Wednesday 23 October 2013

interior design: English country house style

I cannot tell you in which magazine this feature on John Roger's countryside home appeared, but I'm guessing either World of Interiors or House Beautiful, as it's written by Carol Prisant. Roger heads the Antiques Department of Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler, an English design firm established in the 1930s. He was a barrister and one day he walked into their showroom to buy a lacquered desk and his career took a quite different turn. There is a detail of the desk in the photo below and you can see it stand in the corner of his living room. I find his house in the country delightful, homey yet stylish - uncluttered country style appeals to me. I also like the landscaping, which isn't too formal. I wish I could tell you more from the article but these are scans I found online and they don't contain the interview with Roger.

On a personal note, it is time for my blog break. The next weeks will keep me busy and I'm not sure when exactly I will return to blogging, probably towards the end of November. I promise some news when I get back. (If you are a Pinterest user you will find me pinning while enjoying my coffee.) À bientôt!

photo credit:
Elizabeth Zeschin (scans) via Kitchens I Have Loved

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Tuesday 22 October 2013

Venice daydreaming

I was going through a stack of papers yesterday when I found a travel magazine that I had forgotten, featuring travel inspirations for Italy. When browsing through it I was reminded of this print by Klas Fahlén in my files. Isn't it fabulous?

I wonder what Venice is like in the autumn.

photo credit:
Klas Fahlén

Monday 21 October 2013

brighter shade than pale 17

Welcome to a new week! As you can see, my computer is still alive but after describing its condition to a friend that works in IT the verdict was: "I believe your computer is singing its last hymns." That is putting it gently, isn't it?

Today I'm thinking about flowers and plants. I guess it's because of those final moments of gardening before the cold starts kicking in. Makes me wish I had a conservatory. And not just any conservatory! I want Jasper Conran's, which I have already posted on the blog.

photo credit:
1-2: Laura Dart for Kinfolk / 3: Nicklas Rudfell for Residence Magazine via Solid Frog

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Friday 18 October 2013

Bon week-end




As I will be quite busy in the next weeks and won't have the time to nurture my blog the way I would like to, it was my plan to take a blog break soon. I hadn't decided when exactly I would start the break and then yesterday I believe my laptop, which sometimes seems to have a life of its own, probably decided to start the break for me. Parts of it seem to work while other parts clearly aren't (for the Mac users out there, my Finder simply isn't functioning, and it refuses to relaunch). I think it's time to purchase a new computer and give this one its final rest after years of faithful service.

Anyway, if my laptop survives the weekend I will be back next week. For now, I wish you a wonderful weekend!

photo credit:
1: Country Home via Abbey Smith / 2: Lavish Locations via The Caledonian Mining Expedition Company

Thursday 17 October 2013

Paris: one year ago at the Palais Royal


At the Palais Royal, Paris · Lisa Stefan
© Lisa Stefan | Books & Latte
Please visit Books & Latte to read more.


Tuesday 15 October 2013

Space: a dining room with antique touches



The owners of this dining room in a Spanish manor house are antique dealers and I like how they use white and modern chairs to give the space more balance. I included that second photo so you could get a better view of the chairs and the beautiful floor tiles. As you know already, rustic spaces appeal to me and I'm even more interested in them when they are clutter-free and balanced, like this one.


photo credit:
Nuevo Estilo

Monday 14 October 2013

Interior design: Walnuts Farm



This charming rustic house, Walnuts Farm, is located in East Sussex and is a film and photographic shoot location. It is a traditional Wealden farmhouse, built around the year 1800, surrounded by woodland and meadows. The dog is a Blue Whippet called Blink and is often featured in photo shoots.


photo credit:
David Merewether for Wealden Times

Friday 11 October 2013

Bon week-end



This morning I was reminded how wonderful it is to start the day with coffee and freshly baked muffins. After our oldest had caught the train to go to school I made carrot muffins with Downton Abbey rolling in the player. The other two children are staying home today and I was sure they would not say no to muffins when they woke up.

Got any plans this weekend? It will be a quiet one in our house with plenty of rest to chase this flu away. I'm also thinking chicken noodle soup with ginger.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Thursday 10 October 2013

notes à la mode 39

An old and good one from the 1983 Cerruti ad campaign. Maybe the 80s weren't so bad after all.

photo credit:
Paolo Roversi for Cerruti 1983 ad campaign via encensmagazine

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Wednesday 9 October 2013

brighter shade than pale 16 - autumn II



I wanted to create another post expressing my autumnal mood. I have already said it on the blog that there is something about this autumn that I find particularly delightful. The weather has been lovely, I have been drinking extra many lattes in the city and I'm reading such good books (I got a new stack yesterday at the library). This morning I realised that we have clearly entered a colder season; I'm at home with one sick child. I'm also a grass widow as A is spending the next days in the UK. But I have the best entertainment. In the mail today I got season 3 of Downton Abbey, which I hadn't seen. Cannot wait to let Maggie Smith crack me up with her one-liners!

photo credit:
1: Chris Court Photography via The Murmuring Cottage/Tumblr / 2 + 6: Andrew Usachov / 3: Sofia of Mokkasin / 4: Unabashedly Prep / 5: Marc Jacobs Autumn 2013 via Vogue US / 7: unknown source via Book Simple Home/Tumblr / 8: from the book French Country Cooking by Elizabeth David via Pilvenhattaraa / 9: David Prince via 79 Ideas / 10-11: Colin Cooke for Sweet Paul Magazine, Fall 2011 via Greige | styling: Paul Lowe

Tuesday 8 October 2013

Space: a living room in Dalkeith



This living room is an Oswald Homes design. It belongs to a residence in Dalkeith, a suburb of Perth in West Australia. This particular angle of the living room appeals to me. There is something very appealing about a space that is filled with books, where floorboards meet a traditional rug, in this case red, and a neutral coloured sofa. The neatly decorated glass coffee table adds even more charm. What I also like about this angle is seeing how casually the books sit on the shelves - looks both homey and elegant.

photo credit:
Oswald Homes via Design You Trust

Monday 7 October 2013

interior design: romantic style in Madrid

This romantic and beautiful flat is in the Salamanca district in Madrid. The designer is Belén Maroto of Arpa Arquitectos. It's such a refined and sophisticated style, without being boring. I like the mixture of furniture and the soft colour palette (love the colours of the cushions). There is so much to take in and admire in this home, all kinds of wonderful details.

The kitchen floor is to my liking.

And finally, some feminine touches in the bathroom.

[Update: Due to a maximum-photos-per-blog-post policy at El Mueble I have removed images from this post. Please follow their link below to view more.]

photo credit:
El Mueble

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Friday 4 October 2013

Bon week-end



As I write this I'm enjoying tea and home-made biscotti and listening to the rain pouring down - feels rather nice and makes the apples on our tree look even more red. By my side is Louise Erdrich's The Plague of Doves, a novel I'm thoroughly enjoying (so far, my favourite by her), and the October issue of British Vogue. This is the kind of peaceful morning I have been waiting for. It seems like I have been so busy lately, always running errands and going back and forth between our town and the city. Now it's time to relax, today it's a well deserved me-time day.

Have a wonderful weekend!

photo credit:
Venetia Scott for Vogue UK, October 2013 via Photoshoot | Georgia May Jagger in 'Dream a little dream' styled by Bay Garnett

Thursday 3 October 2013

Space: old floorboards



The floorboards of this narrow landing in a UK home make my heart beat faster. I find this space homey and charming, and also a bit autumnal, if one can use that word to describe a space. It makes me want to put on warm socks, and grab a book and a cup of tea. The rest of the house is just as charming, especially the kitchen, which I have pinned here and here.

Have a lovely day!

photo credit:
David Merewether for Wealden Times via Kiyoaki

Wednesday 2 October 2013

notes à la mode 38

That Karl Lagerfeld managed to inspire me with about five looks out of eighty-nine was the biggest surprise of this fashion week season. That is, for me.

CHANEL SPRING 2014
Before this Paris Fashion Week, which ends today, I cannot remember when was the last time I enjoyed a Chanel show. Maybe back in 2010 or 2011. Out of old habit I viewed the show and by look four or five I was already yawning (how often can the classic Chanel suit be redone?). Then something happened towards the end of the show, something wonderful. All of sudden I felt inspired. I was even smiling. Luckily Scott Schuman of the Sartorialist posted two of my favourite outfits. His pictures are more interesting than the usual runway photos.

I haven't had time to view many spring collections but I have to say that one of my biggest disappointments this season was Haider Ackermann and his rockabilly collection. Have you viewed it? It's a designer that has made it to my list of favourites and I was looking forward to see his show. It turned into one of those moments where I found myself thinking what the hell just happened?

DRIES VAN NOTEN SPRING 2014
You know all about my love for Dries Van Noten. Despite the frills (not for me) and occasional weird styling (at least for me), there were plenty of items in his spring collection that I really liked.


Still the sheer length of the show allowed for a complete picture of Van Noten’s aesthetic—his way of hinting at the folkloric and ethnic and the kind of women who’ve always wanted to weave world-traveling souvenirs into their wardrobes. “I thought about how Tamara de Lempicka, Loulou de la Falaise, and Charlotte Rampling dressed,” he said. “And I wondered how they’d do it today.” That would explain the translations of peasant smocks in natural, undyed fabric and lace, and the elaborate tasseled-carpet-shoulder bag which lent its influence to tassel-fringed knits further down the line.
from the Vogue US review by Sarah Mower [grey font, mine]

Some weeks ago a friend from Antwerp posted on her Facebook page that there would be a Dries Van Noten exhibition in Paris next year. It takes place in the Les Arts Décoratifs from 28 February to 14 August. This can only mean a trip to Paris next year.

STELLA MCCARTNEY SPRING 2014
My knees went weak when Stella showed this navy suit on the runway in Paris. Want it!

BOTTEGA VENETA SPRING 2014
Such a chic look from the Bottega Veneta collection presented at the Milan Fashion Week. One can always count on Tomas Maier for something classic. I wouldn't mind having that skirt in my wardrobe.

photo credit:
1-2: Chanel Spring 2014 via The Sartorialist / 3: Chanel Spring 2014 via Vogue US / 4-9: Dries Van Noten Spring 2014 via Vogue US (5 + 6 cropped by me) / 10: Stella McCartney Spring 2014 via Vogue US / 11: Bottega Veneta Spring 2014 via Vogue US

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