Voilà l'été. . .

élégance masculine

On tailoring - and toilettes in general . . . a few words respecting dress and tailoring may not be out of place; for nothing is trivial in life, and everything to the philosopher has a meaning. As in the old joke about a pudding that has two sides, namely an inside and an outside; I mean, that there is in a man's exterior appearance the consequence of his inward ways of thought, and a gentleman who dresses too grandly, or too absurdly, or too shabbily, has some oddity, or insanity, or meanness in his mind, which developes itself somehow outwardly in the fashion of his garments.

The Book of Snobs
WM Thackeray

I'm going out into lonely territory, but I like ties. Sorry if the weather is hot wherever you are and you don't even want to think about it; I still like ties. They are the most precious article of men's attire these days. Why it had to dwindle down to this is perfectly silly, but that is the case. So why not celebrate that little scrap of fabric you men tie about your necks. Of course, I'm so crazy about fabric that naturally I seek the refinement of ties. There are so

many beautiful patterns to choose from, surely they permit

you to express your personalities a little.

(top photo Thierry Mugler reversible silk shantung tie)

ever chic Bill Nighy in Good Morning, England

1950 Italian advertisement


Balthus with thickly knotted tie photo Man Ray


beautiful textures of linen and silk from Ermenegildo Zegna

"la véritable élégance est moins loin de la simplicité que la fausse" Marcel Proust

Gary Cooper's nonchalant elegance 1935


Kenzo's mixed patterns

Jean Cocteau with his jacket worn as a magician's cape - not recommended for lesser mortals, but it does set off those long hands well

All photos except that of Bill Nighy from La Grande Histoire de la Cravate by Francois Chaille

Fashion forecasts

Court costume from Louis XIV to Louis XVI was a matter of donning the vestments of function as king or entering into the rites of one's situation in relation to the king. It had little to do with fashion. About appearance, yes, but as it serves a role, fulfills a duty. Last Sunday I rushed out to see the final day of the superb exhibit at the chateau of Versailles, Fastes de cour (Court Pomp) 1650-1800.

Dashing young Louis XV at 7 with jewel encrusted coat

This event required 10 years of preparation. Part of the difficulty in putting it together came from the astounding fact that although Paris was furnishing all the royal courts of Europe of the period, nothing is left of France's own royal wardrobes. All of the precious and fragile costumes exhibited here are from Sweden, Denmark, Poland, Russia, and England where coronation and wedding dress was carefully preserved as relics. Blame the revolution - or look perhaps to the church who often recycled textiles of its noble benefactors for the clergy.


The sumptuous garments, jewels, paintings and documents tell us we are in another sphere. It's not just the richness and solemnity of it all. All is codified. The closer you were to the King as a woman, the longer was your train. For men, a higher rank was distinguished from lower by the addition of a border to his cape. And do not dream of appearing before the king without the adequate attire. Pas question ! Louis XIV was very clever to get this whole etiquette business started and used it as a constant sign of his power. As long as his court was occupied with this, there was no time for plotting against him.

What we realize through the exhibit is that there were no real changes in the shape of royal costume. It is the very image of immutable royal power. Since this power is invested by God; the king is his highest priest or God himself as Louis XIV would have had us believe. The outward sign of his power is the opulence of dress made of silver and gold threads and embroidered with diamonds and other precious stones. Some cloths seem to be made of metal repoussé so sculptural is the effect.

a bouquet made of gemstones intended to be hand held by a lady

of the court St Petersbourg

detail of Louis XV regalia: hand of justice, scepter with fleur de lys, crown

detail of portrait of Marie Antoinette, feminine but with regal attributes:

fleur de lys, hermine, crown

even more feminine

Interesting to note that Marie Antoinette's move toward fashion when she sought a more personal way of adorning herself, took her out of the realm of a royal icon. Her portrait in a fashionable négligé in garden surroundings by Elizabeth Vigee-Lebrun in 1783 was considered a scandal. True, we don't recognize her as a queen. The Queen's playing paysanne contributed to delapidating the royal treasury and this for gowns that did not even follow l'etiquette. She was certainly not assuming her role ! She did not look like a queen and would not be one much longer. As irony would have it, the only gown left of this first fashionable queen is the négligé - not in this exhibit - she wore awaiting the guillotine. Yes, we can say that fashion forecasts, only its signs are easier to interpret with hindsight.

Here is a view of the exhibit from the vernissage. It wasn't possible to take pictures so do watch the video even if you don't speak French. I don't know how long it will be kept on youtube.

Life in the chateau

Le luxe est la discipline de la prospérité - André Gide

The house was still far from being ready, but the King
thought he would never get the workmen out unless he moved in himself. As he was adding to it and improving it, he probably never saw it without any scaffolding at all....

He was now finishing the Galerie des Glaces where Le Vau's
first floor terrace had been - the proportions of that facade
sacrificed to the king's need for a vast reception room.
However, what the house lost outside it gained inside, for this gallery is still one of the beauties of the western world.

Seen at night soon after its completion, the painting and the
gilding fresh and new; lit by thousands of candles in silver chandeliers and candelabra, furnished with solid silver consoles and orange tubs; crowded with beauties of both sexes, dressed in satin and lace, embroidered,re-embroidered, over-embroidered with real gold thread, and covered with jewels, it must have been like Aladdin's Cave or some other fable of the Orient.

The Sun King Nancy Mitford

To my friends making home improvements, know you are in good company.

A little understanding

“Everyone wants to understand art. Why don’t we try to understand the song of a bird? Why do we love the night, the flowers, everything around us, without trying to understand them? But in the case of a painting, people think they have to understand. If only they would realize above all that an artist works of necessity, that he himself is only an insignificant part of the world, and that no more importance should be attached to him than to plenty of other things which please us in the world though we can’t explain them; people who try to explain pictures are usually barking up the wrong tree.” Picasso

Gremlins

There seems to be a gremlin in the blog works these days. I haven't been able to post much recently and so somehow it seems that things are getting published or sent out to subscribers of their own accord. I'm not in complete control here ! Soon I will be posting more often again and maybe the spirits of the blogosphere will be appeased.

Après la pluie, le beau temps

A storm came cracking down during the night. Its violence in this region that rarely gets searing lightning and roaring thunder was welcome. Though we pass through some difficult moments, they can't be prolonged eternally.

Après la pluie, le beau temps is the title of a book by the Comtesse de Ségur. It's also a proverb that promises the inevitable turnaround of events and brighter days ahead.



photos: popoF, kleun, forum.doctissimo

Pieces of a puzzle

Another find at Nobody & Co, Missing chairs. I love the dynamic of these chairs and could easily imagine having all 7 to group and rearrange following the moods and needs of the moment.

Even one isolated chair makes a strong sculptural statement.

This white version is almost phantomatic, very striking.

would you, could you ?

When I first saw this bibliochaise I found it ingenious but a little on the messy side. It is difficult to have enough room for books at home and there is something cozy about literally being surrounded by them, but those uneven bindings that poke over the top made me uncomfortable. Am I being silly? Yet there's something fun going on here and I can imagine this chair in an Arts and Crafts type study or a snug-rugged corner in an open loft space. It can be completed with a matching footstool, bibliopouf, that provides even more book space. The Italian editor, Nobody and Co. , delivers your choice of colors for the chair and upholstery which you used to be able to click through and try out on their on their site. I just saw the revamped site and it is much warmer and appealing even if it provides less information. So, book lovers, what's the verdict? Would this make you claustrophobic or cozy?

Cléo, Charlotte and the others

Little scratches left from promenades long ago

Pleasantly different

Elizabeth Delacarte left her older Haussmannian apartment in Paris for a building from the 1930s with cleaner lines, more open volumes. With the ornate style of furnishing she favors, she felt too many moldings and decorative details would be, well , too much. It's nice to have your own gallery of contemporary limited edition furnishings to choose from when you furnish your home. Most of us would settle for just a piece or two from her palette of modern baroque designers and some might say that anything more would be overdone.

The console, clock, and fish candlestick above are by Mark Brezier-Jones. Painting signed by

Francois-Marie Antonioz.

The Turkish red entrance sets the stage for the apartment's most dramatic piece, a Hubert Le Gall cabinet studded with carved panels of varying sizes that give its surface a heaving rhythm from top to bottom. Table by Hervé van der Staeten, mirror Hubert LeGall, rug Robert Le Héros.

Details of the precious and imposing cabinet-bar by Hubert Le Gall: the exterior is composed of a set of boxwood stamps from the 19th century destined to illustrate a history book ordered by Louis-Philippe - historic scenes, architectural elements, battles, etc are encased in bronze. Sheathed with poirier noirci, the inside of the cabinet evokes a tabernacle but a closer look shows its contents to be a conglomerate of pretzels and salty crackers molded in bronze. C'est l'heure de l'apéro ! If I were to choose one piece for my own home, this one would do. I might just settle for the clock in the first picture.

Bookcase-sideboard of dark stained oak and bronze specially designed for the space

by Frank Evennou Tables "Marguerite" of bronze and resin by Hubert Le Gall, sofas by Alexis de la Falaise, mirror and sconces by Mark Brezier-Jones, fauteuils "Trevise" of painted steel by André Dubreuil. I would have prefered the Dubreuil chairs near the windows; the sofa doesn't sit well with me in that position. Of course, we can't see the whole room.
Commode by Mino

Rug by André Dubreuil, oak and bronze desk and lamp by Frank Evennou, S-chair by Tom Dixon, miniature desk by Laurence Picot, painting Bruno Dufourmantel

See many more examples of these designer's numbered series at Avant-scène

photos Guillaume Guérin

un, deux, trois, cat

Hail Bastet, goddess of house and hearth ! A few weeks ago I came across these pictures that I can't seem to forget. Just whose identity comes into play here? What Kate Potter has captured

is more than her subject's deadpan calm.

More than architecture

Paintings by Elie Lascaux (1888-1968) now on exhibit at the Musée des Années 30 de Boulogne-Billancourt. Though a friend of Cocteau, Salmon, Malraux, Artaud, Léonardi, Dubuffet, Limbour, Picasso, et Radiguet... this little known painter is in a class of his own. His particular style of naive representations depicts a precise, if dreamy world.

On holiday by mistake

It all sounds so idyllic doesn't it, a weekend escape to the country? For two out-of-work actors in one of the most hilarious films I know, it's away of avoiding their squalid flat and too much time on their hands that leads to nasty questioning. Withnail and I's two central characters, played by Richard E. Grant(Withnail) and Paul McGann (I) , are in desperate need of a break from the grim life of waiting for a role in 1969 London. Of course, being down and out, they approach Withnail's fabulous uncle Monty (Richard Griffiths) to persuade him to loan the keys to his country home. Seeing the amber comfort of his London home, it seems promising. From a decorating point of view, this is the story of three homes.

Their shared grey Camden flat is a wreck steeped in personal memorabilia, but not completely devoid of charm, or wouldn't be if Withnail were not such an impractical slob. Their kitchen is the worst of it with unwashed dishes that have stacked up to a scary state and suspected rodent life beneath. And then there's the dealer friend that has a way of showing up.

So off to the country it is. Only, it would be better not to arrive completely unprepared at night in the pouring rain with Withnail in a railing state of drunkenness.

It's not exactly what they had imagined.

Things look pretty grim. Simple things like heat, food, and adequate booze are not easy to come by. The country folk are less than welcoming and take them for extraterrestrials. And they might as well be for all they understand of how to do things for themselves where they have landed. "We've gone on holiday by mistake!" they explain, begging for help finding food in the drenched countryside.
But when Monty shows up by surprise, all those mundane worries disappear. Suddenly we don't recognize the house. Cold, creaky, and uninhabitable become cottage-y, cozy and warm. The gramophone is cranked up. Food becomes cuisine; thirst is more than quenched with fine wines -but some appetites cannot be satisfied. Withnail has encouraged certain misunderstandings in lovesick Monty.... And as for their acting careers, Monty, too, had once had theatrical aspirations, but he sighs, there's always ''that morning when you wake up and say, 'Alas, I shall never play the Dane.' "

romantic hideaway

A moonlit bedroom in Provence, the window is open to let the warm air flow through. A homey image to stir the romantic memories of times shared there. This illustration was part of a letter, but the text supposed "compromising" has been erased.

I came across these pictures in the American edition of House and Garden from October 1987. I was struck by the lengthy articles and in depth information to be found. American and British magazines are always more ambitiously expansive than their French counterparts, but in these days, it was even more the case. The article by John Richardson that accompanies the pictures carries the titillating title Picasso's Secret Love and it tells the story of the lost year in Picasso's liaisons amoureuses, 1915-16. Decidedly, there could have been no respite in this domain for Picasso; there had to be a woman on the scene and she was Gabrielle (Depeyre)Lespinasse. Wedged between Eva Gouel and Olga Kokhlova, she was never heard of until the 1950s when she sold some of the artwork he had given her. Not much of her relationship with Picasso is known even today.

The letters and paintings are touching, naive. In our world where everything becomes more clever and sophisticated just to survive, these gentle, almost childish declarations from the great and godly Picasso astonish. "Don't be sad," he scratches in blue ink and encourages her "to take your mind off things by looking at the little dining room. I will be so happy with you."


Je t'aime de toutes les couleurs. The simple surroundings must have been their haven of love.
JE T'AIME JE T'AIME JE T'AIME... in six different colors.

The belle Gaby shown in profile.

A collage commemorating their love. The inscription shows how serious Picasso was about Gaby. "I have asked the good lord for your hand." At 35 Picasso had never expressed faith in God nor a desire to be married. Their interlacing names, a calligraphic embrace. Did Picasso ever have anyone who called him by his first name?

Gaby Depeyre was promised to another and went on her own way to marry him. Lespinasse was an American painter-engraver. The lack of details known about Gaby and Picasso's affair speaks well of the discretion of all those concerned.

A country hide away belonging to my friend Catherine.

A place to escape the driving city beat and to get back in touch with the earth. Especially important for Catherine, who gave up a beautiful apartment to live with her amoureux in a peniche (houseboat) on the Seine.

This house in Normandy has since been renovated, but all the poetic simplicity is still intact. It's a matter of understanding a place. Everything doesn't have to be sophisticated. We need contrasts in this life.

Little red drawers

One good thing about starting a blog is that it gives yet another justification for saving tear sheets, articles, and piles of magazines. I have years of visual goodies stored up from decoration (can't bring myself to say "shelter") and fashion magazines. My cup runneth over; this is but part of the collection. I have to admit that I enjoy paving the room with images, but it is time for a better system.

Help is on it's way -- welcome little red drawers. A steal at Ikea for 30€ the set of 6 drawers. They will be rolled into a nearby closet once that is cleared out in its turn. Organisation is underway...

(One bad thing about starting a blog is getting less exercise...)

Sensitive

Some of the most refined creatures to roam the earth seem to have discerning noses. Several come to mind who compose some of the world's finest perfumes. There's Serge Lutens (Shiesedo - Serge Lutens), Christian Astuguevielle (Comme des Garcons), Jacques Polge (Chanel) .... We've already had a peak into Astuguevielle's apartment which is beautiful but a little more like a gallery from my point of view. Serge Lutens is said to be very secretive. I've never seen views of his interiors in Marrakesh or elsewhere and doubt I ever will, but his stylism for Shiseido and his own boutique in the Palais Royal is proof enough for me of his impeccable taste. Don't give me Paris Match, Gala, or Hola! ... I'm not interested in social lives of people I admire, but give me a glimpse of their inner sanctum and I feel sure I know them better.

Jacques Polge, fragrance director at Chanel these last 30 years, lives well among books, art,
rare objects, and distinctive color harmonies. There is a lot in his home, but it doesn't seem weighed down, nor does it seem to be a stage set.

A corner for perusing his many books and art catalogues. The fauteuil rocaille reminds him of one painted by Matisse in 1946. Lamp by Serge Roche, table by Pierre Le Tan.

Table and chairs en raffia signed by Audoux-Minet

This alcove has become a very special place with theatrical lighting and 50s seating by Vietti upholstered and bound in tomato red fabric.


Do the Great Noses perfume their homes ? I would imagine they do, with the smells of good homes - wax, a log in the fireplace from time to time, old leather, fresh linens, flowers...

photos Jean-Marie del Moral from Atmosphères

Look up in Bruges

Bruges is a many faceted jewel of a city

Branché

Ceramic artist Roos van de Velde framed a passage from one room to another in her home/workshop with branches inlaid in the plaster walls. The flowers are made of porcelain and are an example of her own work. (photo Bernard Boccara)

Fabien Rochoux, formerly a florist, continues the tradition of rocailleur in his sculptural work that imitates nature. Using early 19th century techniques of modeling cement around metallic armatures, his designs will improve with time. A twist of ivy crawling up the side and a sprinkling of moss will only add to their appeal. (photos Sylvain Thomas)

Popping through paintings

Why do we buy paintings? There are many reasons to like a painting. Of course, we might collect a particular artist we love and there are also those who use art as an investment, but I am more interested in our reaction face to face with a work of art. There is pure aesthetic response -the colors and shapes are pleasing to the eye. Maybe the style and tone seem to be just the thing for a particular room in the house. Sometimes a work of art reminds us of another work of art, so we feel we already understand it. Or we recognize what is depicted and it creates a bond with that place. Have you ever found a portrait that looked like someone you knew? In my childhood home were a pair of portraits, the elegant woman looked like my mother and the man with glaring eyes like my great (and grumpy) uncle. They became honorary ancestors. There are those who like to people their walls with portraits they find pleasant-looking, thinking they are easy to live with and make good company, while others are horrified at the idea of letting strangers into their home!

I'm usually very spontaneous about paintings and like many different styles for all sorts of reasons. I think the reflections and ... rationalisations come later! As an art history student I liked to look up artists in the Bénézit. In recent years, I've found that I love to research whatever I can about the artist or subject through the Internet. There is so much to be learned and to bounce off.

This broken-down fairytale tower isolated in a lush green forest appealed to me immediately. In style, it seems to be part of a detailed background landscape in a northern Renaissance painting, but it's a painting in its own right. It isn't a mysterious, majestic ruin such as those by Caspar David Friedrich or classical study by Hubert Robert, though the subject tickles our romantic imagination. I do know the effect would not be the same if the tower weren't
splitting apart.

Taste for ruins runs back at least to the 18th century when real classical vestiges were contemplated as sculptural vanities. First coming from England and Germany, this spreading fashion called for newly constructed ruins to meet the demands for soul-searching promenades in the park. Some of these crumbling edifices can still be appreciated in Paris in the Parc Monceau or the Buttes-Chaumont. Was my painting a souvenir of this fashion? I know it was painted before 1893, but I have never yet made out the artist's signature. Since I know who it belonged to and where he lived, M. Léon Berlière, musicien-chef d'orchestre à Etampes, I was able to discover that the tower had really existed and that it still stands today. A visit was in order.

The tower is still a landmark in the town of Etampes, located about one hour away from Paris.

The spring greenery is higher around the tower these days than in my painting. The small building below the tower seems more modern as well. Was that the painter taking artistic liberties ? In any case, the painting is better with the more primitive looking structure.

The tower was not built to follow the whims of 18th or 19th century fashion but was once the keep of an 11th century fortified castle.

Its surroundings are now park grounds where families come for picnics. It hasn't crumbled down since my painting was done. In fact, it has been restored, but as a ruin. It is a reminder of the strengths and weaknesses of the past, the ambitions of men come before us to be read in each of its remaining stones.

Here is a good view of the split tower unobscured by foliage.

photo Ville d'Etampes

"The effect of these compositions, good or bad, is to leave you in a state of sweet melancholy. We fix our gaze on the debris of a triumphal arch, a portal, a pyramid, a temple, a palace, and we come back to ourselves. We anticipate the ravages of time, and our imagination scatters to the ground even the edifices in which we live. Just then, solitude and silence rules around us. We alone remain of a whole generation that is no more; and that is the first line of the poetry of ruins."

L'effet de ces compositions, bonnes ou mauvaises, c'est de vous laisser dans une douce mélancolie. Nous attachons nos regards sur les débris d'un arc de triomphe, d'un portique, d'une pyramide, d'un temple, d'un palais, et nous revenons sur nous-mêmes. Nous anticipons sur les ravages du temps, et notre imagination disperse sur la terre les édifices mêmes que nous habitons. A l'instant, la solitude et le silence règnent autour de nous. Nous restons seuls de toute une génération qui n'est plus ; et voilà la première ligne de la poétique des ruines.

DIDEROT

Sign Language

Kuba cloths are some of the most moving fabrics I have ever come across. Their appeal is immediate, but even deeper appreciation comes with closer contact and contemplation. We respond to these decorative fabrics easily because they are decorative but, like much primitive art, they strike a chord down deep in us; something about them seems strangely familiar.

The designs I like best are irregular and have movement in them. It is as if their patterns take on a life of their own and start crawling around, metamorphosing themselves as they make their way across the fabric.

These cloths made of palm raffia were worn for important ceromonies. These highly valued cloth squares could be folded up easily and used as money. Sewn together to 4 meter lengths they made up skirts. Their generic name is ntshak = woman's skirt. The secrets of weaving raffia are said to have been revealed to the Kuba people of Zaire (Congo) by their king around 1600. Though he was the son of a slave, King Shyaam a-Mbul is said to have used magical powers to appropriate the throne. His travels had exposed him to raffia weaving and appliqué embroidery techniques. He was an artist-king who created new textile designs and encouraged artistic development in many fields - sculpture, iron work, architecture, tailoring.

The king's active participation in artistic life was something of a tradition among the Kuba people. An anecdote recorded by Christian missionaries in 1920 tells of their receiving a new motorcycle that they proudly showed to the King Kot Mabiintsh. The king wasn't impressed by western inventions, but was fascinated by the tire tracks left in the sand and ordered his artisans to copy the designs.

There are three kinds of Kuba cloths:

*damasks whose designs are made through the weave itself

*dyed fabrics (sometimes using reserve techniques)

*embroideries including velvets and appliqués

I felt I really started to understand Kuba cloths once I started to take them apart a bit to translate them into my own designs. Sometimes they form a vision of the cosmos, sometimes they are playful and bend themselves into visual jokes. Unravelling, reweaving. Above are two examples of velvet kuba cloths.

Their graphic impact influenced many of the artists who changed our way of experiencing art at the beginning of the 20th century - Picasso, Klee, and Matisse, who collected numerous examples and hung them on his walls. The sculptor, Aristide Maillol felt that African art contained more ideas in it than even Greek art.

Klee Project 1938

Chillida Gezna I 1969

Photos Massimo Listri from the catalogue Le royaume du signes Musée Dapper

Sit for a Portrait

The imposing back of this armchair will set the sitter off from his surroundings. The wide backrest reaches up high and provides a sort of halo that defines a special place. Perfect for a portrait sitter. Although the materials say casual, I think you must be conscious of the distinction that radiates from this structure and have to live up to sitting here ! No slouching, please. But isn't it pretty! It is from the Crinoline collection designed by Patricia Urquiola at b&bitalia (many other pieces to be seen on this very chic site) and is made of polyester and aluminum. Its ancestor is the Peacock or Empress armchair traditionally made of cane that was first created toward the end of the 19th century. I learned these terms the other day while reading Style Court, where we are reminded that Morticia Addams sat in just this sort of chair! I can confirm that this is true, since part of the American education of my children consists in watching the DVD collection of the series. I hasten to add that this is only part of their exposure to American culture.

The model above is perhaps not as imposing, but the asymmetry of the enormous kashmir

boteh motif adds interest here. The result is striking.

He was talented; he was erudite; he was chic. This is a portrait of Philippe Jullian, the illustrator, historian, biographer, and author. Homme du monde. Most known for the Dictionaire du snobisme and Les styles, his caricatures are sometimes cutting but always insightful, guiding us to the truth about a certain time, a certain society through its interiors. The first years of his journal 1940-50 are to be explored in the recently published volume by Grasset. Like Osbert Lancaster writer of Homes, Sweet Homes, whom he cites as his inspiration for his livre culte, Les styles, his sketches and texts enlighten us with his very personal vision of the Middle Ages up to the goût du jour of 1961, date of publication. A man like this does not sit in just any chair for his portrait.

Here comes the sun

I was sure the sun would come back out. I'd love to have this tree swing or "fauteuil suspendu" from the collection 1900 at Fermob. It's available in 24 colors! What a good way to wake up a classic design. Any of the ghostly models in the former post could be imagined with such splashing color.

This is the company that was chosen to produce exact replicas of the famous green chairs found in the Jardin de Luxembourg. They marketed a slightly modified version for the general public in 2004 which quicky became a bestseller.

Jean-Charles de Castelbajac has a new collection with the same company.

Their site is really worth a visit!

Still, the charm of these chairs can't be denied. Hervé Baume makes them according to traditional wrought iron methods and comes out with some of the highest quality furniture of this kind.



It's always nice to have unobtrusive company in the garden. I spotted this greenery feline at Paradis Express. Delphine tends to seek out the unusual for her site, but she covers all aspects of gardens and outdoor spaces great and small. I think my landscape friends would enjoy a visit.

Meubles en Fer

So it's raining. We can still dream of the play of light and shadow filtering through the trees and enjoying new blooms while being comfortably settled into furniture that suits our little corner of Paradise. After all, it might be sunny tomorrow and well, we can imagine what we want in daydreams. These pictures come from an article in Plaisir de France from 1935 that speaks of "the importance of furniture in the decor of our gardens," or says it would have given that title to the article if it hadn't seemed too pedantic! In fact, metal outdoor furniture goes back to

Francois I in France when the influence of Italy for gardens and the mediteranian way of life was strong.

The oldest piece in the Edouard Montgommery collection: a Louis XIII folding armchair with woven hemp elements. Though this piece is rigid looking, in keeping with the rectilinear shapes of the time -- the natural possibilities of metal work often lead to elongated curves as in the small table above.

With Le Notre under Louis XIV, gardens à la francaise become a high art form and metal furniture styles are further developed. Germany, Poland, and Russia also start a vogue for garden fashion, but it is principally in the south of France that this craft industry develops. It continues today with companies like Hervé Baume.

Directoire

Empire

Restauration

This bench and chair from 1880 belonged to a Mme Tréfusis. Together they make the perfect setting for a family group photograph with the men in straw canotiers and tennis skirted women.

Sous le charme

What a nice surprise! While browsing through the papetries department at the Bon Marché the other day, I came across these simple dainties. I was really taken with them when I realised they were made from emptied silk cocoons that had been dyed.

It's not the silk flower than what we usually imagine. And it's an ecological way to use everything, silk thread and the outer cocoon.

So, thank you little mutant creature, at our service for our demands of luxury. You cannot fly

because you are too heavy, but just one of your silk worms can produce a treasure of 1.5 km of thread. Now we don't need to discard your fuzzy, papery cocoon.

(close up of bombyx mori butterfly)

Totems of Texture

Views of artist-designer Christian Astuguevielle's Paris apartment with his rope covered furniture and objects. Tables are made of chestnut tree branches à l'état brut. Primitive refinement with a ritual presence.

photos: Roland Beaufre from Maison Francaise

Fleur Fétiche

I can't fight it. I started off this blog talking about anemones and they seem to be jumping out at me from everywhere. That happens sometimes and even to the point of obsession with certain subjects. One little person can have lots of obsessions! Is it part of the creative process? But this isn't like that. No, modest little anemones couldn't be like that. They just nod their pretty heads at me and look out wide-eyed. One of my finds this weekend at a flea market was a 19th century watercolor. It is a precise, classic rendering and so delicate! Small format for intimacy. The seller assured me that it would benefit from an airing out with a larger frame and a marie-louise (mat). She is absolutely right, but that didn't stop me from hanging it up right away.

Speaking of subjects that just keep coming around, Déco in the city recently featured this tea service by Bernardaud. It seems Bernard Buffet delivered two propositions for porcelain decors in 1979. One design was produced in 1981 as a full porcelain service. The other has recently been taken out of the files to create today's tea service. While Buffet is not one of my favorite artists, I think his distinctive contour style works very well here.

On a more playful note, I found this tissue paper bouquet very sweet and would like to try it in pink, purple and red. It comes from the activités bricolage of Tête à Modeler, a craft site for children.

Finally, with the handcrafted charm of an accessories line made for the most feminine and playful of filles, Trois Petits Pois makes barrettes and broaches with anemones as well as other other hand painted motifs. Artist-illustrator, Sophie Chouin, shows a variety of items and her perky paintings inspired by fashion of the 20s and 30s on her site.

A Crystalline Home

I once met Isabelle de Borchgrave for a fabric project concerning her painted silks. In that brief encounter, her intensity and talent were evident. Since, I've seen and admired more and more of her seemingly endless work in textiles, painting, ceramics, right up to her incredible paper haute couture dresses and historic costumes. It is all fanciful and poetic with a graceful, classic foundation. Her home is yet another work of art.

Now, I am one for artistic mixes and personal touches, but what is even more striking here is the luminous quality of this home. But just what gives it that particular sparkling trait ? I'm convinced that it is not just the light colors and wide windows. It is the way our eyes are guided from one area to another through various lattices and transparencies: here a caned chair, there a crystal chandelier, the mullions of the windows, a wire bird cage, the Creil ceramic baskets.... After all, in natural sciences, a lattice is a set of points or objects over an area that form the geometric shape of a mineral crystal. This house was bound to shine. Our focus is guided around each room as in a well-constructed painting. We can't be bored here, yet all is tranquil. There is a kind of dancing calm in these rooms.

A collection of glass objects in front of the window catches and throws out light.

Isabelle de Brochgrave painted family stories on the ceramic tiles in the spirit
of Portuguese azulejos.

The pouf is covered with an embroidered fretwork design. On it, sits a pierced Moroccan lantern.

An allegorical mobile is made of cut copper.

The strap work on back of the cabriolet armchairs is her own trompe- l'oeil painting!

Meeting of materials: the glistening fabric of a Turkish coat is suspended on the patinated glass of a trumeau next to some of the artist's paintings.


photos Richard Boutin

Après-midi à Versailles

It's the 1st of May and I don't mind that not many places are open. A few florists, cafés, bakeries, and antique shops plus one bright, smiling sun make for a perfect afternoon outing.

1st of May Brin de Muguet

Au mois de mai, fait ce qu'il vous plait... here's a bit of sweet Lily of the Valley to celebrate the May Day holiday. Take a walk, have a picnic, do what you like...

Porcelain Lovers Unite

My husband tells me that there used to be a jingle for Bernardaud that still comes to mind for a lot of people. It sums up the essential -- Bernardaud, Limoges ancien, Limoges contemporain... (see below).

I know I love both old and new styles and mixing both. Why limit ourselves? A post by The Peak of Chic a few weeks ago discussed how porcelain was sometimes thought of as fussy and then went on to prove the contrary with fabulous objects from the Nymphenburg Porcelain Manufactory in Munich. That post inspired a trip to the manufacture Bernardaud at Limoges last week. The lastingness of these proud porcelain manufacturers lies in their willingness to evolve with the best of the times in terms of art and technique and never to lose their traditional savoir-faire. Bernardaud dates only to the mid 19th century, but incorporates the Ancienne Manufacture Royale Limoges founded in 1797. It is particularly known as dynamic family enterprise and for close association with artists and designers of the day.

Plates by Kees Van Dongen 1950s; tea service by unmarked designer

We all know the name Bernardaud, but do we realize how inventive and closely tied it is to the art world? Kees Van Dongen, César, and Bernard Buffet count among Bernardaud's illustrious designers. In 1952, Marc Chagall signed a service, each piece with a different decoration. Raymond Loewy, Franco-American industrial design guru, created a revolutionary table service in 1967, mixing round, oval, and angular shapes. Later came painter Zao Woo-Ki and Hervé Van des Straeten, India Madhavi, Olivier Gagnère...

Porcelain making is one of the fascinating arts of fire, along with glass and metal working. It's not a wonder that many of today's designers with sometimes no special background in porcelain, are taken by it and wish to explore all its possibilities.

Olivier Gagnère, whose work is well known in ceramics, glass, furniture and interior design, already has a certain body of work with Bernardaud. He speaks of the magic transformation that takes place in porcelain and glass making and admits that working with these materials requires a lot of humility and patience. He is probably most known for his peppy striped tabled service, Galerie Royale.

Song vase by Olivier Gagnère

Cul vase by IBU (Irena Borzena Ustjanowski)



from the Al Dente Collection designed by Marco Mencacci


Tasses 1000 by Designers 5.5
(Vincent Baranger, Jean-Sébastien Blanc, Anthony Lebossé, Claire Renard)

These limited edition cups are playful -- imagine getting your hand around them for a surrealistic tea party!

Couronne vase design Martin Szekely




Anno cup design by Sylvain Dubuisson

Salsa cup 50s style with sits with spinning effect on its saucer. Unfortunately, I couldn't find the designer name.

Pensées

Boulle inspired by the marquetry of the 18th century cabinet maker




Paradis tray


Diam plates, Loop cup design Christophe Pillet





One ring and Forever necklace are part of a large selection of jewelry that is well-distributed.

See more at Bernardaud and explore all sorts of historic pieces atAdrien Dubouché the porcelain museum of Limoges.

Manufacture Bernardaud

Just as depicted on this plate, the Manufacture Bernardaud stands today in Limoges with studio shelves copiously and ever so carefully filled with thousands of unfired examples of its treasures. This location operated fully until 1991 when the factory set off for modern premises just outside the city. Still in partial use as a work place, today it can be toured with a guide and demonstrations of the porcelain making process.


The Chinese were able to keep the ancient secret of their fabulous art of porcelain making until the 18 th century. Before this, these sophisticated products were known only to royalty and certain aristocratic European collectors who admired them for their beautiful translucent quality and fineness, as well as for their strength and impermeability. What a contrast with other opaque ceramics or fragile soft-paste porcelain made in Europe at this time ! Desire for exotic Oriental porcelain had reached fever pitch in the Occident in the late 17 th century and continued well into the 18 th. Experimenters in Europe had long been trying to equal Chinese products. This had already been accomplished in Saxe in 1708. The competition was on. Finally in 1767, the wife of a surgeon in Limoges found a particular clay that worked very well to launder her linens. Thinking it a sort of natural soap, she showed her discovery to her husband, who in turn showed it to an apothecary. Analysis proved this special clay to be kaolin, one of three ingredients along with feldspar and quartz, necessary for producing hard-paste porcelain. Limoges would now achieve world-renown for its porcelain artistry.

There is something beautiful about all these white molds and raw pieces. They have a mat glow, but careful this is not bisque -- fragile !

Handles and spouts are cast separately by pouring slip or liquid paste into special molds. These items are then attached to the body of an object with with brush applied slip -- never with glue.

Each piece is fired at least twice. One 24 hour passage in the kiln strengthens and makes the piece porous. This is bisque firing. After the piece has been dipped into glaze to make it impermeable, next comes a second, extremely high temperature firing. The final tureen at right shows a shrinkage of 14%.

These vessels have been fired twice and may or may not be decorated and fired again. They can now be tested for any imperfections with the flick of a finger. A perfect piece will have the characteristic ring of porcelain. Notice the Louvre pattern teapot and The Marie-Antoinette Laiterie coupe.

More finished examples to come !

Peace and Quiet

On ne peut pas vouloir tout et son contraire. Off for a peaceful week in the country, I thought I'd be able to send at least a few posts. This was not to be, but somehow it's a good thing that everything isn't the same everywhere. It is still possible to get away from it all, even if it isn't always entirely on purpose.

Turn of the 20th Century Interiors

That people could come into the world in a place they could not at first even name and had never known before; and that out of a nameless and unknown place they could grow and move around in it until its name they knew and called with love, and call it HOME, and put roots there and love others there; so that whenever they left this place they would sing homesick songs about it and write poems of yearning for it, like a lover...

William Goyen House of Breath

A house is such a strong symbol. Refuge and edifice, it expresses who we are and sometimes who we'd like to be. It is a witness to so many important events and silently echos other more everyday acts. Last week you saw the Maison Prisonnière, a villa that is uninhabited, locked up, but that will surely one day break free of its chains. Any house represents many possibilities and also contains many memories. That particular house strikes the imagination because it seems lonely under its cloak of vines in the midst of an otherwise well-kept neighborhood. The shutters are left to swing on their hinges and creak in the wind. A broken window pane lets the wind howl through and may provide the only breath of fresh air that gets inside. But this was a family house and maybe even a proud dream house once. These turn-of-the-century paintings by Félix Vallotton help to imagine what the inside might easily have been.

joyeuse paques

Just before Easter, from Thursday until Sunday morning, the church bells will not ring throughout France. This tradition dates back to the 7th century as a sign of mourning in remembrance of the crucifixion. The bells are said to have sprouted wings to fly off to Rome where they are blessed before coming back to each town laden with chocolate eggs. On Easter morning - Paques - the bells chime once again and children search for chocolate treats in the garden. And so in the life of objects, there is work to be done. This is the only case of holiday mythology I know in which the inanimate comes to life. As long as the children get their chocolate. . . .

maison prisonnière

This house in the Paris suburbs is waiting for a new day. It appears to be abandonned, yet every so many months an old woman is said to be seen behind the gate, causing a stir among the school children walking by. By all rights, she is a witch. Before she disappears into the overgrown foliage, she shakes her finger at the them, "Il ne faut pas montrer du doigt! / It's not nice to point!" Although there are stars lining the eaves in orderly single file and there is a headless sphinx to guard it - the house is not faring so well. One day, la belle endormie will awaken, but every sleeping beauty requires a prince.

Esthétique Usine

With time and distance, things can be appreciated in a different way. This great print is a silk scarf found in a nearby antiquités-brocante. I like it in the same way I like the industrial looking black bisque coffeepot designed by Ineke Hans that figures on the Printemps Home catalogue. It's fun because we don't often see shapes like these for dress or in the home. More than representing the sleekness of the machine age, there is something primitive in these shapes that suggest the inner workings of plumbing and circuitry. Post-Fernand Léger tubular.

If I had received this scarf as a gift in 1961, the year it was made, something tells me I wouldn't have appreciated it at all, much less worn it. These must have been gifts to executive's wives or honored visitors to the factory it advertises.

Times change and I can now appreciate it and marvel at it. It is a 1961 calendar that boasts the capacities of a steel working factory with stylized pictures of its machines. The days of the year make up a cogwheel in the big industrial machine. But tradition has not been left behind in this modern factory; as is usual in France, each day of the year is associated with a saint and all those with the saint's name are remembered that day too. Everyone has his name day. It is clear that even saints go in and out of fashion. Here we see names we don't often see today (click for close-up) - St Tibure, St Fructueux, and my favorite,

St Quasimodo who is celebrated the 9th of April. Bonne fete, Quasimodo!

More Morrison

Yes, Jasper Morrison designs more than just chairs. He has offices in London and Paris and his shop can be found just under the London office. I found these serene accessories on his website: www.jaspermorrison.com/

Take a Seat

Jasper Morrison believes that furniture design is all too often appreciated only in a visual way through magazines and media exposure. That is why it was important for him to permit visitors to try out the 21 chairs of his design at the Musée des Arts Decoratifs in his exhibit, Take a Seat. As he says, we are all chair experts in the sense that we all know immediately if a chair is comfortable or not. As much as we might admire its curves and angles, a chair is not a piece of sculpture.

Does the perfect chair exist? There always seems to be something to criticise; they are either too expensive, too strange looking, or their back legs are too easy to stub our toes against. Is the back too low, too high, or too straight? Is it too heavy, too noisy, not stable enough ? In fact, there is never a sole solution. Morrison strives to perfect existing designs rather than aiming at innovation for innovation's sake. His goal is to make everyday items a pleasure to use without any gimmicks intended to sell them and that will quickly pass out of fashion. Along with fellow designer, Naoto Fukasawa, he coined the expression "Supernormal" to refer to this philosophy of lasting values for ordinary objects.

The Thinking Man's Chair (1986/2009 Cappellini, Italy) was inspired by an antique chair with a missing seat. With two small "tables" at the end of each armrest, it was destined to be called The Drinking Man's Chair. When working with pipe cleaners to make a model he noticed the brand's slogan, "the thinking man's smoke." Morrison immediately thought better of his first title.

Plywood Chair (1988 Vitra, Switzerland) Morrison made this chair himself from birch plywood sheets and a jigsaw. Another model exists with the back filled in, which the designer says is more comfortable but less exciting.

La Tourette (1998) was comissioned by the La Tourette monastery to replace its noisy delapidated refectory chairs. The monastery is located in Eveux north of Lyon and was designed by Le Corbusier. Morrison spent time here admiring the architecture and finding inspiration in its chapel benches with similar floor rails. He feels they lend the chairs a somewhat religious nature. They must also help to fulfill a technical requirement -- that of quiet chairs ! The chair is made of oak and teflon. Should we recommend it to parents of babies learning to walk?

Cork (2007 Vitra, Switzerland, 2007) Originally designed as small side tables, but most people take them as stools. There exist several shape variations that are made of recycled cork stoppers -- a material that is waterproof, rot proof, even termite proof.

Pipe (2008 Magis, Italy) The lacquered aluminum Pipe chair uses bicycle making techniques to create one of the strongest chairs ever made. This armchair version has the addition of resin reinforced plywood made with old, east German technology which is equally strong but warmer in character.

Getting personal...

Some pieces of furniture are not only particular; some have real personalities to contend with ! Do you ever look over at a table and wonder if it might just do a little jig or notice an armchair and not feel alone ? It is a terribly anthropomorphic view, but what follows is a small sampling of some of the characters I have come across.

table c.1700 photo LS Jaulmes

table mid 17th century chateau de Chenonceau

armchair beginning 18th, Italian photo Dupuis et Verdier

side chair by van der Velde 1895

slipper chair by Leleu c.1940

armchair Pipe by Jasper Morrison 2009

The room was singing love songs...

Here is a nostalgic song with a sweet melody that was interpreted to perfection by Frank Sinatra in 1947. The lyrics too are sweet -- and slightly silly. It talks about a couple going in and out of love and a room that reacts with sorrow or glee. The whole spirit is childlike and magical and just a touch melancoly.

poetry stills

Since looking at Cocteau's Santo Sospir, these poetic rooms seen in an article by Marie-France Boyer in the October 2006 World of Interiors kept coming to mind. These paintings were done by the contemporary artist-poet, LP Promenheur. Though the theme here is natural, not mythological, both Cocteau and Promenheur have responded to particular places and have expressed themselves in solemn, still, poetic lines.

The mysterious LP Promenheur (the name is a combination of promeneur and bonheur) is not a public character like the sophisticated Jean Cocteau, nor do these walls contain sparkling dinner parties with the other stellar artists of the day. Instead, we see here the artist's "mistress," the one he comes to see and adorn, in ritual visits down from Paris to this modest house in the counyside outside of Chartres. There does seem to be a real ritual going on in this interior; the drawings of superimposed animals make me think of cave paintings in prehistoric times. The house is a work of art itself, a silent chapelle dedicated to beauty. (photos Eric Morin)

Chateau de Who-ville

Yesterday, while walking past an engraver's shop, I saw this:

an engraved, sampler-style invitation that announces a reception by a count and countess at the chateau of Houville.

Wouldn't Dr Seuss be pleased?

La Bretagne: Forest friends

Sculptural meditation in the forests of Brittany

sketchpad

I've always thought Jean Cocteau, with his long, elegant aesthete's figure, chiseled face, and expressive hands, was the very picture of his art. The Figaro magazine ran an article on Santo Sospir, the house he decorated for his friend, Francine Weisweiller in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. This brillant touche-à-tout --poet, playwright, film-maker, visual artist -- was known for his dynamism and the originality of his work that shaped the artistic forms of his time. (portrait by Man Ray 1922)




In 1950, he undertook to tell mythological tales on the blank white walls of Santo Sospir with his distinctive, flowing line drawings. His style is classically modern like the arrangement of the house.

The dining room is lined with reeds and seems intimate and warm.

Several pieces of furniture decorated with rattan - the table, sideboard, chest of drawers - were sent from Bali and Sumatra by Madeleine de Castaing. If you click on the photo for the enlargement, you'll see in greater detail the tapestry of Judith and Holophernes woven to Cocteau's design in Aubusson. The lamps just before the frieze of jaunty Greek keys are a nice detail.

to the bedrooms

My favorite picture -

the feeling is pure and simple. Note the false moldings on the ceiling and their clever echo in the rug below.

(photos Chistophe Lepetit)

la Nouvelle-Orléans

This weekend, Madame, weekend supplement to the daily Le Figaro, is devoted to accessories. Among the peppy pictures of candy-colored handbags, belts and shoes, these funky black and white pictures by Chantal Stoman stood out.

Bi-color bags and shoes are graphic and right in line with this atmosphere of a

New Orleans (that) lives again, sensual,
joyful, hybrid. It still sways to the beat...

I've always been crazy about two-tone shoes!

It always warms my heart to see reporting on New Orleans in France -- even as a backdrop. Vive la Nouvelle-Orléans!

Raoul Dufy and me

I like the closely gathered round arrangements, but I love to see the twisty stems of anemones turning this way and that as in Dufy's painting of pinks and purples, or in my own vase of delicately pink-tinged white blossoms.

Lalique

As delicate as its scent may be, the anemone has a powerful presence and inspired several designs by Rene Lalique, the "Rodin of the transparent." This perfume bottle was originally designed by Lalique in 1931, which seems to have been the heyday of this type of scent. The anemone is the symbol of fragility and bonheur intense -- intense, but fleeting happiness. It is also known as the windflower.

I remember long ago in my first years in Paris seeing a neighbor coming in with his weekly bouquet of flowers on Friday evenings. Inevitably, he'd cut the stems of anemones very low and place them into a small round vase. There were more flowers of course, but the end result reminds me very much of this flacon.

anemones

This is an ad from the February 1928 La Femme Chic à Paris. I love anemones, simple and sweet...but is hard to imagine a perfume built around them. In fact, the variety used in composing a perfume is probably different from the faintly scented florist's flower.

open the windows

La Femme Chic à Paris is a review that was published in the teens and right down until at least the fifties. The rare older issues I have come across have all been truly lovely. What beautiful, rich colored plates! The odd thing is that none of the artwork is signed and no credit is given for it. This delicate and fresh cover seemed the right way to usher in Spring.