Ancient Inspiration

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond is one of my very favourite museums to visit.  I'm in Richmond house-sitting, and my mother is visiting this weekend for some Mother's Day fun.  Today we visited the museum, and I was captivated by these pieces (by the Pueblo Indians, I believe, though they're not on the website).  I love the way the hard lines play against the soft, the dichotomy of zig-zags and curves.

room love

Would you check out this room?  There is absolutely nothing I don't love about this room.

I think it's somewhere between those blue chairs and the big star pillow on the couch.

In Abigail Ahern's home in London, courtesy of The Selby.  The whole house is lovely, but oh! that room.

porter chair love

These chairs would be very happy in my home.  Really, I'd take just one of them.  Porter chairs forever.

louis vuitton home

When I lived in Florence, there was a bus which stopped 2 blocks from our school going in one direction, but not in the other.  Which meant that in order to catch a bus back to the apartment, I had to cross the Arno and wait by the Duomo.  Which really wasn't a tough burden to bear, to be completely honest.  That walking route took me directly by the Florence Louis Vuitton location.  I could never bring myself to go inside, but I found great joy in looking through the windows.  Something about Louis Vuitton has always spoken to me of a different time.

So I was of course excited about Todd Selby's new project, especially since it includes a look inside the Vuitton family home.  The excitement increased exponentially the moment I discovered that Louis had decorated his home in the Art Nouveau style (which was actually unfashionable at the time he did it), and that his family had maintained it.  Seeing the home takes me back to those long moments standing in the cold, gazing wistfully at white dresses.  Oh, I knew there was a reason I couldn't look away.

Check out the magnificent fireplace, would you?  Oh, and the inlay on the desk!  I want to fold it all in my arms and never let go.

more bell jars

Still musing on bell jars.  Here are two of my favourite usual uses.

This is a Tinysaur, made by Everything Tiny.  They also sell itty bitty bell jars (blown by Kiva Ford) to display your little beast in.  I love it!

I love this idea.  Taking a piece of mini mid-century modern furniture (like those by Vitra or a less pricy knockoff) and placing it under glass.  Other bell jar ideas: a Nerdbot or one (or a few) of these mini buses.

curiosities

Maybe it was seeing Sherlock Holmes four times, or perhaps the influence of visiting The Pink Palace, but I've had cabinets of curiosity on the brain lately, specifically bell jars.  All of a sudden, I can't get enough of them.

I love the idea that they're protecting something precious, but also enjoy the traditional use with flora and fauna (I'm not big on taxidermy, but don't mind fake animals--how wonderful is that little bird?).  I can definitely see myself filling a room with bell jars, big and small.  If only I had the room.  Coming by bell jars on the cheap is not terribly easy, although ebay has a fairly large selection.  You also see them in high-end garden shops (anthro has one that's designed to be a terrarium).

photo credits (from top: James Merrell (1 & 2), AT, AT, d*s, dsbrennan

caught my eye, lamp edition

Love these lamps made of stacked metal bowls. Spotted in this house tour, apparently by this guy.

sweet

As soon as summer rolls around, I start making sweet tea and don't stop until it gets cold again. The only trouble is that I drink it as fast as I make it, meaning that I'm constantly making it, which can be a major pain. I'm tempted to invest in something like this instead--isn't she a beauty?

blacker house lamp

Internet, please meet your Piece of the Week. It is a lamp from the Blacker House in Pasadena, CA designed by Charles and Henry Greene. I was determined to feature a Greene & Greene piece this week because I spent last Friday and Monday aiding in the installation of the Greene & Greene show at the Renwick Gallery. It's full of fantastic objects, and I thought long and hard before choosing one. Eventually, I went with this lamp. I'm not normally someone who goes gaga over lamps, and I'm sorry that the above photo isn't better quality, because that lamp is gorgeous. I love the use of wood in the shade and the emphasis on the grain in its construction. I should note that although the lamp was designed by Greene and Greene, it was made by Peter and John Hall, their longtime collaborators. If you live anywhere near D.C., I highly recommend checking out the show after it opens on March 13th.

For a glimpse of some of the show's objects and content (or if you're too far from DC to see it in person), check out the exhibition overview on The Gamble House website.

piece of the week: wave bowl

Remember, back in the day, when I tried to blog about a different specific piece every week? Yeah, me neither. Well, it occurred to me last night in class that it might work a little bit better if I revamped the idea a bit. You see, sometimes I see some seriously awesome things in class, things I just want to shout to the world about. And I've got this blog thing happening, so...
This week I'm shouting about this: Wave Bowl, c. 1880, design attributed to Christopher Dresser and made by Linthorpe Art Pottery. This bowl is an excellent example of a piece from the Aesthetic Movement in England, and it shows well the Japonisme craze. The bowl is believed to be a direct reference to the famous Hokusai woodcut Great Wave Off Kanagawa.Not only does the bowl echo the dramatic wave shape in the print, but the decoration on the lower curve resembles the prows of the boats you see in the print. Additionally, the bowl sits on a very sea rock-y looking base. In conclusion, the Met should probably increase security around this piece, cause I wants it.

material

Regular readers here know that I am a candidate for an MA in the History of Decorative Arts. One of the frequent debates in the decorative arts is one of connoisseurship versus material culture. I lean toward the side of material culture, as the stories which objects tell about the people who made and interacted with them are what fascinate me most. In that vein, this new book, Important Artifacts and Personal Property from the Collection of Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris, Including Books, Street Fashion, and Jewelry by Leanne Shapton sounds just up my alley.

"Her book tells the story of a hopeful young New York couple and their four-year relationship almost completely through their things, many of which end up unceremoniously, and improbably, under the gavel: books, pajamas, bedside lamps, a stuffed squirrel, an astrakhan coat, the winning half of a wishbone and lots of notes, inscriptions and e-mail messages that start out giddy and become slowly more complicated, angry and sorrowful."

toasty

For some reason my office is freeeeeeezing today, and I'm sitting here, wrapped in my coat, longing for a blanket, a purring cat, or....hmmm. A toaster might do!These might be too pretty for my feet, though. They're pieces in the online Toaster Museum. I've been on the fence about online museums, because it's always more fun to see things in person, but the execution of this one is quite good!
I love that it's an actual collection, as well as how very organized and detailed the website is. It's easier to find pieces in this "museum" than it is to find them on the websites of many of the grand old institutions.I also just adore small, focused museums in general. As the website explains,

"It's amazing that a simple technical task - e.g. toasting bread - can be celebrated in so many different ways."

Thanks Double Takes, for linking to this wonderful place!

whine, whine, whine

Yes, thank you, Three Potato Four, that's precisely what I need at the moment: stuff to lust over. It's a whale, a whale with a compartment. I am a sucker for drawers and compartments, and if you have to turn a key or solve a puzzle to get it open, all the better.No fair.

Adams love, love, love

So I've been spending a lot of time at the Library of Congress lately. It's an incredible resource, not to mention a beautiful place. The LOC has three buildings: the Jefferson, the Adams, and the Madison. The Jefferson is the oldest (1897) and most overtly impressive of the three. With the Great Hall and the gorgeous dome in the Main Reading Room, it is by far the tourist hotspot. The Madison is the most recent of the three, it opened in 1976. The building looks rather boxy and plain until you stand directly in front of the main door.

But my favourite, oh, my favourite is the Adams Building (see top photo). Completed in 1939, this baby is aaaaaaall Deco.

from Dan_DCabove two images from pixelmasseuse (who's also got many other great shots of DC and area events)

Unfortunately for me, the Main Reading Room is where all of my resources are located these days, so I have to make special trips to the Adams. I don't mind, though. It is so worth it.

Images, except for those marked otherwise, were found via the LOC Prints and Photographs catalog. Photographer credit was not given.

humina humina

There are some architectural details which make my eyes pop and my tongue drop to the floor a la Bugs Bunny, and painted wooden floors are one of them. Check out this beauty, from a restaurant in Halifax, Nova Scotia.Photo courtesy of robotgirl, via sfgirlbybay (who has a whole post full of painted floors--yum, yum).

Whalehead Club

Hello, I'm back! I'm still (reluctantly) recovering from my vacation, but I've just been dying to talk about the Whalehead Club, so you'll have to excuse the long informative post. Lovers of Art Nouveau, take note! Located in Corolla, NC, it's just north of my family's annual beach retreat. I am astonished that I'd managed to go so many years without knowing of the treasures this place holds.

By the time this house, originally called Corolla Island, was built by Mr. and Mrs. Edward Collings Knight, Jr. in 1922, Art Nouveau had been out of fashion for 20 years. The Knights must have loved it, however, as its graceful patterns are present throughout the house. The place is amazingly intact considering that the Knights passed away in the 40s and the house was subsequently sold (for a pittance, at that).

The exterior architectural details, many of which predate the house and were probably taken from a previous residence of Mrs. Knight, are in great condition, to say nothing of the amazing interior. The glass and bronze of the light fixtures in the dining room and entry are Tiffany and original. Most of the dining room furniture is original, as well (only one of the below chairs is, the rest are reproductions).

But oh, oh, just look at this clock! I apologize for the shoddy photo quality, I couldn't use a flash. This, as well as several other pieces from the house's library, was design by Louis Majorelle, a fantastic Art Nouveau cabinet maker.


Here are all of my photos from the Whalehead Club. There are lots more on Flickr, as well. Hope you enjoyed my burst of nerdiness!

whales and whales

I love whales. As a child, I aspired to being a marine biologist, which lasted until I finally grasped what biology entails (I couldn't even dissect my fetal pig in high school), so now I content myself with finding whales in design.I love the blocky whale shape that Ben Floeter uses in his works, such as the wooden piece above and the chalkboard below.Also adorable are this print by Lab Partners, the tiny "Willoughby Whale Rubber Stamp" from the Mayberry Sparrow, and Bugalow360's Whale Spin wallet.Anyone up for a swim?