wish list - new books

I'm a wish list hoarder and it is disgusting. My Amazon wish list currently has over 400 items on it. I'm not elaborating in the least. But today I've added a few more titles:

Central Park NYC: An Architectural View by Bernd Dams and Andrew Zega

Mario Buatta: Fifty Years of American Interior Decoration by Mario Buatta

The Book of Fine Linen by Francoise De Bonneville and forward by Marc Porthault

And last but most assuredly not least: An Invitation to Chateau du Grand-Lucé: Decorating a Great French Country House by Timothy Corrigan with Eric Piasecki and Marc Kristal

When we arrived in Japan, one of our movers told me that I needed to get a big television because I had too many books and he was tired of carrying them up the stairs... He should see my wish list. So what's on your wish list?

cover images from here, here, here and here

back doors

I'm still unpacking (I'm very slow about these things these days) and sorting through photos. However, on my flight home I was catching up on some reading and found this lovely line in the very last pages of My Antonia by Willa Cather: "...in farm-houses, somehow, life comes and goes by the back door."

It got me thinking about these lovely spaces.

Source: Uploaded by user via Ann on Pinterest

Source: theletteredcottage.net via Ann on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Ann on Pinterest

Don't you just love Gil Schafer's work?

architectural elevations

I've long been a design fan of Charlotte Moss and her corpus of work. I recall she once said something about using architectural elevations as beautiful framed art prints. They do look so nice above this desk of hers.

Source: littleaugury.blogspot.com via Ann on Pinterest

Now, I'm adamantly against desecrating antiquarian books and pillaging for prints. I refuse to buy them from book sellers that ruthlessly murder fine books. I am not without blame. I confess to buying a whole slew of them in college but never again. Very fine copies are just as beautiful - leaving those fine literary gems in tact. And per Jenny Komenda's suggestion (the woman is a genius) I spent a some time surfing the NYPL's digital gallery.

 
By the bye, I am still a card carrying NYPL member. I digress, I found a treasure trove of candidates that are free for printing. Cha-ching. You can even order a nice, professional-quality print from them too. Lovely!

a good read - mrs. mclean

While I'm organizing my many design nerd photos (!!!) over the weekend, I wanted to introduce this lovely lady. I've been reading her autobiography which I purchased in her home town.

She's famously known as the owner of this little bauble.

Her book is wonderful for some light spring/summer reading. She retells the story of her life, from childhood in the Colorado mining towns to society in D.C., Newport, Palm Beach and Bar Harbor. It is a really wonderful story, painted with both tragedy and excitement. I really love how her narrative perfectly encapsulates the spirit of the time.



Images courtesy of the Smithsonian

a good read - libraries

On the heels of yesterdays look at some inspiring spaces, I found this book a while ago and it has been a coffee table favorite. The Most Beautiful Libraries in the World by Jacques Guillame includes the Library of the Institut de France in Paris, the Vatican Library in Rome, the Royal Library in El Escorial, Spain, and the New York Public Library.

a good read - newport villas

Newport Villas is one of those favorites, which I open time and time again. As I notice a different house Cliff Walk, I have to check to see if there is anything on it. This book is amazing. It records a number of original photographs and floor plans as well as information on the owners, the architect, designers, subsequent owners, and what has become of the house.

I took some photos from the book to share with you just so you can see how invaluable this work really is if you are a fan of the period. First the loggia from Belcourt.

Then rooms from Villa Rosa, Gray Craig, Cherry Neck Bungalow and Bonniecrest.


This book comes with floor plans as well.


And just for some Newport love, think about supporting the Newport Preservation Society. I'm a fan and have been for a long time. Oddly, I've been to every tour-able house in that town, even those unaffiliated with the Society. Maybe we should look at a few... hmm.

Photos from the book, uploaded by me. I believe a number of these originate from the Newport Preservation Society's Archives.

a good read - chandeliers

Speaking of lighting, or writing of lighting, I remember long ago someone in the blogosphere recommended this book and I'm so glad they did. Chandeliers by Elizabeth Hilliard is so comprehensive for the lighting neophyte. Prior to ordering this little work my extent of appreciation was, "oh shiny" or "oh, that is going to be a pain to clean." It doesn't seem to be in print anymore, but all the better for a bargain hunter.


A chandelier from Whitehall, London. Another, made from rare amber, in Rosenborg Castle of Denmark. An electrolier by Robert Lorimer in Scotland depicting St. George and the Dragon. And lastly, the chandeliers in the Music Room of the Royal Pavilion, Brighton.

These are images are scanned by me from the book and are credited to Elizabeth Hilliard, 2001. Apologies for the lack of scan quality...

a good read - j.c. leyendecker

Yesterday I included a holiday image by illustrator J.C. Leyendecker. Largely under appreciated for his commercial illustrations, Leyendecker was one of the most successful and prolific artists of the Golden Age of American Illustration. He was dubbed the "Master of the Magazine Cover" by Norman Rockwell who modeled his career on this mentor. Between 1896 and 1950, Leyendecker painted more than 400 magazine covers, including 322 of which for The Saturday Evening Post alone. Admittedly, I've only thumbed through this book by Laurence Cutler. It is on my "sit down and read" list for the weekend. Bon week-end!

Images from Posters Please