Timeless: Eva Zeisel

At  nearly 105 years old, Eva Zeisel continues her work, in her words, as "a maker of useful things."  The strong yet feminine lines of her creations, whether in ceramic, glass or in furniture, are instantly recogizable.  Her work is on display in numerous museums and is sold still today through major retailers such as Gump's, Design Within Reach and Crate & Barrel.  Her products range from the highly collectible tea set, below, on sale for $7,900.00, to her tables in the $2,000 range and her everyday "Classic Century" collection at the wallet-friendly Crate & Barrel. The furniture below can be found at http://www.evazeiseloriginals.com/, the Classic Collection at http://www.crateandbarrel.com/ and the book below, and others, at Amazon.


Young Eva; such style!




I adore the lines of this piece.  Simultaneously heavy and romantic. A classic.




http://www.amazon.com/Eva-Zeisel-Design/dp/1585674079/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1317328071&sr=8-2




Recent Eva; the piece is part of the Classic Collection.




Grand Dining Table.



Collectable tea service.



I would take this Trestle Table for my entryway in a hearbeat.  The craftsmanship here evokes to some extent  the wood carving of Victorian furnishing, with its heavy yet sinuous lines.





Eva's Goblets.




Classic Collection Salt & Pepper.




Classic Collection Tea Pot.



Classic Image.

Chandeliers

I have a number of chandeliers in my home, all basic crystal varieties which I am slowly customizing with bits and bobs of sparkle and color I find in fleas and along other journeys.  There is something so glamorous to this over-the-top light fixture.  I think it is the glitter and whimsy such a piece can bring to any room, and in so many styles.  A chandelier may work as well in a rustic cabin as it does at Versailles.   It also translates well to other mediums, as shown in the photos below.  The CB2 rug is on my short list, I assure you.




A nest chandelier from "Nest" on Fillmore street

 



Chandelier rug from CB2




I love the paint effect, now becoming  popular in so many hues.

 




Antler Chandelier - http://www.horchow.com/

  




Classic white, Horchow

  



All the chandeliers in my home, for now, are Murano.  Many selections at http://www.greatchandeliers.com/. 

 




Purple Glamour - Horchow

  



Adore the color.  http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/

 


Madeline Boulesteix makes charming chandeliers from tea cups, jam jars and the like




Duffy London Grand Chandelier Glo Light




Chihuly.  Breathtaking.  I know he is not everyone's cup of tea, but his genius cannot be questioned.





I first saw this in one of my French design mags, either Maison Francaise or Elle Decor.  At first I was dismissive, but I have come to love it.  

   

Magnifique

I recently received the latest ad campaign from Barneys New York (my favorite major retailer ever) featuring the estimable Carine Roitfeld and her styling of top models, friends and muses, all photographed by Mario Sorrenti.  It is extraordinary.  "Mais oui!" was my first thought - of course where does the French Vogue editrix land after leaving her post? Barneys!  A perfect coupling. 

The images don't appear to be online; I've scanned a few for your perusal (Barneys please don't sue).  The detail, styling and vision are inspiring indeed.  I have put on my must-have book list her new offering, Irreverant, published by Rizzoli.  Available at Barneys and Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Carine-Roitfeld-Irreverent/dp/0847833682/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1317157606&sr=1-1.

A bientot.



The Cover




China Machado.  She is 80.  Wow.




Mlle. Marie Agnes Gillot.  A stunning creature.





The wife of Mario Sorrenti, Mary Frey.

 


The iconic Giovanna Battaglia.  She is absolutely captivating.  See more of her at The Sartorialist http://www.thesartorialist.com/?s=giovanna 




The mythical Bambou - on my herringbone floor . . . .




Jessica Hart, just lovely.



All around us: The Food Post

As the adorable Hugh Grant voices over in Love Actually, "Love is all around".  Add the priceless musical stylings of Bill Nighy ("Love is all around us; you feel it in your fingers, you feel it in your toeeeees,") and, well, you have a classic.  How could you not with the majority of the British acting establishment cast?

I digress.  The point being - inspiration is all around.  Making a home is a multi-faceted effort.  It should be lovely and warm, a place to rest your soul.  And also to feed it.  Few things are as satisfying as feeding your family with love; with meals that were thoughtfully planned and prepared, with the food fresh, the setting calm and the conversation flowing.  Yes, I typed that with a straight face even though I have young boys at my table every night.  Barring the off day, they are delightful dinner companions, even if they must be cajoled concerning their veggies at times.  Some parts of our meal this week from the Alemany Saturday Farmers Market and some happy flowers (yes I spend some quality time at Alemany on the weekends . . : )




Delicious and worth it

 





Lambstail, protea and Dusty Miller

  


priceless purple protea





Why Autumn is my favorite season

 



Another reason. 

 

Snooping

There was a very good article in the NY Times this past Sunday, Septebmer 25, 2011 in the Style Section (the first Section to be read in my Sunday paper ritual) by Bruce Feiler, "Snooping in the Age of E-book."  The thrust of the article is how a person communicates, wittingly or not, his or her personality by things such as displayed books, CD cases (both of which are sadly disappearing from "modern" life), as well as art, objects, furnishings, etc.    Quoting Sam Gosling, a professor of psychology at UTA and the author of "Snoop:  What your Stuff Says About You," Dr. Gosling states "Places reflect long series of behavior."  "If I have a conversation with you, I just get snippets of behavior.  Your books, your chairs, your wall hangings represent an acumulation over many years.  A space distills repeated acts.  That's why it's hard to fake."

Agreed. 

Below are a few photos from my home collection.  What does it say about me?  That is the question.





Candlestick Flea find; evokes Josef Hoffmann for me. 

 


Everywhere now, I know, but this and the one below are actually from my hunter husband





From last trip to Venice, as well as below





I love a bust.  Flea finds and design books, they go together.




I am obsessed with 1930s French furniture.  This moustache back settee which I founds and had re-upholstered is a favorite.




Market flowers; velvety soft lambstail, Dusty Miller and Protea




Richard Phillips, Scout.




Richard Phillips, Spectrum.




Dee Adams.  Love her.




My favorite style club chair in the world.  This was a find from Bonhams - at 1/10 of the price as in antique stores.  An absolutely treasured possession.  Every morning my two little ones pile on with me for coffee, newspapers, and waking up cuddles.  I will have it forever.



Alemany Flea: September 25

Alemany was OK this weekend.  Not great, not awful, but OK.  Here are a few pics of interesting offerings, including a few I had to take home!



A flourish to add to my 1950s black crepe hat, or anything else in need of a good pouf!




Yes, a pink Jesus.  I struggled with the must-have kitcsh vs. high potential for disrespect (it also has a magic eightball feature), but at $2 I had to take a chance.




Vintage shoe tools.  I wll clean these up and post the "after".




Tchotkes to be shined up and hung from chandeliers.




Lovely silver bowl of crystals.




An au courant collection of electric insulators. 




Lovely primary colors courtesy of croquet.




Who can resist feather boas?  I left them there (have plenty : ) but bought the hat pouf from this vendor.




Giant dice!  Brilliant.  I love oversized items.  But the vedor was asking way too much.  A good deal must be part of the bargain, or I love it much less.




Industrial pieces kept catching my eye.  Love the fans - which are reported to be in working order.




Again, the heavy metal features kept calling me.  The giant clamps would look great with the big fans . . . .




More fun color.




I cannot resist crystals.




Or jewelry.  But I have to really love it to buy it.