I love shells.... both the real thing and the motif.
This Soane shell sconce has been on my wish list for years.
I have grotto chairs on my terrace. OK, so I'm not fooling anyone into thinking we're in a Venetian grotto, but they do beat basic patio furniture.
The Reed and Barton Double Shell Server, a popular registry item amongst Southern brides, is one of my favorite serving pieces. Believe me, it can hold a lot of ham biscuits.
I've got shell porcelain...
and shell hand towels.
But what I don't have is a shell bed.
It's so big, so bawdy, and so rococo. And yet, there's something kind of fascinating about it. You don't want to keep looking at it, but you just can't help it.
This is a bed with a history. (Not that kind of history.) The sculptor Bernini and Italian furniture maker Schor made a similar bed in 1661 for Princess Maria Mancini. It was from that bed that the Princess' first born son was presented to the Italian public. And So To Bed, the British bed maker, created this version seen here based on an antique engraving of the bed.
In what other bed could you serve yourself up on the half shell?
Monday, August 03, 2009
Rococo Revery
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Jennifer, love the sneak peeks!
ReplyDeleteMight I add something to your beach? You'll love these:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.roseuniacke.com/shop/scallop-shell-wall-sconces/
Peak- this is a wonderful beautifully curated post. la
ReplyDeleteHave you seen these? I am a shell freak, too, and can't believe they are melamine!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.bongenre.com/patterns_detail_seashells.html
What a fun post! I have some Beleek Neptune - beautiful shell pattern. The bed is indeed amazing yet horrible - love it!!
ReplyDeleteChristy
Hello, Jennifer-
ReplyDeleteA beautiful post.
The bed: glamorous to look at but not to sleep in. Beauty can of course exist for the sake of beauty--and we perhaps should not always be concerned with practicalities.
It's baroque and rococo all rolled into one beautiful and opulent bed. Cheers, www.thestylesaloniste.com
Off the List- those sconces are amazing! They may have knocked the Soane ones off the list. Then again, one can never have too many sconces around one's house, in my opinion!
ReplyDeleteAnon- I love those melamine plates. Practical and chic too!
ReplyDeleteI never saw that coming. Now that it is here I might never be the same... :)
ReplyDeleteI love your outdoor chairs! I have not seen anything like that before!
ReplyDeleteI love your porcelain double shell with the coral.... I think it is very sweet.
ReplyDelete(I have pewter shell ash trays raised on little ball feet that I love. No one smokes anymore so I've put them away. Smoking accessories are pretty snazzy, but what to do with them now?)
Soodie- LOVE smoking accessories. I have ashtrays around the house. They're never used, but they sure look good.
ReplyDeleteThat bed is hilarious. If I had the cash and an extra room, I'd absolutely slide in a shell bed.
ReplyDeleteI love shells-real seashells-especially sea urchins and shell motifs-my dining room chairs have carved shells and my sterling is Kirk Stieff Williamsburg Shell. The bed is very Tony Duquette.
ReplyDeleteI love this post and shells. I have even made shell mirrors (big and small) so much work but so much fun. Let's hope that Baroque is coming back in fashion. Thanks for lightening my day with these great images.
ReplyDeleteI adore the bed...can you imagine it in an all white room...one wall facing the ocean. I bet it would look beautiful reflecting a fabulous sunset. I'm getting myself all worked up!
ReplyDeleteJennifer, I love shells, too. This bed looks just like an ashtray my mom used to have when we were kids, but it'd be fun to sleep in it for one night.
ReplyDelete