Skins

Even with all of the attention that Morocco is receiving in the design world, especially with the recent publication of Maryam Montague's fab book, Marrakesh by Design, I never dreamed I'd be fascinated by a tannery located in Fez, Morocco.

Meet the Chouara Tannery, in use since medieval times:

Using the ancient leather tanning techniques, the skins of goats, sheep, and less often cows and camels, are first cleaned and sheered. 

They then receive a soaking in a mixture of acidic pigeon droppings, cow urine and lime, which cleans away the animal fat and remaining hairs, as well as softens the leather and prepares it for dying. (Whew!)

The clean skins then soak in the dried-earth pits holding natural vegetable & colorful dyes. The colors are changed every two weeks. Mint produces green, indigo>  blue and saffron yields yellow.The odors are (obviously) dreadful, but- this works.

 

Poppy flowers were used to create this red dye.

 

After the skins have dried in the sun for days, they are cut into pieces and made into beautiful leather accessories.

For a wonderful review of Marrakesh by Design, 

visit Regina's Fauxology post of June 12, 2012.  

Wouldn't you love to go on Melanie Royals' (Royal Design Studio)  

next Moroccan stencil trip to Peacock Pavilions?

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THE Wall of The King's Speech

During this past week, the topic of creating authentically "old" walls has been addressed by Sharon at My French Country Home and Regina at Fauxology. THE wall in The King's Speech is a good example of artistry at work.
 

The wall of speech therapist, Lionel Logue, was created by famed British production designer, Eve Stewart. The office is not in his original building in London, but is located a block away at 33 Portland Place. While searching for the appropriate location for filming, Ms. Stewart noticed a totally distressed wall that served as her inspiration, as seen below.

This is the room before the artists started their magic.

Ms. Stewart relates that the wall is a compilation of layers and layers of paint, wax, lacquer and odd bits of paper. "Textures were really important to show the layers of people who’d been there before. We found a section of wall with those layers on it and fell so in love with it that we put it all over. It showed the stripping back of a person’s emotional baggage."*

"When the team arrived, one area was covered in wallpaper infused with oil, which had then been half-scraped, half-burned off."**

The intricate aging and mottled effects almost become mural-like in their beauty.

What did you think of THE wall?

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Walls: A Must!

I thought I had died and gone to heaven.

Seriously.

Walls: The Best of Decorative Treatments, Florence De Dampierre's new book, is that good. It is not just for designers and painters, but should become a staple in the library of anyone who is interested in design, whether in their own home or elsewhere.

Any book that starts off with the villa of Livia's garden frescoes gets my attention immediately. (They are even more spectacular in person and can be viewed at the Museo Nazionale Romano in Rome.) 

Ms. De Dampierre takes us on a tour of the best of decorated walls throughout history. From the simplest of decors...

to intricate and detailed frescoes, the book's beautiful photography transports you into each room.

There is a fair amount of attention given to stenciling and trompe l'oeil, both of which are skillfully done by many decorative artists today.

Gilding and painted patterns combine here in a spectacular manner.

Wallpapers are also covered, from the flocked...

to the sublime, hand-painted landscape version by the Zuber company. 

Of course,  you can also view Toile de Jouy, tapestries, murals and wood panels.

One of the rooms in the Pavlovsk Palace in Russia. Check out that marble!

As a decorative painter, it makes my heart sing to see a book totally devoted to its beauty. 

Thank you, Florence!

The best part is that today's artisans and artists are just as devoted to their craft. If you would like to view some fantastic work by these talented folks, visit Regina Garay's Fauxology blog this week to see some pretty darn cool powder rooms.

Beautiful photography by Tim Street-Porter and Pieter Estersohn.

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