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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Putti Appreciation

Admittedly, the holiday season is the one time of the year that I can share my appreciation for putti without looking too cutesy. 

And so, this being December first and the start of my holiday decorating, I would like to share with you the putti from our travels. 

I don't seem to see many here in my home town, but we readily see them in Europe.

Putti at the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence

 Putti at the Vatican in Rome

A putto somewhere in Florence

A putto at Versailles (gilded, of course)

 French putti

A putto in an interesting pose in Rouen

A putto on the floor of the Cathedral of Siena, Italy

 A putto at Versailles

 Companion putti in Versailles

Putti at the Petit Trianon of Versailles

Are you a putti appreciator?

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Colorful Coincidence

It started with this drawing that I had saved forever in my files. The shot is a closeup of the beautiful wall paintings in the Royal Hotel in Evian, France, long considered to be one of France's premier resorts. The hotel was built in 1909.

And then I saw this current House Beautiful feature by Maine Design. 

It turns out that they installed custom panels by Iksel, the fabulous French company owned by Mehmet and Dimonah Iksel, that are entirely hand-painted on gessoed canvas. I like the continuation of the design onto the ceiling.

I also happened upon the charming works of Sally Chandler, which have a similar feel to the colorful botanical scenes above. Their compositions are happy and airy, not too serious. Almost fresco-like.

Ancestral home memories, Inverness, Scotland

Ancestral country home interior, Yorkshire, England

Fun and happy designs...

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