Pitfield London

 

It all started as I was glancing through the latest edition of AD and I caught a glimpse of this fabulous wallpaper. You see, London is the hopping place right now, with the Olympics and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee blowout both taking place this summer. Anyway, AD's Treasure Hunt column covers the latest must-see design stores and that cool wallpaper happened to be on a wall in Pitfield London.

So I went to their website and blog and knew I was in trouble when I saw this unusual brush (I am such a sucker for brushes).

 Cabinet broom (or the "cupboard brush") because it’s ideal for cleaning behind  hard to reach places.

Pitfield London just opened up at the end of last year and it is already a huge success. Owned by  interior designer Shaun Clarkson and textile designer Paul Brewster, it is half emporium with reinvented furniture, vintage finds and designer wallpaper and half café serving healthy  salads,  sandwiches, pizzas and indulgent treats. They even have an exhibition space for artists and designers.

It looks like a fun place to be... and shop. 

And those brushes- I'll appreciate them from afar 'till I travel to London!

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Eggshells

I'll never forget the first time I saw this amazing, large vase at work with the crackle finish. Upon closer inspection, I realized it was not the usual crackle finish, but (OMG) individually applied cracked eggshells. Real ones. How long it must have taken to apply them! This moved patience up to the next level.

Eric Chapeau, a transplanted Frenchman who studied at the prestigious Maison Des Lyceens De L'Ecole Boulle in Paris, does just this in his studio, located in Hoboken, NJ's Neumann Leathers building. Chapeau's company, Chapeau Design, employs highly-trained artisans from around the world who engage in centuries-old practices to restore antique pieces and create one-of-a-kind objects.

Applying eggshell veneers is one of the company's specialties. This ancient Vietnamese method of gluing down the eggshells, one chip at a time, is called Coquille d’Oeuf. The eggshells are glued onto a paper, then the surface is coated with an epoxy glue. The shells can be arranged in various patterns, such as a starburst or a radiant shatter pattern. He uses thousands of eggs, with the staff consuming the hard-boiled insides.

The eggshell layer can be combined with gold leaf or pigments. The eggshell sheet is then attached to the object or wall, sanded and varnished or lacquered. This surely gives a different spin to mosaics.

 

 I never fail to be amazed at the talent and perseverance of the artists and artisans who are so devoted to their craft.

Eric Chapeau

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Black & White All Over

Today I am in a black and white, graphic sort of mood. 

There are so many ways you can go with this...

 A striking black and white plaster design on a wall in Naples...

 Seriously elegant black paneling with a touch of gold...

or an all-out embellishment of gold to highlight the (charcoal) black doors and walls...

A contemporary room with a funky, aged wall finish in various tones of black and white and greige...

...heading all the way down to the floor with this oversize damask-like pattern.

For some fabulous floor ideas, many in black and white, visit Design Sponge's Best of Patterned Floors here.

Do you have black and white anywhere in your own home?

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The Wow Factor

No subtlety here. 

And that amazing wall of Azzurro Onda Marina granite definitely qualifies for a Wow!

It is perfectly set off by the white and black in the rest of the bathroom, designed by Juan Montoya,

wouldn't you say?

Here the floor and steps quietly compliment the rest of the foyer, but when you look closer at the onyx, the beauty of the pattern draws you in with its drama.

Mish Tworkowski's recently opened New York City store also provides major drama in the reception room with its hand-painted, faux bois walls.  Mark Uriu Studios did a gorgeous, gorgeous job.

Definitely the Wow Factor!

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About Those Lacquered Walls

The Spa in the Royal Mansour in Marrakech

Lacquered walls continue to be an enduring design element. Their beauty is unquestionable; their creation is a dedication to perfect prep work. While describing the wall preparation yesterday for the The Art of Scribbling mural, Wall Drawing #1268:Scribbles: Staircase (AKAG), seen here, I described the numerous steps that were taken to make the walls as smooth as possible. Besides the sanding and layers of skim coat plaster, the walls still need to be primed and painted with many layers of paint to obtain the smooth sheen that you see in the following examples.

The light blue color is nice to see in the world of lacquered paint finishes- dark colors are seen more often.

Kudos to the patient team who painstakingly painted these perfect cabinets.

The walls above and below are actually Venetian plaster. Instead of numerous layers of paint, most often three or four layers of plaster are skillfully applied, followed by a protective wax layer and buffing.

The lacquered, taupe door has been accented with a gold leaf trim.

A lovely shade of gunmetal blue graces this lacquered door.

Lots of texture contrasts in a Jeffrey Bilhuber designed study.

I love the way the deep aubergine high gloss walls are accented by bookcases trimmed with gold leaf.

For more information, view here.
Do you have any lacquered walls in your home? 
Are they only for the few due to their incredible amount of labor?

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The Brits Have It

Stepping into our living rooms are several stately British homes that are either newly opened to the public or are the location of film shoots. Especially with the popularity of Downton Abbey, I thought I'd travel across the sea from France and Italy and take a look at a few details of these magnificent structures.

Architectural Digest's February 2012 issue showcases the renovations made by Prince Charles to save Dumfries House, located in Scotland, from the auction block. It is an 18th century Palladian villa and contains some fifty pieces from cabinetmaker Thomas Chippendale's early workshop.

It had to be entirely restored, with new heating, wiring and plumbing, along with the restoration of the painted wall decorations and exceptional ceiling plasterwork. Special attention was given to using laborers from Great Britain. 

I especially like looking at the ceiling details.

 Blue Drawing Room

 The Pewter Corridor- wow!

Love the skylights in the Gallery

Closeup of the plasterwork and Murano glass chandelier in the Blue Drawing Room

PBS' Jane Eyre took place at Haddon Hall in Derbyshire. This medieval manor house dates from the 12th Century, and has been in the same family since 1567. It was empty for over two hundred years, from 1700 until the 1920s, when it was renovated and brought back to life. Its grounds contain stunning Elizabethan gardens which are open to the public from April to October.

 A corner of the Banqueting Hall, which held between 40-50 diners at a time.

 15th century tapestry in the Banqueting Hall

 The Long Gallery's gorgeous wood paneled walls

The Long Gallery, 110 feet long and 17 feet wide

PBS' Masterpiece Theater production of Downton Abbey takes place at Highclere Castle. While evidence suggests people have been living there for over one thousand years, this mansion was begun in 1838 by the 3rd Earl of Carnarvon and finally completed in 1878. The building was transformed into a hospital during WWI and during WWII was a home for evacuee children from north London. (An interesting side note- in 1922 the 5th Earl of Carnarvon and Howard Carter discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun.)

The current (8th) Earl and Countess of Carnarvon now live part time in the Castle. 

 The gothic style Saloon- the heart of the house. Its wall coverings are made of leather created in 1631 and brought back from Cordoba, Spain. 

 The Drawing Room

 The Library

 The Entrance Hall

 The Music Room's walls are hung with 16th century Italian embroideries.

 Close up of the Italian tapestry wall coverings in the Music Room

 The Smoking Room with Dutch paintings on the walls and an 18th century Dutch leather screen

Details of the Spanish, embossed leather wall coverings in the Saloon, circa, 1680

See you at 9 p.m. Sunday evening for Downton Abbey?

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