H&M skirt

A couple of out takes from a modern art shoot I did with  Jeff Johnson in his studio.  Laurie Leumann brought the skirt which is from H&M, but it's all about the boots, which are Marnie.

CHATEAU COURANCES

For an American Friends of Versailles dinner at Courance, Craig Hoffman helped me transform this fabulous outbuilding into a magical sultry Indian destination.  Anne-Marie de Ganay (our hostess and uber-talented A.F.V. friend) concentrated on the table settings - mixing anglo printed tin plates with monkey themed fabric and modern glassware.  I chose mixed hot colored dahlias, protea and figs to set the tone for the arrangements, with 8' palm fronds and lanterns fashioned from Indian prayer shawls for the rafters (easy in theory).  Incense in huge pots of floral outside added an earthy mystic quality.  The gardens (of Courance) influenced Le Notre's designs for Versailles and are open to the public - absolutely worth a look see.

INTERIORS

The demise of the June Lune Theatre was a tragedy.  The sale they had after was an amazing experience.  In the warren of storage rooms (with no light) I found some wonderful backdrops, some of which became draperies (within about 45 minutes).  The crowd scene was painted in perspective and now wraps two sets of oversized double french doors. (top)

A vintage French poster mixes nicely with curry colored louis XVII style chairs. (bottom)

STYLING

Two looks for target knockdown furniture, on location.  Chad Holder photographer.

                                                                        In the studio.

HIGH LOW STYLE

Target stemware with two different looks.  World Market "Coke" bar glasses.

STYLING

 Out takes from a nice shoot with Jeff Johnson Photo. Cathy Iverson (Market of Fleas) did the Interiors of this location. 

TREND MID CENTURY

     If you take time to think about it,  Is "trend forward" an oxymoron?

 

INTERNATIONAL STYLING

            A few shots from the last Gand bals du Versailles.  Allison Lisk and I used large paper parasols with streaming ribbons to get a sense of scale in the orangerie.  the feathers on the long tables a nod to Marie Antoinette's  grand bed, and the silver juliep cups with antique spray roses and mini herbs  to her passion of the simple sweetness of a garden.    

Truly a pleasure to have our friend Quentin Bacon (quentinbacon.com) over to photograph the event.  Joel Cottin (head gardener of Versailles) and his staff suprised us with crates of orange blossoms to scatter.                                                   

CRAFTSMANSHIP

  It's always been my belief that workmanship and craftsmanship have been the bench mark of any era.  It's interesting to think, that at any given time, even the oldest examples of craftsmanship were in fact innovations in their day.  When I find fine examples of some of these stylistic elements, some of which are still used or have been reinvented for today, I feel a certain continuity that gives me security.  In Particular, as quality goes down and references

 to things like proportion are disregarded, I find there isn't any semblance of order to even the most mundane things. With the current economy, I wonder if part of what some of us are experiencing is actually discernment (finally) regarding how much mediocrity is produced. 

 Is less of more sometimes actually more?

INTERNATIONAL STYLING

  

 Chalk, condensation, and Champagne in the cloister at Dom Perignon. 

     In the gallery at Chantilly.

                                                                          Veuve on the street.

Some days it's the little things that make a difference:  While styling at Versailles, on a film produced by my friend Kristin on the history of Champagne, we had the chance to meet and greet the Greek ambassadors to Russia, as  they strolled through where were were shooting which sort of took the edge off what was fast becoming a potentially hectic shooting schedule. At Dom Perignon we were dually impressed with all the talents of the various players and (by their own accord) with the Bells at the Abby (where dear Dom, the father of Champagne happens to be buried) chiming at the moment we had our final taste.   The word sexy was never used  but of the eight champagne houses we visited there was  palpable sensuality there. 

PERFECT PAIRING

     Designer Chad Flynn's take on an IKEA sink paired with a french "necessaire" cabinet.  Clean and Classic  

DESIGN HIGH/LOW

   Pencil leg vintage Carlo Ponti aluminum chairs and  white vinyl Brewers chairs get fresh with a table from IKEA.  Chad Flynn and Mary Lahammer work with an edited eye. I had the pleasure to work a bit with them on this project during the space planning phase. 

 

Chad brought the right amount of mid-century reality to the room, making it what I find to be a perfect balance of new and old.  Pairings: The tan leather Barcelona chair (mint condition) an awesome find the leather sofa from IKEA. The vase and mirrored table are from Target.  

CHANEL MEETS TARGET

In addition to being a retailer of curiosities, Laurie Leuman has great personal style.  Pairings in her store the other day included Wayfairer eyeglasses (from Target optical) with vintage Chanel earrings. Her lunch date for the day, Jill Heimerel (in vintage Italian shearling) looked suspiciously young for her 60 (++) years. 

LOUIS XVII MEETS IKEA

Thankfully during an O.C.D. A.D.D. low blood sugar induced meltdown at IKEA, I had a friend along who convinced me that the Billy Black Brown bookshelves (to wrap the end of my living room) were really cheaper than what a lot of people would pay for a footstool.  Paired with transitional period Louis XVII lyre backs, the shelves look quite appropriate. Dare I say "streamlining" the chaos of my look?

LIFESTYLING

VIRGINIA. 

 1927 50' yacht named after Virginia Roberts French who studied at the Sorbonne as an impressionistic painter in the early twenties.  Leaving Rainy Lake for two decades wasn't kind to this grand dame, but now she's back in style. It takes a lot of love to want a girlfriend like this.  She happened into my life about the time I was fearing a mid life crisis, as well as needing a heavy affair.  12 tons is quite heavy. 

Distressed red cane chairs lend an air of chinoiserie  junk rustic.  Fitting as places of the era had a fancy for a bit of asian influence be it a rare chinese bed or  pagoda inspired  boathouses.

Silver polished, ready in the laundry basket.

as dusk falls, looking towards the Canadian Riviera. One interesting thing about VIRGINIA is she has come to be about the personalities and people (who become a part of her spirit) as we ply the waters. 

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