Wallpaper

Wallpaper seems to be making a design comeback. It used to be that wallpaper was the kiss of death in a well-designed house and that paint did all of the colour work. But the renaissance of wallpapers, you can find myriad patterns both hand printed and digitally designed.

At Housewerks this weekend, I found some patterns that would as fresh today as they did when they were printed 50+ years ago. The one I fell totally head-over-heels in love with is a striped pattern. The background is a pale dove grey, with stripes in greys and blues and even a pale rose. But what makes this pattern so special is two silver stripes down the sides of the other stripes. The silver is a metallic silver, clear and bright, that just pops with light. The paper is so fragile that I am not going to be able to paste it up anywhere. I am trying (unsuccessfully, thus far) to use it as borders on some wide picture frames. But trying to mitre it is so hard, probably because the paper is hand-printed and not entirely square.

The second pattern looks like an architectural detail that might be used around a ceiling. But it comes in lenghwise stripes, so I am not sure how it would look on an entire wall. This has a little texture in it, too, so it may not be as old as the blue. It also may be easier to use for the picture frame.

What are your thoughts on using wallpapers?

My Favourite Day!

I never know when it's coming... Could be early March. Could be late February. But when that day comes, I know it by the sound.

Even over the morning news on my iPod, I could hear the geese calling and honking, moving from the front of the V-formation to the back, as they migrated north. This is a sure sign that spring is just around the corner. Living on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay, waterfowl are a common sight. From Great Blue Herons to snow geese, we see them all. A few years ago, we caught sight of a Kingfisher on the creek behind our salvage yard - in the middle of the city.

I am always bouyed by the sights and sounds of wildlife in the city. While it's usually the Medivac Helicopters landing at the nearby Shock Trauma Center, this morning it was the timeless sound of geese on their way north, following a path they've traced for years.

Welcome Spring!

Vessel Sinks

I was looking at a house this weekend and the bathroom was lovely. It had a glass counter top with a glass vessel sink set into it. I kept thinking how pretty it was when the house was new and not in use, but how gunky it would get once you had toothpaste, and the other things that go down a bathroom sink drain. Is this only something you would have if you've got full-time cleaning help? Or do you scrub your sink every time you use it?

Now what about this one? It's re-using on old bureau to serve as the counter and mirror. I think the world of adaptive re-use, but would this be a little on the high side? I saw a lower long sideboard that would have been a good re-fit for the right kind of bathroom, and could accommodate two sinks, too!

Are these glass vessel sinks just an über-trend that screams 2007? Would you use one in your main bathroom? Or maybe just a powder room? What do you think? Let us know your thoughts on this!

Happy Second Anniversary, Housewerks

In January, I did a post about my friends who run Housewerks. Every time I stop by there, they have the most amazing and ever-changing selection of artifacts. This weekend, they celebrate their second year of business - and it's been hugely successful!

They're having a party on Saturday, March 11 all day long, with drinks, snacks and 15% off all of their merchandise. They're also having a Chinese New Year of the Pig Party on Sunday evening, delayed a few weeks because of a snowstorm.

On my most recent visit, I got two rolls of vintage wallpaper, although I am not sure what I am going to do with them yet. I thought I would whet your appetite by posting some of the goodies I recently saw over there.

Fireplace Insert

Canvas Adversting Poster 4' x 8'

The Final Frontier

A Collection of Cast Iron Columns

A marble sink and mirror with inset fleur de lis tiles.

Sketch for a chandelier

Tracey & Ben, all of my very best wishes for many more years of success!

Source Perrier

When I moved back to the US, I was staying with my friend K, the Queen of Catalogues, and found the Source Perrier catalogue. It is full of wonderful home ideas and beautiful things for inside and out. There was a quote in the catalogue by Thomas Jefferson, architect and US President that I fell in love with (see right sidebar).

But when I went to retrieve the catalogue, it was gone with the recycling. I hunted around around and found the e-mail address for Anita Taburzi, the Design Director for SP, and she very kindly e-mailed me the quote. She is the design talent behind the SP catalogue and she's got a terrific eye. Take a look and see if you agree.

Yesterday, I came home from a snowy walk with Connor to find the newest SP catalogue and fell madly in love with a number of things in it! I adore dots of any kind and found this great bedlinen set, which I now have my eyes on... I love this set because you could pick any of the dots and create a look around the specific colour.

When I was in the UK, I worked on a project in Paris, which required me to fly over there every couple of weeks for a couple of months (lucky me!). I got to know the city and some of the arrondissements that tourists and casual visitors don't see. The SP had these two wonderful framed maps of Paris and Rome that had the most unusual framing. The maps are sandwiched between two pieces of glass, so the wall colour shows through.

Anita Tiburzi is credited with introducing the coral theme to decorating with this wonderful beaded coral fan pillow. The story is that she had found these and ordered about 25 for the catalogue, but they sold out the original lot and again, thousands of times over. I love the colour, which is a warmer, softer version of the usual red.

Everyone's been talking about swirly and curly garden chairs, and SP has a fun set, light and airy, and with a pillow popped on the seat, perfect for sitting in the garden and reading Jane Austen or a trashy gossip magazine.

Images: Source Perrier

David Hicks

Somehow, David Linley is related to David Hicks... but it's royalty and therefore, very convoluted. If you want to figure out the branches, check here. It's all through the Mountbatten side - he was married to Lady Pamela Mountbatten.

I have been a fan of David Hicks for years, ever since I was someplace, which I can't remember, in London and saw one of his hotel designs. I have first editions of two of his books: Living with Design and Garden Design. David Hicks' logo was a stylized H's formed into patterns.

After his death in 1998, his design mantle was taken over by his son Ashley and daughter India, who was a flowergirl in the fairy-tale wedding of Charles & Diana.

This morning, I got something from West Elm and they have the lovliest David Hicks-inspired dining room chairs. The come in some stunning colours including a pale blue, pale green and white. They're finished in a high gloss.

The proof of a classic design is how it keeps re-appearing through the years, each time looking fresh and new.

David Linley

David Linley, the son of Princess Margaret and the nephew of Queen Elizabeth II, is also a noted cabinetmaker, with shops in the Pimlico Road and Mayfair sections of London. He also runs a small interior design section with clients around the world.

Several years ago, at the architectural antiques and salvage group I helped found, we worked with one of his people to supply chestnut beams for a job they were working on in New York.

It is said that Linley pieces are the antiques of the future. His current lines include:

• Linley Classics, reinterpreting classical styles
• New Classics, pushing the boundaries of tradition while simplifying lines
• Salon, light, elegant and refined.
• St. Petersburg, with its echoes of Tsarist Russian furniture,
• Attica, reflecting Greek antiquities
• Helix, inspired by Danish modern furniture
• Lizard, with its "floating" look in Madagascar ebony

Linley also does upholstered pieces, larger furnishings and bespoke pieces. Their small collections of picture frames, vases, cases, tableware and much more are stunning, and are mostly inlaid wood, which makes them all the more amazing. They also have a line of fragrances. David Linley has also written three books on furniture and furnishings.

Linley's website does have a catalogue, and will ship to the US, but be warned, nothing is inexpensive. However, anything you purchase will become an instant classic.

images: Linley

DEPARTURES Magazine

Apparently, if you're a Platinum or Centurion member of American Express, they send you Departures Magazine every other month or so. My boss gets it, but isn't very interested in it, so I get to look at it.

This magazine is aimed towards the high-end market, as evidenced by the articles and advertising. The inside cover is Ferragamo and the back cover is Lancôme. The inside back cover is for a jet service. But the articles are what makes the magazine so interesting. This issue features articles on Beverly Hills, Santorini, Jaipur and Paris for men.

The smaller articles are also worth reading and one caught my eye - an auction at the Doyle Galleries in New York of 600 pieces from David Easton's home in New York. The article mentioned two ivory inlaid tables with an estimate of $8,000 to $12,000 from a Welsh Castle.

I worked at a castle in Wales that was once owned by William Randolph Hearst and magnificently furnished. The contents of the Castle were scattered to the four corners of the earth in an auction in before WWII. I will write more about the castle some other time.

Looking at high-end auction catalogues is a great way to educate your eye as to what's what and what it's worth.

Take a look at the Doyle Catalogue and if you can, go to the auction!

I LOVE City Life

I went to drop off the sink I'd won at the local Habitat for Humanity Re-store this morning. I just had no use for it at all and thought better donate it to someplace that can use it, than have it sit in my basement.

I rounded a corner and there was an elephant standing there. Just kinda hanging out, waiting for the circus to begin later on today. So, I parked the car and went over to shoot a couple of photos. I got into the habit of carrying a camera with me all of the time a couple of years ago, and am always glad that I have it.

I don't think I've been that close to an elephant before and was intrigued to see his skin and eyes and especially his trunk.

I love city life - you never know what's around the corner!

March On!

Can you believe that it's March already? In Baltimore, it's getting ready to rain for the next couple of days, but at least it's not snow or ice.

I need to begin thinking about things for the garden - such as it is - for the coming months. I bought some freesia bulbs, and if you've never smelled freesia, it's wonderful. It's peppery and sweet at the same time. I've chucked the bulbs into the fridge for a couple of weeks to mimic winter, and then will plant them in containers in the back 40 (which is in square feet, not acres!).

Last summer, I grew tomatoes, basil, mint and lots of geraniums, both in the front and back of the house. I tried to grow gourds, but they didn't work too well, as I don't have any dirt in the back yard, just cement. (I live in an 1880's townhouse in the center of the city.)

I have some fun furniture for the back. A couple of years ago, when I was a partner in an architectural antiques and salvage business, one of our pickers came by with some great little wrought iron chairs and table. My sister kept them for me while I was in the UK. I also picked up some wrought iron plant stands last year at yard sales and they work perfectly for smaller plants.

I feel like we're headed up to the final stretch until spring and summer. That said, I just read that two of the ten major snowstorms in Baltimore have been in March, including a rare winter hurricane!