Without risk of sounding like too much of a scrooge, I’m quite happy to not have a Christmas tree in our house this year. No fights over the fairy, no lights to untangle, no needles to vacuum. I love the tree; I love the scent and the sparkle, I love the magic it brings into the home. But I don’t love the stress and the mess and the bother. So, this year, we’ll enjoy other people’s beautiful trees, on their car roofs, in their homes, through their windows.
This room feels a little like a hotel room, maybe it is one, but I do love the cloud wallpaper. It has the essence of a black and white film, maybe the twister scene in the first part of The Wizard of Oz. I find the light so elegant, and I love the deep chocolate of the walls. If you need me, I’ll be in room 203.
My cousin’s engagement ring was designed around a small shell that she and her husband found on the beach one day. He’s given her more splendid rings since, but I imagine she treasures that one the most. I really like a mix of natural shell and metal in jewellery, I think it makes for an interesting juxtaposition. Luiny is a company that uses various shells and pearls in their designs, like these striking earrings. I kind of love these ones, too.
I firmly believe, and not just because it’s Christmastime, that candy cane stripes are a must in every wardrobe. There’s a playfulness, a sense of humour, to red and white stripes. I’m pretty into this cashmere tracksuit from Madeleine Thompson. It’s over-the-top for a jaunt to the gym, which is why I’d wear it out to dinner. With a top knot and flats. Because, why not?
Some people swoon at the sight of a beautifully stacked book shelf, others get excited when they see artichokes with plump heads. For me, it’s dresses, exquisite, dreamy ones, that send me to my land of fancy. These two frocks, Christian Dior Couture, (SS17) are pure fantasy. The tulle neck and barely-there-pink sash; the perfect applique of flowers. I love how the bird, and nest of bees and flowers look like they’ve sprung from the model’s curls. Everything about this is so romantic and theatrical. Just to know that such dresses exist makes me happy.
The lovely people who own Gaspard on Queen Street told me about the Inis Meáin Restaurant & Suites in the Aran Islands, and one look sent it to the top of my ‘places I want to go’ list. The island itself, “a raw limestone slab in the wild Atlantic” looks breathtaking, and the suites, spartan and beautifully considered, look like somewhere you go to read, breath and reflect. I hear the food at the restaurant is simple, fresh and exquisite. Really, let’s go. And let’s buy a lot of very beautiful jumpers while we’re there.
What a decadent idea, to plonk a Christmas tree in the bedroom! Erin Swift, over at fancy New York City based decorating service, Holiday Workroom, says no room is off-limits to baubles and wreaths. “I’m loving installing decorative elements in some unexpected places, like garland over headboards and a wreath in the bathroom.” she says. Mistletoe in the guest loo, my personal favourite.
It’s hard to tell if it’s even a child in this image, but just the thought of a little girl spying on her parent’s soirée, makes me smile. Many of us have memories of sitting in our rooms listening to the clinking of glasses, music and jolly banter coming from the grownups downstairs. If we were lucky, we’d get to stay up a little later than usual, just to see the guests arriving. We rarely have people over past 8 p.m these days, but if we do, it’s our eldest child who loves to stay up and greet them at the door, fill up their wine glasses and eavesdrop on all the conversations. She reminds me so much of me as child, switching from a nightie to a tartan tutu in less than a minute, never wanting to miss out on a party.
The most recent collection from Dodo Bar Or feels like a modern riff on the 80s. I can see Alexis Colby in any one of these numbers. This jacquard top in marshmallow pink would be dream to wear over jeans or black palazzo pants, and this velvet jumpsuit with puffed shoulders is pure drama. It’s all so luxe compared to the label’s signature peasant tops and frocks, but I like both in equal measure.
I’m quite drawn to the work of Aussie artist, Sally Blake –– mostly because I find her creations so strange and ethereal. There are baskets woven from copper wire, pomegranate dyed wool, silk and hemp and beautiful wall hangings constructed from copper and aluminium wire. Some of her processes sound painstaking; “The Fire Drawings combine marks made from the ash of eucalyptus destroyed by fire with patiently delivered burns that penetrate the picture surface. The ash represents the aspect of fire that is uncontrollable which reduces everything in its path, and the burns suggest the aspect of fire which can be contained. Images are created as the paper is destroyed, revealing the tension between fire’s destructive capacity and its potential for creating the conditions for renewal.” What I find impressive is how many techniques –– dyeing, basketry, weaving, stitching and piecing –– Blake combines in her work. And the way the artist mixes natural materials with man made ones to achieve both balance and tension.
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