BUtterfield 8 movie sets

This past weekend I watched the movie that won Elizabeth Taylor her first Oscar in 1960, BUtterfield 8. While Mrs Taylor's performance and the movie as a whole were excellent I have to say what stole the show for me was the NYC apartment of her society 'boyfriend' Weston Liggett played by Laurence Harvey.

The neutral tones of the apartment were predominantly gray with black doors and white trim. Sound very 2014 to you?  I also loved that the plaster casings around the door - seen above -and in the fireplace surround seen in the first photo were a very classical Greek key. Design inspiration is everywhere if you just look!
Apologies for the photo quality which I took of my tv screen!

Kenwood House

Located in London is Kenwood House, a stately house that has acted as an art museum since 1928 which was re-envisioned by Robert Adam in the 1770s for the Earl of Mansfield.

Recently the house has been in the news after both a massive restoration as well as having one of its' former occupants immortalized in film:  Dido Belle (Belle, 2013). Unfortunately I have yet to see the movie, portions of it filmed at Kenwood House (also portions of the film Notting Hill) .

The shallow Ionic entrance portico was added by Adam during his renovation of the house as well as the side wings.

 Adams' hand is evident throughout many of the public spaces.

None of the furniture was included with the house when Lord Iveagh donated the house and art to the nation in 1927. Since then all of the furniture seen has been donated and collected, some originally from Kenwood.

 Notice the fabric covered pelmet with these curtains.

 The most famous room of the house is no doubt Adam's library.

 I've read that the spines of many of these books are fake but they sure look real to me, don't you think?

 The ceilings are a neoclassical masterpiece.

 Gilded pelmets grace the windows of the library, notice how the motif echoes the ceiling decoration.

 Another graceful cantilevered stair graces the house.

 I wonder why no art is hung on the stair walls; it looks so naked.

 But there is no shortage of amazing art throughout the rest of the house.

The quality of the art is so good that you probably recognize much of it, including the Van Dyck above the fireplace below of Princess Henrietta of Lorraine.

Of course Lord Iveagh had help amassing his collection, he hailed from the Guinness family.

 I love the subtle reminder of the large thistles to not sit on the armchairs; much more elegant than rope.

The breakfast room seen above includes other notable paintings such as Lady Hamilton at the spinning wheel by George Romney.

The collection of Robert Adams upholstered furniture was designed for the house but was of course later donated and with impressive provenance.

During the Kennedy era renovation of the White House the sofa was expressly donated back to Kenwood House by Jackie Kennedy.

 Not sure I love the upholstery of the matching armchair above.

Lastly this collection of lovely desks caught both my eye as well as my penpals who provided me with these pictures.

In this age of email, the laptop, and tablet will desks go away? They really are one of my favorite pieces of furniture so that would be a shame -although admittedly I sold my own desk years ago.

 Kenwood House is conveniently located in London so be sure to include a visit to the house and its' art collection on your next visit!

Those trashy Greeks.....

No the title is not meant to be derogatory but hopefully it caught your attention!  Rather, how fabulous is this trash can in the "Greek style" from the 1967 movie Playtime. I watched this movie last night at the recommendation of professor Michael Djordjevitch from the NYC Beaux Arts Atelier. If you get a chance the Atelier is a wonderful organization which gives intensive courses in classical architecture and drawing ranging from 1 week intensive courses to 1 year programs (I've been meaning to take the 1 week course myself). The movie is notable for its intricate and daring sets which are a riff on modern architecture and urban planning -they make this funny movie all the better (thro.out greek style)! Be sure to add Playtime to your netflix queue, you won't regret it.

Filoli Ballroom

The ballroom at Filoli was one which I instantly recognized, do you? It's the home gym of Warren Beatty in Heaven Can Wait! The space was restored for the movie along with other parts of the house and impresses everyone who enters it, as it should!The flowers, seen best in the picture at top, were probably the most beautiful in the house. Not an easy feat as each room has a gorgeous bouquet fresh from the garden. The mixture of bright colors in the pale green room with gilded accents was really striking. Forget the Bagues chandeliers modeled on the ones from the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles, everyone on the tour noticed the flowers first.The murals are the core of the room. They were completed in 1921 by Ernest Peixotto for the original owner Mr. Bourn after he suffered from a stroke and was unable to leave the house. The murals depict his daughter's beloved castle in Ireland he had gifted to her (Muckross, seen below) which he was unable to visit during his illness.

The maguette or model seen below of the Ballroom was gifted to Filoli after the artist's nephew saw the movie Heaven Can Wait and recognized his family's dollhouse! This scale model of the room was created so that Peixotto could work from his studio in the city and plan out the large scale canvases.

I hope you are looking forward to more of Filoli! Read more about the ballroom's murals on their website; click on 'ballroom' towards the bottom of the page.

Is it just me....

Is it just me, or did Tim Burton borrow heavily from the artist Maxfield Parrish for Alice in Wonderland, particularly the scenes with the White Witch (played so unconvincingly, in my opinion, by the beautiful Anne Hathaway).

Seeing this movie in 3-d was spectacular: like walking into a painting by Maxfield-Parrish meets a watered-down/commercialized Tim Burton landscape. While I doubt it will be winning any awards next year (sorry!), I definitely call it a 'must-see' for anyone interested in movies purely for aesthetics. I think my general summation of the film was that it is to Tim Burton what the original Hairspray was to John Waters.

movie sets

This past weekend I watched A star is born from 1954 starring Judy Garland. The sets, in particular her house, are shockingly 'au courant'. I loved the cerused oak front doors with 3 panels and modern sidelight. Notice also the Mies van der Rohe Barcelona chair in white leather.

In the living room, this card table and chairs would be welcome in my own home, maybe minus the pink cushions. The barcelona stools in the living room were covered with a yellow nubbly looking fabric, you see the top of one here.

Excuse the poor picture quality, but here is a better view of the white leather barcelona chair up on the entry level while down in the living room the corresponding Barcelona stool has the yellow upholstery. Even the sofa looks as if it came from Room and Board last week, not 55 years ago!
However, the main reason to watch this movie is the superb acting and even MORE excellent singing. This scene is heart-wrenching and with fantastic sets - meant to show the Oscars of the time. Notice - eating and dancing: Who needs an after party?

And here as a special treat is 'The man that got away' sung by Judy Garland: You can see why she was such a star!

Definitely check out this excellent movie if you get a chance: nominated for 6 oscars. My only complaint would be that it is rather long at 3 hours, but nothing a remote control can't fix!

The apartment

"The Apartment" theme song (Jealous Lover)- Watch more Videos at Vodpod.

The theme song from the great 1960 film starring Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine is "Jealous Lover" - a song I love dearly and played about 100x on the piano while home this past weekend. The film won five Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. Enjoy!

Up!

This past weekend I saw the new Pixar movie, UP. WOW! You all have to see it; It may be the best Pixar movie yet! I wouldn't take very young children to it though, it has some very sad situations that were hard enough for me to take! The animation is superb and the writing is excellent. Even the small 'short' before the movie was really entertaining!Without giving too much away, the premise is an elderly widower who attaches 1,000s of helium balloons to his quirky Victorian house to fly to South America! Don't ask, just go; Let me know what you think!

Grey Gardens Movie

I hope Saturday night at 8:00 everyone will be watching 'Grey Gardens' movie on HBO! If you don't have it, find someone who does and barge in (thats what I'll be doing!). I've been waiting for this movie to come out since I first heard about it a year ago.Drew Barrymore, who plays Little Edie, has been out and about promoting the film, doesn't she look great in this vintage dress and hairstyle? And if you haven't already, please check out Visual Vamp's blog post about her relationship with Little Edie -as in she knew her! Fascinating!
Pictures courtesy of Visual Vamp and Go Fug Yourself.

Visit the website for the film HERE

Harold and Maude

This past weekend I was able to see a classic cult film, Harold and Maude (1971). While I loved the movie, what really caught my eye was the house of Harold's mother, Mrs. Chasen. The house really reminds me of the work of John Woolf: mainly because of that canopy over the front door. (Read this great article from Vanity Fair about Woolf by Matt Tyrnauer HERE). Classic Woolf, don't you think? From what I could find HERE though, the house is actually the The Rose Court Mansion in Hillsborough and many of the scenes were shot inside, even using the actual butler from the house in the movie!

The home is extremely eclectic inside, but French styles dominate. This study, seen above was off the main living room where all of the dates Harold takes, set up by his mother, take place.

1971....but this could be a home today for the most part, don't you agree? The classic white lenox lamps, the beautiful chair in the background, simple drapes, big windows. I just loved this room!

The classic lenox lamp is used throughout the room as are potted orchids. The couch is a bit dated but still stylish: simple white linen with an interesting trim. My poor pictures don't capture the beautiful painted paneling in this room either.

Here you see that chair again...the clothes are definitely dated even if the room is not...

I loved the pelmets over the curtains - so perfect for a mansion of this caliber.

Yes, the yellow ragweed flowers are dated as is the victorian style table but you catch a better glimpse of the beautiful paneling in this room and the chinoiserie statue. Check out the checked B&W marble tiled hallway! classic!

From the next room over, you get a better glimpse of the living room. I love the 2 stylish 20's era portrait as well as the game-table in the corner; Another great white chair as well! Just ignore Harold's fake suicide attempt here in this photo with his feet up in the air.....just like his mother did!

To end with , maybe not a really great interior shot, but I loved the gallery wall in the master bedroom hallway. Ideas just keep being recyled: Whats old is new again!

Please excuse the poor quality of the photos are they are my own of my tv!