Life imitates Art...

An observation of how I am always amazed of how life continues to imitate art...... at least in my pile of endless mail!

Artwork from my desk calandar for the week's end is listed below. I was turning the pages when I was also getting the mail from the post box. As I was looking at both piles of papers it was apparent to me that the colors from these two works of art and my new March Anthropology catalog were the same colors hues and saturation of colors. Funny how things can parallel sometimes in life & art.



Below Raphael ( Raffaello Sanzio of Urbino ) ( 1483 -1520) * Vision of a knight, c. 1504 * National Gallery, London England





The colors have a washed look, but still earthy colors with natural tones from colors in the landscapes.

Isla dress Imported with the same blue tones, golds, and reds in the dress material.

William de Morgan ( 1839 -1917 ) * Earthenware tiles, n.d. * Private collection arts & crafts inspired color blocks in these tiles. Also, a blocked or big stenciled theme...much like the trend today in wall coverings.

A menagere of bedding from http://anthropologie.com/ Morning glory bedding, Bella hothouse bedding, Savannah bedding, Aster bedding.....same type of color blocked, strong stencil design patterns in the bedding, pillow cases & coverlets. I love the look of the Anthropology urban gypsy meets sophisticated style.

The papaya rind necklace also echos the golden, papaya tones with greens & natural hues as in the Raphael painting.

Anthropology exclusive wallpaper......made in the USA. Are you being served? $108; Barking Mad $108; Circular damask $148; Flora & fauna $148; Pages & Pages $108. Great strong visual images with saturated colors...love the doggie paper & the Are you being served.

Combination of the stripes & geometric prints.....pulled out like the earthenware tiles of Morris.

Estrella Bedding from Anthropologie> bold graphic with a tinge of geometrics and batik patterned all over prints in the spring color scheme kalidescope of colors!

The same bold pattern is evident in this dress from Anthropology as well. Sweet tangelo dress $378 A almost lacy backdrop for the tangelo citrus color that this dress is infused with.

The sofa, Battersea sofette from Anthropology handmade in the USA.....love that!!! $ 2998 Cools down summer in a airy soft cool cotton color scheme, but do not ignore the rug beneath the sofa. A fun Gloria's garden rug $348 ---$998

Hold the cabanna!!! This majesty palm maillot $178.....ties blue geometrics with a grass green sarong! Dive into this irresistable suit.

The pattern on the Remy chair $1298 Also made in the USA......paired with chocolate whipstiched chair, and woven panels behind the chair ensemble. Not a blahhh.....seat!

Lay back & relax in this Wight's sago dress $148..... A bold geometric dress with red buttons and piping along the top also a red headband to sweep those flyaways behind and cool off that brow!

Another color punch with the red pillows on the denim sectional..always a beachy fav! The sand-and-sea bolero top $88 & ag capri party $150

A contrast in white, Kissing pleat bedding $98 -$268 . Punctuated with floral pillow and nickel lamp for reading all those travel brochures in bed...dreaming of your next get away!

Sabal keyhole maillot $178...striking against the cool blues of the water. A rainbow of colors... turquoise & black is always a summer combonation also highlighted with white!

A trio of bowls....not just for cereal. Florist measuring cups> $36 set of four Love the colors and graphical floral print.

Cocoplum pencil skirt $118 Love the polka dots, antiqued lacy blouse & beads with the green pendant.

A great funky chair, Antwerp chair $1498 Great bold graphic floral inspired chair, gold gilded frame and a look of mod....with a traditional twist!

Papaya rind necklace, $138 ......anthropology Isadora dress $138 >.........same great bold prints & textures!

Silvered, mirrored dresser $1298 ....... cool neutrals with antiqued glass fronts!

Shiny chrome bicycles with neutrals of colors & trim. Leather seat on bikes and leather on the accompanying sofa, in the above pic.

All lit up!

After a quick trip to ABC Carpet in NY and months & weeks later..........
Quite sometime ago, I purchased this lamp I knew that when I began my living room redo I could use this. Of course, like many of my projects.....I am never satisfied with buying something "off the rack"! I have held onto this for a while and the picture below shows the before of the life of this lamp.
I like to find things, and breathe a new life into them. Add my own touch & tweek it a little bit. So, I knew the base would work, great turnings and the standing lamp would be a great lighting addition to the overhead lighting. I just did not like the"faux" job that came with the lamp base. So, after toting the lamp to the studio, I decided to give it a tweek.

A close up of the ivory base, with touches of brassy golden dry brushstrokes. The base was good, an antique store find. I just wanted more depth & a little bit of color in the living room.

The new & "aged" base...... a blue, green, french blue with highlighted gold leaf on the turnings, and a distressed finish with a wax sealer.

I love the end result, it looks like an old Parisian find that was made into a lamp. Definitely from a provincial estate or drug from the streets of the Paris flea market!

Another image of the completed lamp. The base is played off with a soft subtle chenille oatmeal colored shade. It blends into my cream, blue and chocolate color scheme of the living room now!

Another closer view at the turned base & shade.

I am in the middle of another piece. When complete I will share as well. Just a sample of my work.

Have a happy Saturday!

Leslie

Lakehouse... luring idea's......

Love this laundry room, from an International post. A great look for the old ho hum laundry room! I would probably even enjoy doing laundry in this room! I have a plan for a new laundry area and this would be a great starting point for the overall design! I cannot get over the 3 washers! I do have laundry but not enough for 3. What a great folding table in the middle of the room. I also love the glass jars for holding soaps and other laundry items.




A road trip we will go......



Be gone fishing, for lake house designing idea's for a client's lake home. Will be back to posting by end of the work week!


Ta Ta!!!


Leslie

Thank You French Essence!

THANK YOU FRENCH ESSENCE!!

A heartfelt THANK YOU to Vicki Archer at: http://frenchessence.blogspot.com/ for mentioning my blog, La Maison Fou as one of the five Fabulous Bloggers on her site!

Thank You,
Leslie

Now, I must attend to all the party clean up....... how dreadful the front lawn looks!! (flickr pic)

Yarn & velvet

Over the winter, my son had the task of "weaving". This was for a art project for 5th grader's at his school. He would tote his loom home every weekend to "weave"......I affectionately would refer to him as my "little dream weaver". It was incredible how he was into doing such a tedious & painstaking task. He really enjoyed the layout, color selection and shape of his weaving and what it would morph into.
Well, below is the result.....
The bedroom which the weaving will reside is a very hip, & modern little nook. With chocolates, creams, & touches of stainless and edgy details.......we made a drastic move in August, replacing the cowboy mural, sheets and bunk beds with a more sleek & sophisticated & requested style from my 10 yr old.


The pillow is a menage re of color, fitting perfectly into his room. What a pop of color! The middle is the "D" for Drew. I am also loving the fringy reds & yellows that give the texture to the pillow.

Not a big seamstress, I added an apple green velvet backing to the weaving, by hand sewing it to the top. The pocket was then stuffed and secured with a vintage button.

I am considering weaving a couple of pillows myself, what a great way to make a one of a kind accent accessory. To Drew, it is a wonderful and creative piece of him!

The weaving was toted into art today, to get the final grade, ala mom's sewing addition. The pillow will be on display at an upcoming art show at Tulsa University. The university just completed a wonderful art work show from all Tulsa Public artists in elementary school. Great little talents out there!

Also, lot's of things are getting done in the studio, more on this towards the end of the week!

Have a glorious Monday!

Leslie

Happy Birthday George!

Happy Birthday To You!..........



One last post this weekend to celebrate George Washington's birthday! A rendering from a private collection, one of my daily works of art from Barnes & Noble calendar.





American School (after 18th century) * George Washington on horseback, n.d. * Private Collection

And the Oscar go's to....

And the Oscar go's to.........

Familiar words for the Academy Award show that has reigned for years as the ultimte Award show for Hollywood glam & glitz! The photo below is one of a young Hepburn & Grace Kelly from Monaco awaiting those words backstage at the 28th Academy Awards in Hollywood California circa 1956. My how Hollywood Royalty never looked so regal and classic!
Enjoy the show, I will be back after a long weekend & some much needed work to my studio. If all goes well, I will have some new pic to post. My two year old studio is a work in progress, & being so busy it seems to get neglected at times. Have a Happy Weekend, enjoy the Oscars!

French "dark" house

Louviers, France

A labyrinth of a home in the French town of Louviers. An old Norman town about 60 miles North of Paris. In 1647, the history of Susan Loomis's town was filled with local exorcism and witchcraft.

Ms.Herrmann Loomis, a food writer,chef, and teacher, lives in a 12th- century home with an extensive layout and rambling floor plan.




A look at the wandering 350 meter home ( 3,800 square feet ) of living space. The structure - on Rue Tatin, has 15 rooms on three different levels, in a type of labyrinth, with creaky floorboards, spiral staircase and two separate staircases to a separate third - floor rooms on different levels.

A picture of the roof line. A mix match of years of add on's and an over 300 year old residence as a convent. In the beginning, there were squatters within the dwelling along with holes & wall's missing in the rooms ceiling & spaces. The house has clay roof tiles, two fireplaces, rustic wooden beams throughout, and a garden area. Interestingly enough, the wall that divides the property is partly made of tombstones!

The kitchen, the one & only completely modernized room , where Ms.Loomis teaches cooking to students from around the world.The kitchen has what Loomis refers to as her "dream kitchen". An Italian - made Cometto, an industrial behemoth with 6 blowtorch gas burners. The kitchen has hanging copper pots, a locker room for refrigeration and light bright blue colors. One side of the kitchen is fondly known as Loomis's prop room, with hundreds of dishes and other kitchen paraphernalia.....items which make a cook tick!

The roomy wine cellar was a part of the underground tunnel system, that the local village's Catholics used to escape from the French Huguenots in the 16th century, according to local residents lore. I like the standing wire / iron bottle stacker's for storing empty bottles from the wine.

The master bedroom with a great view to two large metal windows, nice comfy looking bedding that looks like you can "sink" into it! A 3,800 sq foot home spanning over three stories of space.

One of the homes six bedrooms. One of her children's bedrooms. A seventh was converted for Ms.Loomis's study / office for writing. Her first trip to Paris involving writing was in 1980 when she was an apprentice in a Parisian cooking school. Loomis returned in 1993 to write " The French Farmhouse Cookbook".

The house bought for $310,000 francs ( $60,000 ) USD from a Parisian antiques dealer. Renovations have followed and after long improvements, a divorce and an economic downturn for real estate for Loomis since 1993. Today, she is working on the house as well as her ninth book, titled- "Nuts." respectfully.....

Text & photos referenced from The New York Times

Innovative Tuscany

Tuscany in Nashville... a new construction with Old World charm & romance

Nestled within the wooded lot of this new home in Nashville, is a fused combination of 1930's American factory & elegant seventeenth-century Italian pavilion styling! When one thinks of factory & elegant romance there is hardly an attachment with both descriptions. However the Maxwell family of Nashville Tennessee has nothing but invention on their minds.

It is apparent the moment you begin entering the covered porch that Old World style & the combination of light colors and style of romantic sun soaked Tuscan villa's is emerging throughout the home. Designers Ray Booth & Architect Bobby Mcalpine have created a sort of-"hybrid" home. One consisting of elegant 17th century Italian & 1930's factory inspired details. The juxtaposition of the two very different styles is exactly what brings the look together. This romantic aerie in the Mazwells entry adornes columns, iron and a brick seating recessed into the area from the covered roof line. The home is inspired by "Thunder House', a gardener's feruge from the storm, also adding a comfortable niche for alfresco dining. The Loggia, is in full Italian style bloom. The garden chair & stone chair are from Michael Taylor.

In the salon, the French iron chandelier, early 20th c. Steel grid windows with the factory touch. Custom sofas, which face one another, in Glant fabric. Lee Jofa linen / velvet Saladino sofa. J.Robert Scott fabric on the 20th- c. reclaimer. Rogers & Goffigon linen on the porteries lined in silk Jagtar. Lots of light infused with the light airy linen sofa's, moss covered bowls and hand stenciled walls in an Italian cornice / freeze architectural mural.

Side table from Wisteria in 3 leg configuration with potted orchid in clear pot. The three legged coffee table by Saladino. Custom sofas with nail head trim, on either side with barley twisted dark onyx & gilded Italian lamps from a Paris flea market. The garden stool in a antique styled drum, as an alternative side table. The colors of soft taupe, cream, and hand forged iron.

Italian 19th c iron stools. Early 19th c Italian tall back chairs in Joseph Noble Mohair.Dressing chair, 18th c. Unique coffee table in iron with tasseled cushions in linen. Notice the top of the softly draped linen panels topped with a band in the natural linen jute color.

The draped in the home were used as portieres that divide rooms to create space and give a heightened room scale and grandness. The drapery panels were in fact used everywhere but the windows! The wonderful views of the vista's were not covered an inch.It was the unobtrusive views that dictated the color palette. An extraordinary pencil drawing continues throughout the home. The colors are very subtle and tie the classical Italian architecture with a raw sketching found within a factory. The technique of almost tattooing graphite onto the walls and a layering of greenish -gray hues brings the vistas inside. The neutral palette is monochromatic but carefully done as to highlight certain shades of color. The end result is a harmonious blend of complementing shades and hues of harmony. The long, hand scraped Italian table is lit from above the long cool steel candelabra and filled with the sweet scented from the lighted candles.Large fireplace and continued cream palette.

In the master bath Cypress paneling is set off by an Italian steel mirror above cast stone vanity by Ray Booth. A touch of modern in the sleek lamp and the exposed plumbing beneath the vanity.

The elegant and almost modern chandelier is steel and glass from Sirmos. Roger & Goffigon linen at windows. Paul Ferrante stool wears hide by Edelman Leather.Waterworks hardware & tub by Kohler.

The colors in the guest room were coordinated from nature. The colors from beyond the arched doorway and occulas dictate the reigning scheme. The tailback chairs in a soft platinum colored velvet, rough distressed Spanish leather trunk studded with nail trim at the foot of the bed, and large aster flowers in a clear tall vase.Note the Empire ebony and gold gilded full length mirror across from the bed.

Majorcan walnut bed, 17th-c wears on the bed from Roger & Goffigon with long pillow in Larsen fabric. The duo of large chairs are upholstered in custom screens bearing antique sconces. Ottaman by Baker Furniture wears Rogers & Goffigon textured linen. Lee Jofa linen/velvet on the 19th c high - back chairs. Zimmer + Rohde fabric for sheers at the windows. Antique oak flooring.

Love the view from the window overlooking the pool. The area across the reflecting pool lined with trees on either side of the pool.A close up of the twisted post of the Majorcan walnut bed, 17th c.

The view from the guesthouse across the reflecting pool from the loggia. Bevalo outdoor lantern. I love the look of using outdoor lantern's even within the inside of the home..... very innovative and a feel of opulent rustic flavor. Aerial hedges with perennials as ground cover.Boxwood twist topiaries flank steel grid window. Antique Italian barrel tiles on roof. The florals throughout the home were by Richard Norris.

Almost every room throughout the home has a complimentary outdoor space / view that affects the decor. In the guest bedroom pale blue hues compliment the reflecting pool, the scents of rosemary and lavender linger in the air, the effect....pure romance!

The homeowners feel as though they are living in the vista's in Tuscany - not the foothills in Tennessee.

Photos and wears, Veranda.