Time for the weekend!

I hope everyone has a bright and sunny weekend!! Spring is on the way!
Image from the Elms in Newport, Rhode Island.

Stockholm

In the middle of Stockholm (city of many islands) is a small island called Beckholmen which houses the royal navy and also a few houses up the middle as you can see above. I've highlighted it here in pink on the map. The city center is just to the left.Because of it's location, it's surprisingly quiet for being right in the city. Also it's the best places to watch the boats go by, especially during the regatta and many sail races that happen in the city.This sculpture stands on the side of the ship yards as a memorial, isn't it great? You can see the house we stayed in when I was a little boy in the background.

Kate Cordsen Photo

In interior design there are many roles that you can take on: designer, shop girl/guy, buyer, stylist, etc. Most of the time nobody thinks a TON about the photographer for the designer. In magazines that we see, we all look through the beautiful pictures and comment on the selections by the designer but the photographer plays a very important role. They essentially put forth the vision of the designer. A few weeks ago, I blogged on the amazing designer Cheryl Tague and I had the privilege of talking with the photographer behind her work, Kate Cordsen. Enjoy/learn!
To an amateur photographer like myself, your work is incredibly inspiring. How did you get started in the business of interior design photography?

Thanks Alicia. In an incarnation before photography, I was trained as an art historian. This love and understanding of art extends to the decorative arts and to interiors. So when I went back to school for photography, it was natural for me to specialize in interiors.


Were you always interested in a career like this?

Photography has a wonderful democratic nature to it. We have all been taking and appreciating images since we were children. It has been a dream for me to take that interest and build it into a profession.
Where do you see your work in the next 5-10 years?

A photographer friend told me that I will be astonished at how my photography will evolve through the years. He was right. I am slowly segueing from commercial and editorial work to fine art photography. Five years ago I would have never guessed that I would be doing large abstract landscapes.

What advice would you offer to interior designers looking to make their space more appealing or marketable? or in general?

What I say to all interior designers who will listen is: document your work! You are artists and your art is ephemeral.

What do you find most exciting about interior spaces? Light ? Pattern? Placement of objects?

Like any photographer, I am attracted to light. This is true in interiors as well.

What attracts you to a space? Are you more interested in contemplative spaces? Playful spaces?

Every good interior needs to start with good architecture. I am most attracted to the foundation of a room: the floors, the windows, the molding, the light, than to any overall decoration.


What is the biggest mistake you see interior designers make in residential spaces?

It is more a mistake that the clients often make...which is not spending time and money on art.

Melissa Barbieri

Who are your favorite interior designers/artists?

As you know, inspiration comes in many forms. I am loving the unexpected feeling of community that has risen from the economic crisis. In the arts: Eudora Welty's short stories and photographs, Halston's designs from the 70s, and Whistler's landscapes all have a perfect though deceptive simplicity.

Kate is a mother of two, lives in NYC and Connecticut and is amazingly talented. As someone who is interested in both interior design and photography, this was truly a pleasure. I was an art history major as well...this bodes well for me. Ha. Check out Kate's work on her website HERE. Like she said above, she's moving into more fine arts photography and you can see her work at katecordsen.com. It's beautiful and mysterious. Thanks again, Kate! PS--all the pictures here are from her websites.


Alicia B.

Egyptian Avenue

Have you heard of Egyptian Avenue at the Highgate cemetery in London? I recently came across it and fell in love! The first section was completed in 1839 and was a popular burial spot up till the early 20th century.

This is how a cemetary SHOULD look.The entrance into this section of the cemetary (7 in all) is through a large Pharoanic arch which has lotus bud columns on either side. The stone was once painted to match the ancient Egyptian style but now has corroded away.

Once inside this main gate, you pass 16 tomb entrances (8 on either side) while you walk uphillThis shot is looking down the hill towards the main entry. This 'back door' is less grand but just as interesting. I love all of this stonework!

This 'tunnel' leads you to the Circle of Lebanon, seen above.

Close up of one of the tomb entries. Now I just have to go to London to visit in person!

Pictures via flickr.

Nobody Ever Suspects the Butterfly...

I just wanted to share this little DIY project I found on this DIY blog (thanks Kate!). If you wanted to really get into the butterfly trend this spring, here is something you could do! I must admit, I'm coming around. This blog, Finedivingchicago.com has really cute before and after pictures from furniture found in alleys, dumpsters, and on the street. I'm not going to lie, I've been there before (HERE) and sometimes you can find the best stuff. Then you can put your mark on it, and make it your own!


Anyway, this table went from a boring wooden table to a sweet nightstand with butterflies on the top! Did you see the sides of this table? The detailing is so beautiful. It sounded like a fairly low maintenance project and the results are so cute! Plus it involves decoupage, and that's ALWAYS a good thing. Have fun.


Alicia B.

Creating dappled light from nothing, to en-chant shady places

Hanging basket competition, Hibiya Flower and garden show 1st Nov 2008

When I look at this photo, something special happens, every time. Years of enchanted dappled moments echo, and for some reason, they are always associated with dreamy outdoor naps. Specifically, the delicious half-conscious moments, with the breezes and the sunbeams dancing over you, moments that are sweetly tormenting. Sleep is delicious, awake is delicious, so you cannot give yourself totally to either.
French Provincial river, primary school garden, back yard plum tree, Japanese summer mountain cool with blue hydrangeas...

But they have all been conjured up with trickery, because this leaf is MIMICKING dapples. It drew them on itself, like a kind of reverse freckling. To make it more convincing, it has given itself sparsely lit areas, intensely-lit areas. The overhead tree filtering the light is Imaginary.

Like love in a dark place, these plants generate this marvelous 'light' on their own. If breeders in Australia could replace the boring, regular dappled plants with these, the South-Facing (dark) balcony gardens would be transformed, enlivened. No sunlight, no electricity required.

This charming randomness makes me think of the lighting design above Melbourne's Federation square.

Federation Square photo by Tzu-yen Wang, a Taiwanese student in Melbourne

Similarly uneven, like clusters of stars in an outback sky, these lights always makes me proud to be a casual, asymmetrical, organically-arisen-not-factory-made Australian.

Here are more photographs taken at the show, the Hibiya flower and garden show, a hanging basket competition open to everyone. Look at the care taken in the choosing of leaf colors.









In the 12th Century Japan as depicted by novelist Murasaki Shikibu, a Courtier would fall in love with a woman by a mere glimpse of her sleeves - the sensitivity she displayed in her delicate selection of layered colors was a promise of her receptiveness to pleasures to come.
Those deftly-chosen colors and patterns, I wonder if they have any resemblance to these suburban hanging baskets, 800 years later.

Spring Trend: Butterflies

Butterflies are everywhere! I've noticed them in magazines, on the blogs, and everywhere I shop (window shop). They are whimsical and colorful and definitely a sign of spring, I'd say. Many accessories are covered in butterflies, from throw pillows, to decoupaged plates, but here are some examples in interiors!

What a sweet kitchen inspired scene by Trevor Dixon via gogoabigail.com

This room from Southern Accents is very garden-inspired with framed butterflies up on the wall. I really love that mini stool under the table with the blanket draped over it.

This is a from good old Domino mag featuring Schumacher's Birds and Butterflies wall paper. Not entirely sure where the larger than life butterfly on the wall comes from...I'm scared. Definitely adds a focal point to the room though, right?

In this super luxurious bedroom by Nancy Boszhardt, she uses framed butterflies on the wall. I like these--they're very close together and all the same species. Very pretty and a great punch of color in this mostly neutral room.

I like this one the most, I think. It looks like a little horticultural study; perhaps there are books on gardening on the other wall and a beautiful garden outside? By Monique Keegan from Country Living.

This exotic garden room is from a Kips Bay showhouse, so is of course very over the top. The chair in the corner is actually in the shape of two butterflies. By David Barrett.

This Freeze Frame Butterfly Chandelier by Lladro, is very whimiscal and looks like a swarm of butterflies around a light. Only $3200!

John Willey had these duvet covers custom made with Holland and Sherry butterfly fabric! This room is super springy with the green painted ceiling and nature inspired fabrics (roman shades, grass cloth walls, etc).

Want some of your own butterfly decor? Here are some small framed drawings from Ballard Designs. Cute!

Read more about this new spring trend HERE in Elle Decor. Personally...I'm not loving it. I know I'm supposed to but all I can think of are glittery butterflies from the mid to late 1990's and I'm uncomfortable. I do love the framed drawings and the horticultural side to them, but the giant, out of scale butterflies are somewhat inappropriate. What do you all think? On board? Hate it? Love it?


Alicia B.

Seura magic tvs!

Recently while doing some research at work I came across Seura tv's. They're the company that makes those bathroom mirrors that have little tv screens hidden in them. Well - apparently they also do full size mirrored tvs too!

While the picture quality probably won't be winning any awards, I think this is such a great idea for a secondary tv, dont' you? I love the look of the tv above. Beveled edge even on the mirror! I could see one of these with a big chunky antique frame. It would be great if they came in an antiqued mirror finish, but that may be asking too much.please ignore the ugly room, but here you see the tv in action. Not theater quality but not bad!

Maybe in the living room? They really do look like mirrors! I think in my dream house I'd have one over a fireplace in the living room (as my prefered tv watching location is in bed!). What do you think of them?

Pics courtesy of Seura, see their Website

Radiator Cover

In the March / April 2009 issue of 'The English Home' magazine is an radiator cover in a beautiful London home. While this is a table provided by 'White' in Paris, it could easily have been 2 old limestone or terra cotta corbels from your local salvage yard with a marble slab resting on top. Such a great solution for those ugly radiators many of us have in our homes!

My New Apartment: Project Bathroom Wicker Rack

Remember when my parents brought me this wicker rack that I used in my bathroom? Well, I did a project. My bathroom has this amazing grey tile in the shower so I wanted to add to the different tones of grey and black and white by painting this rack a darker grey. I took it off the wall (opened all my windows) and put it down on my painting tarp to prepare it for its transformation.

Ready?

I got this primer/paint that works on metal and wood at Janovic for only $8.

I sprayed it with two coats to make sure that I got all nooks in the wicker. Here is the pattern that it made on the tarp.

Here it is! Look how fresh and clean it looks with a new color on it.

Close up glamour shot. Now I need to figure out what to put in that cute Mason jar.

Next on my list for my bathroom is the shower curtain. The Hold Everything shower curtain that I've had for 3 years has faded and isn't fitting in the new bathroom. Here is what I have on order from Ballard Design!

Alicia B.