My studio pals tell me it’s meant to drop down to 15 degrees tomorrow, (like October weather, right?) so here it is, the perfect outfit for cooler summer days. High waisted cotton pants are my go-to for May to October, and the silk blouse, leather sandals and straw hat tick every sartorial box I care about. Comfortable, chic, original.
I ran into a restaurant today to grab a juice, and the one-and-only Dolly Parton was playing on the radio. Here you come again….one of my very favourites. I don’t know much about her life and career, but Dolly’s music never fails to lift my spirits. When I picture her, I see her sitting with her husband eating fried chicken on their porch, hair in rollers, talons a shimmery shade of candyfloss pink. Happy Birthday, Dolly. You’re a doll.
Outside of a brief period in the early 90s when our kitchen walls were a mellow yellow, I grew up with white walls. There was so much colour and print in our home, that a white backdrop made sense. It still does. No other colour offers the possibility of white. But every now and then, I’ll walk into a space with walls the colour of a watermelon, or that mellow mustard of my youth, and I’m tempted. After all, it’s only paint.
Packing up your child to go away for the first time is a surreal experience. Twelve pairs of socks, one pair of rain pants, five bathing suits, bug repellent, nail clippers. Check. And yet, there’s that niggling feeling that you’ve forgotten something, no matter how closely you follow the list. Because the things you really want to send them off with –– common sense, confidence, courage, kindness –– don’t come in travel size bottles. So, you follow the list, and cross your fingers that the essentials are packed within them.
There’s something very handsome about linens with thick borders. I love the idea of a Cycladic blue, but this crimson is chic, too. Have a little browse through Williams Sonoma’s collections. It’s all quite traditional, but a stripe of colour looks great mixed in with modern whites.
I admire people who decorate with wild abandon, who break rules, (who makes them, anyway?) and who create spaces that make total sense despite the above. They have a certain daring, openness and sense of play that is reflected in the homes they create. I don’t know who designed this room, but I’d love to share an ice cream with him/her. The mix of wood and fabulous 50s furnishings, the richly patterned wallpaper and pictures and plate over top; it’s all so over-the-top, and yet beautifully deliberate.
it’s always so exciting to catch glimpse inside an artist’s studio; Picasso’s in particular, makes me swoon. It’s so chaotic and decadent. The windows, natural stone and muted, earthy tones of ceramicist, Cécile Daladier‘s studio takes my breath away. Her Provence studio used to house farm animals, and now it’s filled withe her paintings and beautifully bizarre and organic vessels. Have a look around these other studios, each one as unique as the artists who call them home.
We looked at a dizzying number of taps on the weekend. I start to lose my mind in those places, i.e. wonder if we even need a kitchen faucet. Or a kitchen. Do we? I’ve always loved old, brass taps –– it’s the English in me –– in an otherwise modern kitchen. Something like this unlacquered brass beauty from Waterworks would make the decision easy.
There’s something strangely beautiful about our house right now. It’s been blown wide open, and behind layers of drywall we can now see all the original wooden framing. Remnants of powder blue paint covers the cement walls in the basement. And the crumbling red bricks reveal neon pink numbers. I’m not quite sure what the measurements denote. The back is wide open, and the front door looks tiny. I’m half expecting Alice to walk in from Wonderland at any moment. It’s the raw materials, the glaring decay, that makes the visual experience both jarring and beautiful. Luma was playing in the dirt last week, scavenging for old tiles, and as I looked back at her floral shorts and grosgrain bows against the chaos and grit of construction, I couldn’t help but want to capture the moment.
Wowza wee, just look at this fireplace. I love all the intricate mosaic, and the pastel palette of blues and pinks and greens. The mix of stained glass, brick and marble sends the whole experience over the edge. In the best way possible. Have I mentioned that more is more?
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