Archive for April, 2009

Marie Antoinette’s Cozy Weekend Hideaway

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On your next trip to Paris be certain to visit Le Petit Trianon, on the grounds of Versailles. It is a fascinating chateau that has just been reopened after a significant renovation. Marie Antoinette used this “cottage” as her escape from the formality of court life. Louis XV originally built it for his mistress Madame de Pompadour in 1762. She died before it was finished, but his next mistress, Madame Du Barry, was a sometime resident. In 1774 20-year-old Louis XVI gave the chateau and it’s surrounding gardens to his 19-year old Queen Marie Antoinette for her exclusive use. No one was permitted to enter without her express permission (even Louis). She created a “working farm” (the servants did the work). A table in the dining room was designed to be raised and lowered through the floor so the servants below could serve without being seen; the idea was to create the illusion that the informal aristocrats were on their own. Makes the storming of the Bastille a bit easier to understand, doesn’t it?

Wallpaper as Artwork

Photo by Brown Cathell

When the walls in a home have decorative artwork, it’s important that the wallpaper provides a relatively simple and clean background. Sometimes, however, it can be possible for the wallpaper to become the artwork. In rooms without decorative wall pieces, more typically in bath or powder rooms, wallpaper can provide the visual excitement of fine art. In this case a paper using old French posters as inspiration creates a charming, upbeat ambiance in the guest bath. 

Don’t Put Your Feet on This Ottoman!

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Sometimes an ottoman is much more decorative than a cocktail table, with an oversize tray on top adding the utility of a table. The ottoman provides color and texture and additional seating if needed. In a large room an ottoman can serve a similar function in front of a fireplace with flanking chairs.

Pictures at an Exhibition

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I love books (or films) about Paris in the 1930s and 40s, and this debut novel by Sara Houghteling offers a fascinating look at the art world of the time. The subject is a Jewish family of art gallery owners and their fate during the Nazi occupation, continuing with their son’s quest to find his family’s vanished paintings after the war. While the narrative is fiction, it is based on the true stories of the preeminent Parisian art dealing families of the time, and the remarkable tale of a French woman who worked as a double agent inside the Nazi’s stolen art stronghold. 

Texture on Texture

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The goal of the window coverings in this sun room/office was to create a more intimate feel. This was achieved by covering the two, overly large windows with woven blinds as well as a pair of framing panels. Positioning the frame on the inside of the windows makes them appear smaller. Combining different textures also enhances intimacy: the woven wood blinds are framed in cotton with an embroidered pattern at the edges of the frame, topped with a rod of bamboo. The textures play off each other, adding depth and sophistication to the look. 

Cath’s Cradles

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A few years ago I had a lot of fun doing a Nursery For Twins at a show house in Rumson. I designed a pair of cradles for the room that have never found a home. They look so forlorn in storage, with their cute curves finished in a light teal glaze against a cream background. If you know of someone who’s expecting please have them take a look. I would have the initial of the child’s name painted on the back, and I promise that the value would be extraordinary—draping and duvee included!

Baby Pea Soup

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Recently I served a new recipe of pea soup at a dinner party and it was so well received that I decided to share it. If your only frame of reference is the classic split pea you will be in for a big surprise. This soup is light and delicate, and very tasty.

Saute 1 onion and 2 cloves of garlic in olive oil for 5 minutes in a large pot, then add 2 ½ quarts of chicken broth and 2 pounds of baby peas. Bring to a boil and simmer for 25 minutes.  Pour into a kitchen mixer and puree. Put the mixture back in the pot and cook for a minute or so until warm. Place 2 spoons of crème fraiche (rather than sour cream) in a small bowl. Then add a ladle full of the soup to the small bowl and mix. When it is blended empty the contents of the small bowl back into the soup pot and stir thoroughly. Serve with small pieces of bacon we call lardons in France. The soup is equally successful served hot in winter or cold in summer. 

Before and After at the Shore

open source video, online video platform, video solution We worked on a charming house at the New Jersey shore, which included several renovated bathrooms and bedrooms. The result can be seen in this one-minute video, progressing from empty shell to finished room. The tile work in both baths is spectacular, and the rugs, wallpaper and furniture create a luminous environment in harmony with the tranquility of the shore.