Brescia's new marble?

 We snapped this photo in Brescia, Italy as we strolled through an underpass.

Gorgeous texture and color, wouldn't you say?

Carcassone Silk

I am really enjoying the colors and design of this new Christopher Hyland silk, Carcassone.

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It has an ornament / grottesca feeling to it, one of my weaknesses in design.

Check out this door!

This has to be one of the coolest doors ever. Its texture is amazing and the colors are surreal- wow!

This is a door to a wood carver's shop 

in Assisi, Italy. It stopped us (and a whole crowd of visitors) dead in our tracks. 

Talk about patina!

Are these real?

Yes, these are real fall clematis seed pods. 

Nature is amazing!

One fantastic living room

As seen in Decor magazine, designer Greg Mewbourne created a multi-layered room.

Photo by Emily Followill

I am most partial to the creative hanging folding screen with a London map painted on it.

Photo by Emily Followill

I also crave this David Braly painting on the arched board that mimics the shape of the window it hangs next to.

 

Photo by Emily Followill

A Venetian gilder

A peak into the studio of a Venetian gilder.

I could have stayed all day to watch!

Cavalier    Campo Santo Stefano    Venice

Alberto Cavalier spends his days with his father in this superb, tiny studio. They not only make and gild their own photo and mirror frames, but also create fabulous gilded masks, traditional moretto doorstops and carved and gilded lampstands.

From below

Sometimes that's just what you need. 

Isn't the Eiffel Tower spectacular from below?

Spider gate

Although it's not very spooky, here is a garden gate worthy of the season! 

British Homes and Gardens

This charming gate is located at the Hoveton Hall Gardens in Norfolk, UK.

An old barn- a thing of beauty?

A typical scene in rural America: an old barn.

 

The wood, with its aged patina, almost shimmers in the sunlight. 

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

A room to melt in

The softness of the walls, the chenille bed frame and mattress cover invite you to lie down and melt!

Photo by Antoine Bootz

This gold sculpture, standing in the corner of the room, has an out-of-this world quality.

Photo by Antoine Bootz

A lovely combination

Am I not partial to the combination 
of stone and iron?

In Italy, you can't help it!

 

A look above

 
A glance at the balcony above me as we strolled through Assisi yielded more than I expected. The plasterwork of the balcony underside and ornament above, the wrought iron, the painted underside of the roof line and the patina on all: mmmm!

Dining room beauty

A family heirloom, this antique table with a solid onyx top steals the show in an Atlanta home. As a wonderful complement, the table's wood has been gilded with silver leaf.

The graceful iron chandelier underscores the room's beauty.

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Fortuny's unusual textures

We visited the highly anticipated Fortuny Museum in Venice. 

Darn! Unfortunately, no cameras allowed inside.

But, outside I found the building's bricks fascinating and beautiful.

Don't you?

Silk and demure

I wouldn't mind if this was my "sewing room".

Or office, or sitting room, or bedroom or living room! It is charming. 

Art et Decoration

The silk curtains are luscious and I really like that chair.

  

Room with a view

On our trip to Italy, we checked into a hotel on the spur of the moment in Stresa, a charming town on Lake Maggiore. We went up to our room to deposit our luggage, looked out the window and this is what we saw.

I would like to live there!

Textures abound

Backed by a concrete wall, this tiny space is filled with contrasts. 

The shiny silk and gilt wood of the settee, the knubby wool of the rug, the soft gloss of the wax candle behind the mottled glass of the lantern all complement the smooth roughness of the concrete.
 

Decor magazine        Interior Designer:  Eleanor Roper Interior Style & Design in Atlanta

Consummate New Orleans

This dining room, designed by Melissa Rufty, exhibits both the classic and sultry style of New Orleans. The fabulous mirror was created with an old overdoor and antiqued glass. A subtle, tone-on-tone damask covers the walls.

Photo by Francesco Lagnese in House Beautiful

This colorful painting in the dining room by Rose Casterline portrays a typical New Orleans bar story.

Photo by Francesco Lagnese in House Beautiful

Beauty in a weed

While most would consider this to be an annoying weed, it is also quite beautiful. The mature berries are an intense purple/black with vibrant red stems.

 

Color pops

The pops of color in the furniture and accessories add the perfect amount of vitality to the living room of Stila's creator, Jeanine Lobell and actor Anthony Edwards.

Photo by William Waldron

Eames chairs revisited

The classic Eames chairs have received a leg and color makeover by Vitra!

Aram Store via Elle Decoration UK

San Diego makeover

My eye immediately was drawn to the framed wall murals in this San Diego living room makeover designed by Meredith McBrearty. 

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As I looked closer, the gorgeous accessories became evident: the gilt-wood candlesticks (actually, real silver leaf), the Italian consoles, the charming fireplace and the fresh combination of colors. (Notice the change of bench in front of the fireplace for these photos. I like the orange with the turquoise pillows and the lime green chairs.)

Decor Magazine

Decor Magazine 

An Umbria peek

A taste of what's to come... a peek in Umbria

means beauty at every turn.

Bringing the outdoors in

Love it!

Fresh, clean, a place for my art and the outdoors in one location, year around.

Art et Decoration

Ceiling options

Here is a fine example of making the ceiling work for you. 

Instead of blah white, the gold and silver mottling of the ceiling reads bronze and intensifies the ochre color on the walls.

Photo by Werner Straube in Traditional Home

Blue and white classic

Blue and white, via Delft or Portugese tiles, is a classic in my book. 

Always appropriate and charming.

 Art et Decoration

Amazing Gold

This gold leaf console base, originally designed by Tony Duquette in the 1960's, is an amazing statement piece.

Baker Furniture's Biomorphic Console as seen in Elle Decor 

Harmoni & Kontrast

Harmoni og Kontrast, the blog of Norwegian Laila Kaldestad, focuses on "harmony, but often with with balanced contrast and balance of extremes." 

Laila's own home displays this perspective beautifully. The elements here are each strong in their own right.


Their colors are bold, striking and perfect together!

Harmoni and Kontrast

 Harmoni and Kontrast

Floating staircase

Between the glowing alabaster tiles, the reflective lucite bannister and the arch framing the staircase, this is the prettiest stairwell I've ever seen. 

It is the creation of American Michael Prentice in the French city of Vichy.

 Art et Decoration

A romantic evening

and great food with my honey....

Sunset on the lake

We just enjoyed this exquisite early fall sunset over the lake. 

Its pastel colors were stunning.

Blue feathers?

I am partial to the peacock-inspired colors in this room.

The blue feather dome light, hmmmm...
It certainly is a good conversation starter!

  

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