Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Morning Light

After a rather long spell of rain, it was so lovely to see the mountain at first light...

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Little Snögrinda

There is a South-Easter blowing today. It is raining sideways. One room has become an indoor Niagara. And, in the midst of this howling gale, I have chosen to paint our bedroom white. The very antithesis of warmth. Trying to think "big picture" at this point. The wooden floorboards are also in need of some TLC. Most definitely considering painting them white just like those in the house of one of Sweden's most sought after designers, Synnöve Mork. The Little Snögrinda house in Gotland is tranquility personified... and, after all, I can always cover my entire self in a giant warm blanket if the white feels a little icy...



Via here

Profusion...

Simply HAD to...

Via here

Monday, June 25, 2012

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Port-of-Call

Couldn't resist posting some pictures of the airy, light-filled Sagaponack home of antique dealers Chris Mead and Zoe Hoare. The most appealing part: not one inch is conventional... as the house was built in 1748 from a ship's bowed hull. Hoare happily states:

I like to imagine that if the original owners came back, they'd feel right at home here, where we honor the past and would rather fix what we have than buy something new...








Photographed by Tim Street Porter (read more here)

Friday, June 22, 2012

Pia Ulin

Love these images via photographer, Pia Ulin's site...

The perfect balcony...

Beautiful doors and simple, clean kitchen

Gleaming white floorboards
Via here

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Ears to the Ground...

The fascinating world and studio of Daniel O’Toole (a.k.a. Ears)...

Via here and see more here

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Nature's Fingerprint...

An art critic for the Hartford Advocate wrote the following about Bryan Nash Gill...

(He) is not simply a naturalist, he is an artist rooted in nature, he draws his vocabulary from the world of New England’s woods.

Aren't these just too exquisite?





Via here (see more here)

Monday, June 18, 2012

The Nymphaeum at Château de Wideville

We all need one of these in our garden...


(Nymphaeums, or garden grottos, first became popular in 16th century France and Italy, and were based on the Nymph sanctuaries of Ancient Greece).
Via here

Friday, June 15, 2012

Christian Liaigre

Furniture designer, Christian Liaigre has set a new bar for minimal chic. This is his home in the Rue de Verneuil on the Left Bank in Paris. The soaring duplex is in an 18th-century hôtel particulier, or city mansion, originally built by the Marquis d'Aubigné, who came from the same village in the Vendée as Liaigre — Les Herbiers — and who was guillotined during the French Revolution. One has to love a house with provenance...







Read more here

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Salvaged...

We had to collect a car at Cape Town Station. While walking through the modern annex, we discovered a remnant from South Africa's colonial past...


Monday, June 11, 2012

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Settling in...

The full gamut of emotions comes with the territory of moving. There is the elation of knowing that one is returning to family, home and all things familiar. Yet, after 13 years away, so much is unfamiliar. We couldn't be more fortunate, though, as we have moved into a beautiful house. Dragged poor old Harry (the portrait of my grandfather) across the Atlantic but would not let him fly coach. Thanks to an understanding flight attendant Harry flew first class, albeit in the pilot's closet (with yours truly firmly ensconced in cattle class). Twenty-three hours later, we unlocked our new front door, dazed and exhausted, only to find reprieve in a well-stocked larder, furniture and flowers and more to make the first night as welcoming as possible. And we slept in a coma of burnout, only to be awakened by the doorbell and the delivery of our cats - very much alive and WTF written all over their furry faces...

Grainy (taken at night). Lots more to come once earthly possessions arrive...
(With eternal gratitude to Mum, Henry, Gail and Elisabeth)

Thursday, June 7, 2012

In Transit...

Short on words as I still have a Table Mountain's worth of packing to do. I shall report back on the other side...


Old photographs of Cape Town via here

Monday, June 4, 2012

Anton Seder

Oddly enough, I am unable to find any literature about Anton Seder (1850 - 1916), except for the fact that he was a botanical artist in the Art Nouveau period, and lived and worked in Germany. If there are any Seder-philes out there, I would love to hear from you...









Via here and here