A bedroom

I looked through my pictures for evidence of great details and this is one of the images, which came to my mind. I had seen it a couple of month ago in Lonny magazine and I truly love it.
Analyzing what makes it so enticing are a few things: The symmetry and the contrast between the light walls and the modern bed on one hand and these lovely antique chests, functioning as side tables, one the other.
I adore the popping coral red of the blanket at the end of the bed and the small vases filled with roses left and right next to the head board. The wall mounted reading lamps blend in and do not draw attention. But I become aware of the nail trimmed headboard. And I notice the smaller leaning prints along the wall behind the books. Please click on the images to enlarge and to see ll those lovely details!


There is a lot going on a in quiet way. Looking at the picture I realize how the large classic prints add height and definition to a small and rather boxy room, leaving space for the white monochrome painting in the center. The carpets almost mirrors the scene. All the patterns work well with each other, enhancing the effects of sublet elegance. The longer I look, the more I discover the details. There is a blue and white duvet, striped pillows, sheers and softly gray patterned curtains. And love sits right in this bedroom's center! I love how the light streams in from two sides. This is unique.
There are three layers of carpeting: A wall to wall sisal, a softer larger mat, perhaps a woven wool and again a smaller one right under the bench with a yellow frame inside...
I love the books staples, large colorful ones, perhaps of travel designations or beautiful interiors? Maybe gardening or fashion photography? This place makes me dream and in all its intimacy it opens a world.
On the opposite site is a fireplace. And an armchair with a history. Notice the red piping...And another popping pillow!
I can not see a TV! How divine!


Did I tell you it belongs to Lulu De Kwiatkowski?
It is beautiful!

And a happy weekend ahead to all of you!
xx
Victoria


Images via Lonny magazine.

Chain link carpet

Finally I scored high and found not only an incredibly affordable, but also stylish carpet solution for my living room.
Looking through eBay I discovered a new PB navy wool chain carpet. For- get this - $299!
It ended my search and all I needed was to order it and put it in place...after convincing my better half that NOW was the perfect time to buy a carpet!!! As you can see, he was ready too.


I love the graphic element it brings to the room, counterbalances all the red from the leather sofa and chairs.
It is super soft and warm.
Please click on images to enlarge.




We were expecting delivery not before Dec 1, but got it a day before Thanksgiving...and I am so happy with it!
It adds so much to the room and right before the holidays it is an early gift!

To see my post at House & Living about it go here.

xx
Victoria

Rug love

Found here.

I am wild about rugs. All styles, Oriental, Turkish, modern. But my passion are Kilims. I adore them on the floor, but I love them even more on sofas, chairs, cushions or draped artfully over tables.


I spotted this today over at Belgian Pearls.
This always reminds me of classic paintings from a time where rugs where rare, expensive and a status symbol.
" During the 17th century the worldwide trading empires of the great Dutch merchants brought exotic luxuries from the East and Far East. Owning such curious rarities was a sign of wealth, national pride, and a declaration of alliance with the rational and scientific breeze blowing through Europe from the North. This homage to Dutch still life paintings In their Golden Age by the artist includes shells from the tropics and an antique rug from the Caucasus." Quote from below.

Image.

By Christian Berentz.

Seen at Tea and Carpets, a great and informative blog about, well: carpets.


Today this has changed to a point, of course carpets and rugs are widely available, but great ones are still expensive.
Much has been written about gorgeous carpets and I will not take on a history of rugs. But I have a passion for lovely colors, patterns and love to incorporate them in my design whenever possible.

I like kilims for their softer, easier to drape quality. They are also more vulnerable, since they have no pile.


By Holbein.

By Hans Memling.

The cover of one of last year's Veranda Magazine was graced with this incredible Aubusson carpet. Draped over a dining table.

Image via Cote de Texas.

I found wonderful examples of kilims for upholstery. An absolutely timeless and classic look.
This Victorian chaise reminds me of Oscar Wilde's extravagant style.



Via Tribal Home.



Georg Smith sofas and arm chair.


Via The state of things.

After I wrote this post today I pulled the latest House Beautiful from the mailbox. I had to smile since the new trends to watch for 2011 are atmospheric, traditional, artisanal, tribal, handmade, theatrical, glam, looking back for inspiration...
Kilims fit the bill beautifully!

A little bit of reading before bedtime

Often the only reading time I can squeeze in is at night or late in the day, when chores and homework are done...
And apart from my passion for great stories comes a desire for lovely editions.
One I have just discovered is a rather new line of books by the Boston/New York publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
What a great name for a publishing house. It promises so much...My romantic ideas of an old place filled with manuscripts and books...
Well, at my bookstore I saw some wonderful bound books by them and my hunting instincts awakened...
Authors I have come to admire are now published in wonderfully designed book covers. These are all doubles, two stories by the same author. I always quote the publisher.
Jhumpa Lahiri's 'Interpreter of Maladies' and 'The Namesake'
Jhumpa Lahiri took the literary world by storm when her debut collection, Interpreter of Maladies, won the Pulitzer Prize in 2000. The collection was followed by her best-selling and critically acclaimed novel The Namesake--a finely wrought, deeply moving family drama. Presenting these works together here, this edition displays Lahiri's enormous talent as a storyteller.


Jonathan Safran Foer's 'Everything Is Illuminated' and 'Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close':
Everything Is Illuminated, Jonathan Safran Foer's stunning debut, tells the story of a young Jewish American's quixotic journey into an unexpected past. Foer then turned his talent to the traumas of our recent history in his exhilarating second novel, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. This beautiful edition brings together, for the first time, two works from one of this generation's most original writers.


The following three will be out within the next half year.
This one by Eudora Welty is new to me. 'Delta Wedding' and 'The Ponder Heart'. Publication Date: May 18, 2011.
Set in 1923, Delta Wedding is an exquisitely woven story of southern family life, centered around the Fairchild family’s preparations for a wedding at their Mississippi plantation. In The Ponder Heart, a comic masterpiece, Miss Edna Earle Ponder, one of the few living members of a once prominent family, tells a traveling salesman the history of her family and fellow townsfolk. This edition brings together two fine works from one of the most beloved writers of the American south.


Next in this series will be Virginia Woolf's 'Mrs. Dalloway' and 'A Room of One's Own'. Publication Date: Nov 15, 2010.
In Mrs. Dalloway, Virginia Woolf details Clarissa Dalloway's preparations for a party of which she is to be hostess, exploring the hidden springs of thought and action in one day of a woman's life. Paired here with A Room of One's Own, a masterful and provocative essay on women's role in society, this beautiful hardcover edition will be a welcome addition to the library of any Woolf scholar or fan.



And then I found Alice Walker's 'The Color Purple' and 'The Temple of My Familiar'. Publication Date: May 18, 2011.
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, The Color Purple is the moving story of a young woman’s endurance of shame and suffering to become whole and to know God. The novel became an instant classic and has been adapted into a film and musical. Paired here with The Temple of My Familiar, which the author describes as “a romance of the last 500,000 years,” this edition brings together two works that established Walker as a major voice in modern fiction.



These are going to make a fine collection or a wonderful gift for the holidays!

xx
Victoria



Top two pictures my own, all others via Houghton Mifflin Harcourt website.

Gorgeous gorgeous - wallpaper from Amy Butler

Gotta love this wallpaper from Amy Butler! I especially like the way she puts color palettes together. SO, so pretty. What do you think?

(click on an image for a larger view)


so pretty!





I really like this pattern in the "Field" palette


If you like what you see - it's available for purchase at Graham & Brown, or check it out on her site.

Wallpaper I LOVE!

Wallpaper is by no means a new "trend." It's been back in style for a few years now. That's why I'm surprised I've just now discovered Studio Nommo - which has a gorgeous collection. I have designer Ashley from *i'm smitten* to thank. She designed one of my favs, the "Foxy" wallpaper.

The card from *i'm smitten* that was reinterpreted into wallpaper.



the wallpaper

Below are some other designs from Studio Nommo that I like


I've been liking feathers a lot lately


This one's titled "Things on my desk" Great for a home office!



Love the pomegranates!

You can also design your own wallpaper by uploading a photo or illustration to their site. See more at Studio Nommo

If you liked the Foxes in Trees illustration, see more at *i'm smitten*

Inspirational wallpaper, rug, and textile patterns from the father of arts and crafts, William Morris

Just a tiny blurb about William Morris from Wikipedia:
"William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was an English architect, furniture and textile designer, artist, writer,socialist and Marxist associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and the English Arts and Crafts Movement."

If you're not familiar with his work I'm sure you'll love it. His patterns are meant not to display geometric genius, but to honor nature. "He did not see the merits of a wholly geometrically inspired design and remained convinced through most of his life that nature was the only solution to a good design." - via The Textile Blog"


I love seeing work in progress

A Morris carpet detail

above images via The Textile Blog


via Easy Web


Love this one!
via Creatively Different Blinds

via Met Museum

If you like his work a lot of gift shops and boutiques sell products with his patterns on them. You can find stationary and office supplies with his patterns here.

via Victoria and Albert Museum Shop


I will definitely be remembering these fabrics!
via Quilter's Palette