inspired by downton abbey

i have a habit of reading the contributor bios of
every house beautiful i get. in the 02/12 issue,
miles redd mentioned his latest obsession –
the new season of downton abbey. 

though i love period drama pieces, i'm ashamed to admit
that i hadn't heard of it, so i spent the next several evenings
watching season 1 on netflix. i, too, am now completely obsessed.

it's no wonder they landed a golden globe for best
television mini-series.

the sets are ravishing; especially, lady mary's bedroom.

the walls are papered in a red and cream print very similar to the 

design of this 18th century silk from

the world of ornament put out by taschen.

below are my downton abbey-inspired picks for the bedroom...or any room!

1: antique fashion print; 2: candle wall sconce; 3: octagonal gilt mirror; 

4: embroidered velvet pillow; 5: carved and gilded louis xv style canapé

inspired by – 08.11.10

 

left to right: embossed and gilded pasteboard simulating leather via surfaceview; funny face (1957) directed by stanley donen; handpainted panel featuring silhouette design painted on a pieced silver 18th century style background via gracie; mecistogaster linearis via the evolution store

japonisme: fabrics

following the previous post on japanese papers, this next post is about japanese-inspired furnishing pattern. like many, i am unabashedly obsessed with fabric, and a quick glance online and through tear sheets revealed the influence japanese design and culture continue to have on those designing fabrics for interiors. following are just a few.

the inspiration for this collection by john stefanidis came from a trip to japan. i immediately recognized a resemblance to katazome papers, and am intrigued by how any one of these might look gracing a chair or pillow cover.

 fossil fabric in the style of a Japanese wood cut

pagodas, dahlias, cherry blossoms, and peonies – all from designers guild. these to me look more like chrysanthemums...even the leaves, but either one – dahlias or mums – are on the list for next year's cutting garden.
 

this one is a wallpaper from the same collection as the one directly above, but i couldn't resist including it, for i love the colors.

kyoto shrine – a geometric from david hicks

next up: japonisme: textiles and surface design

japonisme: paper

looking back at what i'm drawn to and what inspires me,  i see there are influences that have stood the test of time. one is japanese design and culture. since this blog is a place for me to document what i find beautiful in the world, i thought i'd spend a few posts devoted to my love affair with japonisme, starting with paper.

repetitive designs of small dense patterns have always fascinated me, so it's no wonder that i love chiyogami.

two of my favorite places to find these beautiful papers are paper mojo and shepherds falkiners. what i especially love about falkiners's site is that it allows you to add things to a wish list. it's been at least 4 months since my last visit, but they still had my list safe and sound. i'm familiar with persistent shopping carts, but this is fabulous. another resource is japanese paper place, but be prepared to spend hours there, if you like this sort of thing.

 chrysanthemums – always a favorite. 

are there any persistent styles, art, people, or places that have inspired you and lasted over the years? feel free to share this in the comments and stay tuned for part 2.

image credits: palace garden by nelson hancock at james sansum; paper mojo; shepherds falkiners; japanese paper place

legs in the sunlight

 this image by erwin blumenfeld perfectly captures what i'd like to be doing right now. though instead of a pimm's cup cucumber, 

i'll take a glass of sangria.

in lieu of this, i'll continue with my plan for putting together our own at-home bar stocked with glasses, jigger, ice, mixers, wine and the usual suspects – vodka and gin.

these bars will serve as inspiration ~

i love metal shades, especially when they're brass like this one.

helmet table lamp, ralph lauren home

though i'll probably end up employing a console we already have, i found this gorgeous drinks cart and some trollies.

c.1950 aldo tura lacquered goat skin drinks cart

josef frank mahogany trolley

alvar aalto tea trolley that debuted at the paris world's fair in 1937

do you have a bar that you use for entertaining? or do you mix your drinks in your kitchen like us? feel free to share any favorite cocktails in the comments. here is one i found over at design*sponge for sangria.

salut!

image credits: 'legs in the sunlight' american vogue, july 1950 via blumenfeld: photographs: a passion for beauty; house beautiful dec/jan 2010; domino 11/08; miles redd's cocktail bar photographed by paul costello

exquisite skeletons

diatoms make up about a quarter of plant life by weight and produce 

a quarter of the oxygen we breathe. some 25 million would fit in a 
teaspoon, yet they can provide nutrition to animals as large as
baleen whales. 

according to richard fortey, who wrote dry storeroom no. 1: the 
secret life of the natural history museum, "few people know that 
diatoms exist, yet the stories they have to tell may chart shifts of 
climate that are crucial to understanding how the world came to 
its present state." 

i agree with him and his assertion that support be given to experts in small 

and less showy organisms such as they, but i'm also fascinated by their shapes 

and delicate filigrees, and cannot help but wonder if the makers, who created 

the ornaments pictured below, took inspiration from them.

gold brooch with pearls and star sapphire intaglio

gold filigree dress ornaments from the 13th-14th century 


image credits: uppermost collage ~ Proyecto Agua via flickr; 2nd collage ~ graham matthews & natural history museum; 3rd image ~ metropolitan museum of art; 4th image ~ sotheby's

inspired by...05.17.10

clockwise: 

alicia bock on flickr

marie claire bedroom 

designers guild cabriole fabric in heather

untitled

tigers and taxidermy

top: old world weavers fabric

bottom: nepalese rug by diane von furstenberg for the rug company

***

 
lion vis-a-vis tiger by william curtis rolf taken at deyrolle in paris

antique settee with velvet cushion and Brunschwig & Fils tiger velvet pillows from thomas o'brien's american modern


castaing's leves salon with her signature leopard carpet via vogue living may/june 2005

faux "leopard spot" print silk velvet man's coat via fashion in detail: from the 17th and 18th centuries. the imitation markings, made with black and white silk, were woven as part of the pile of this turquoise velvet.

colors found in nature

the brilliant tiffany gem stones illustrated in the color plate from 1921 (above left)
that i got from ebay go so perfectly with these paper lithographs of victorian-era butterflies.

visit COLOURlovers to see color palettes inspired by butterflies.

happy monday.