Sanssouci details

While summertime 'downtime' (obviously) continues on this blog I thought I'd share some images my Australian penpal was nice enough to share with me of Sanssouci.

 I've blogged about the rococo palace in the past (here and here) and it never gets old.

 While this style may not interest you the attention to detail cannot fail to impress.

 This collection of porcelain on gilded brackets above reminded me of Howard Slatkin's NYC apartment.

 Notice the very successful jib door (closed) to the left of the chairs in the guest room above.

The chairs have a very modern looking ikat type fabric. Many of the fabrics and wallpapers were recently replaced by a company in Lyon.

 I especially love the blue version. Notice the matching curtains.

 Here you see the same fabric in green to match a green guestroom.

 The marquetry work in this small cabinet is amazing. These side chairs sport a more expected silk damask.

My favorite room at Sanssoci, as I've said in previous posts, is surely the Voltaire guest room which he inhabited for a time.

 The polychromed boiserie are so fun and cheerful.

 Birds and fruits sit next to monkeys and parrots - could it be more whimsical?

 Notice the very modern looking grotto-esque icicles at the top of the mirror.

 The parrots almost look entirely free standing on their brackets.

 The wallpapers are also a riot of pattern and color.

Notice the intriguing electrical switch below which blends right into the paper. Of course in the 18th century they wouldn't have had any switches so it's nice to hide them.

 Again with the modern fabrics, doesn't this fabric below remind you of something from the 1950s?

I hope you enjoy these delicious detail shots of Sanssoci Palace!

Oak Hill Cemetery: a city respite

Spring in Washington is a glorious thing but how does one enjoy it when our parks and streets are flooded with tourists? One of the best places to experience the season's flowers away from the crowds is Oak Hill Cemetery in Georgetown along Rock Creek.

With unfortunate limited hours this ancient cemetery is as pretty as nearby Rock Creek Park if not better. Flowering trees and flowers are in abundance along the steep terrain.

Established by an act of Congress in 1849 the cemetery is home to many notable names which fill history books.

As any long time reader of this blog will know I've always loved old cemeteries as examples of mature gardens and have blogged about many (Allegheny Cemetery and Egyptian Avenue are 2 examples). This one ranks up there among the most charming that I've visited.

 I love this mausoleum in the form of a stately Greek temple atop one hill.

The older tombstones have so much more character than the granite blocks one uses mostly today.

The hand chiseled calligraphy on most is astounding in this age of machine-age engraving. It's interesting to see how the different stones have aged over time: marble, granite, sandstone, etc.

 My favorites tend towards the simple tombstones such as this scroll (is it morbid to have a favorite?).

If you can find the time in your schedule to align with the cemeteries open hours I highly suggest a visit! Information on the Oak Hill Cemetery website.

Let there be light

One of the most underrated light fixtures in my humble opinion is the sconce. Mounted at eye level sconces create flattering light unlike the shadow lines created on ones' face from overhead lighting. Also, they don't take up precious table space like lamps or clutter a room like floorlamps.

This weekend I helped a friend install some antique sconces we had picked out at Artisan Lamp (my favorite lighting source here in DC) onto some existing built-in bookshelves in his den. The effect is magical particularly in this small room without any existing lighting!

Not only are they the jewels of the room, the warm light cast by them is ultimately flattering and practical. Don't forget sconces in your next project!

Chapin Residence floorplan

One of my favorite books that I've mentioned before is the monograph of H.T. Lindeberg's residential work. Many of his smaller projects are shown including just these 3 intriguing photographs of a rather odd house in Lake Forest, Illinois in 1926 for Lowell C. Chapin, Esq.

If you study the plan you'll notice that the house consists of a rather small entry vestibule and an enormous living room. Thats all for public space! A warren of servants quarters fill the remainder of the first floor while the 2nd floor holds 4 bedrooms. Strange but ultimately practical.

And as you can see the 'simple' house packs a lot of punch with that steep French roofline.  Rather a quirky house and it leads me to wonder how it has changed over the past 90 years or is even still extant.

Classic style doesn't date

 As you well know I'm a firm believer that classic style doesn't date.  An example of this is a room by talented designers Tom Fox and Joe Nahem from the 1980s when they decorated the dining room of the Castles on the Sound showhouse (featured in the book Interior Visions).

Working with the great bones of the space, mahogany paneling and a stone fireplace surround, they re-envisioned the formal dining room for everyday use TODAY (or at least 1980s today). Beautiful classic furniture, art, and objects create a space that anyone would be happy using in 1980 or 2014. How many times have you redecorated your own living or dining room since 1980 and at what cost? Do we need any more reason to shun the overtly trendy and revel in classic style

Santos Museum of Economic Botany

Sometimes museums which might sound rather dull (to design aficionados such as myself) can be held in the most astonishingly beautiful buildings. Such is the case with the Santos Museum of Economic Botany at the Botanic Gardens of Adelaide, Australia which my penpal recently sent to me.

This little classical gem of a building from 1879 was just extensively and sensitively renovated. The structure wasn't built as the Greek temple it resembles but rather as the science museum it remains.

The ceiling is a good example of how the Victorians were able to meld together decorative detailing with highly detailed and rather commercial looking steel structure. I love the gilded mechanical vent. If you can't hide it -make a feature of it!

The collections themselves are just as decorative as the building - these rather amazing Victorian models of mushrooms above are entirely made of wax! I remember even as a child going to the Buhl Planetarium in Pittsburgh which at the time was the science museum (now the Children's museum of Pittsburgh) and being more interested in the beautiful building than in the exhibits themselves. Design inspiration can come from the most surprising places, no?

Le Pavillon de Madame, Verailles

As promised here I bring you another small mansion from the book "The smaller houses and gardens of Versailles", this one simply entitled "Le Pavillon de Madame".  While the address is stated, 63 Avenue de Paris, I can't find any information about the house and according to a googlemap search it has either been torn down since 1926 or the address has changed. If anyone has any information I would appreciate learning more!

The house is a delightful arrangement in the French tradition in that there is no front facade and each of the 4 facades is equally attractive.

The exterior is a light grey painted stucco to mimic limestone with a rusticated base and quoins (corner treatment) on the upper floor. The mansard roof is slate while the beautiful dormers are of lead.

As you can see in the site plan above the house is situated in an enormous garden which hides the surrounding houses. It provides a very formal French garden which is in fact a potager or kitchen garden -where flowers mingle with fruits and vegetables. At the end of a path is the orangery where more exotic fruits and plants could grow.

The tall trees surrounding the garden not only hide the neighbors but other agricultural necessities; a chicken run, a rabbitry, and numerous outbuildings.

The plan is unusual in that it is laid out as a town house. The dining room on the main floor opens to the garden and terrace with kitchens and service spaces surrounding it. Only up the staircase are the other rooms you'd expect to find on the ground level. Even in a small house such as this there is a stair for the master and another for the servants.

The house contains only one bedroom going back to what I talked about in the last post HERE that these houses were private retreats from the palace of Versailles and not meant for entertaining or even families.

The rooms are all small and cozy but feature fine detailing such as this painted boiserie in the entry hall which the article states was painted white.

The stair has interesting faux-marble painted boiserie and patterns that I think show the 18th century interest in the discovery of Herculaneum and Pompeii. Notice the beautiful chevron patterned floors.

Behind the front hall the dining room continues the chevron floors with pale green painted boiserie covering the walls. Notice the painted scenic overdoors.

This is probably the most charming room in the house, don't you think, with French doors opening out to the terrace?

The eclectic array of furniture is very of the 1920s and today for that matter; a very comfortable arrangement.

This seating group by the fireplace is probably where the owner spent a lot of time before and after meals.

Upstairs the boiserie is left natural and unpainted with the carved details picked out in gold leaf.  The chandelier is of course more in the French taste while the assortment of furniture almost feels English to my eye.

No shortage of light or garden views from up here either. I love how the chandelier reflects the light even without the electricity turned on.

It pains me to think this may have been torn down! What do you think -could you live in a mini mansion such as this? Live stylishly in a smaller space is what this house screams to me!