RIP La Ronda

Today is a very sad day for me, as a preservationist movement failed to save the Mizner designed mansion, La Ronda, outside of Philadelphia today.
Finally breaking through layers of secrecy, the owner, Joseph Kestenbaum,(biography of him as well as contact information, should you feel so inclined to contact him to let you know how you feel) finally came out claiming that he had been open to selling the mansion but no buyers came through. Really? This has been proven to not be true -1 serious buyer was desperately trying to reach him, Benjamin Wohl. Mr Kestenbaum, if you are not ashamed of your actions,why the big secret who you were?
Mr. Kestenbaum, our nation's buildings are our legacy. You decided to destroy this home (which you bought for some unknown reason) and are in talks to build a home which will undoubtably be of less importance and lesser quality. While you may not care about La Ronda, many of us do and this is a heart-wrenching day for us. I hope you enjoy your sprawling mcmansion - I'm sure many of your neighbors won't be bothering you with invites over for coffee or warm apple pies. I hope your home makes you very happy and you lose oodles of money when you go to sell it someday.

Read more about the end of the struggle online :
The Philadelphia Inquirer
Wikipedia
Save Ardmore Coalition
and the Philadephia Inquirer - again - where the owner laments the 'public circus' this has become. Gee, Mr. Kestenbaum - are you seriously surprised by this? I'm only the more depressed that I wasn't able to chain myself to the front gates of the mansion. I hope I never meet you in person and I'm guessing you probably feel the same way. I think the only thing more depressing than the tearing down of this masterpiece is this hokey picture of you. Karma is a bitch, please remember that. After you are gone, THIS is what you will be remembered for: your legacy.

Urn makeover

I have been wanting one of those huge iron or stone urns for my front yard. But the prices were WAY outta my pocketbook range- some were over $200!! So did I let that stop me- heck-no tech-no! I found these orange (I call them orange-they are suppose to look like clay) plastic urns at Garden Ridge- they were still a little steep for me $60. So I waited-and waited, well guess what?, they went on clearance and I got them for $14. I bought two and headed home to gather my spray paint. Cuz what else are you gonna do with orangey-fake-plastic urns? I loved the lines and the raised motif on these. The black spray paint really make them pop- at a distance they almost look like those old iron pots you see the Charleston area. Tip:fill the bottom of your large pots with foam peanuts-it will make the pot easy to move AND you use less dirt.

I then filled them with mums for the fall and will change them out for Christmas. I also plan on planting white tulips in them for the spring.

Inlaid Wood Love

Italian inlaid wood tea caddy from 1st Dibs. Only $1850? I'll take it!

I think inlaid wood is incredibly beautiful. You might even say exquisite. There are so many intricate patterns you can create on the floor, in a door, in a box, I could go on but it's starting to sound like a Dr Seuss book. One usually finds it it a traditional setting where it is a stunning surprise.

A large honeycomb pattern is here in this foyer using different tones of wood to make the pattern stand out. From Traditional Home.

Think you can only find inlay in a historical home? Not so! Stephanie Stokes (my kitchen idol) took the pattern of her family crest and had it inlaid into the small kitchen floor. Stunning.

If you don't have the resources for hiring a professional to do your marquetry work, this is actually a stained pattern made to look like inlaid wood. Incredibly gorgeous and I love the Greek key pattern on each side. Designed by Brown Davis Interiors.

Here is designer, Juan Montoya modeling for us next to a kicky inlaid wood door. It almost looks like parkay flooring but much prettier as it is framed out so nicely on this door.

I wish I could see the top of this table better but it has an inlaid pattern inset on it. I like the informal look of this as well. Gorgeous foyer by James Michael Howard.

I think I'm most drawn in by the craftsmanship that it must take to create these pieces. The craft of marquetry is quite rare I'm sure so it makes them even more valuable and special. I just recently selected an inlaid wood box for a client to use as a cocktail table (with legs made) and a glass top and it is going to look amazing. Have a fantastic Thursday because guess what! Tomorrow is Friday!


Alicia B.

The Queen's Theater

Marie Antoinette loved to perform. Before becoming the Dauphine of France back home in Austria, she actually took comedic acting classes to perfect the French language.In 1777 she asked her architect, Richard Mique to take inspiration from the auditorium at the Chateau de Choisy (built for her predecessor of the Petit Trianon, Madame de Pompadour) and build her a simple theater on the grounds of her little estate.The theater was completed in 1779 but the Queen stopped acting here after the death of her child in 1780 and remained in the audience.The entrance features a classic pediment, sculpted by DeDeschamps, supported by 2 ionic columns. I love the little randomly placed window here!The entrance is a very small vestibule, covered in blue silk, with a white sculpted doorway into the theater.

As this was a private space not meant to impress the public (and France was hemorrhaging money at the time), the decorations are all of paper mache and painted to look like finer materials.Looks like the real thing though!The theater lies right behind the very formal part of the garden near the French Pavilionand acts as a transition into the English GardensDirectly across from the entrance to the theater is the English garden arbour.

The thing I found most intriguing was the bootscrape of the theater though.

So simple and unadorned; Marie Antoinette scraped mud off her shoes here after walking to the theater and it hasn't gone anywhere.

a tale of two women, 5 brautwursts and a jar of sauerkraut!

we made a fast road trip to connecticut this past weekend, so missed our sunday shopping. no trader joes, no farmers market, no food. i scored a jar of bavarian sauerkraut at world market on monday, and some delicious brauts at harris teeters. i had everything else at home to make braised sauerkraut a la julia childs. well, i didn't braise it 4 to 5 hours, maybe 2, and i might have thrown in a little garlic, but close enough. with the brauts it was a delicious meal.we each had one sausage. next day we took, to school and the flower shop respectively, sausage and sauerkraut sandwiches on crispy rolls with mustard. yum. tuesday night i made a german minestrone, adding cabbage instead of greens ,because my local safeway didn't have any greens (how could this be), and the 1 remaining brautwurst. yum, again. but there was the matter of the leftover sauerkraut. german girl told me of a casserole her mother made with kraut, ground beef seasoned with salt,pepper, nutmeg and paprika, then covered with mashed potatoes and baked. so, off to whole foods to get ground beef, sauteed it as directed,maybe added a chopped onion and more garlic,cooked half a bag of bow tie pasta, mixed all together with remaining kraut mixture. didn't have any potatoes left after monday night choucroute and tuesday soup so i dragged julia back out again and made a bechamel sauce, flavored it with nutmeg and paprika to complement meat. spread bechamel on top baked in 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes. oh, my god. i may never have a reason to make this again, but it was delish. and will be even yummier tomorrow for lunch.

Unique wall shelving system for your house plans

I ran into this interesting new wall shelving system the other day and thought I would let you in on it. The product is called Vita and it is produced by an Italian company name MDF Italia. It is a modular system made from medium density fiberboard (mdf). The system includes wall panels, shelving units and cabinet boxes. You can seemingly produce endless configurations based on how you put the modular components together. I think it is very cool and would be a great way of dressing up one of those blank walls in your house.

For more information on this see MDFITALIA VITA. Go to "products" and then find to "Vita".

The wall system is obviously quite contemporary but I think it would look great in a number of the Simply Elegant Home Designs house plans including the "scandia modern cottage" and the "marine farmhouse".

Temple of Love

Another folly built on the grounds of the Petit Trianon for Marie Antoinette by Richard Mique & Hubert Robert is the Temple of Love. This temple sits on the opposite side of the house as the older French Pavilion and houses a statue of cupid.

It overlooks a small stream that runs up to the Petit Trianon.

Inspired by antiquity, the columns sport Corinthian caps.....

and a coffered dome.It sits out in the English landscape. Here it is viewed from the side of the house.

The temple rests on a small island reached by a small bridge. I loved that the side of the bridge acted as a planter for wildflowers.The Petit Trianon, finally making its' debut as seen from the Temple of Love.

Marie Antoinette had the Temple of Love built within view of her bed in her bedroom - can it be any more poetic than that? Do we think she had Count Fersen in mind or her husband, Louis XVI?