On the off-chance that you are looking for something to do this weekend, perhaps you should considered organizing your home. That, at least, was what I felt like doing after first seeing that collage of photos, seen above. Published in House & Garden Guide to Interior Decoration, the photos show the extraordinary organizational skills of Mrs. John Barry Ryan III of New York City.
The gist of the article was that Mrs. Ryan was a real-pro at arranging tablescapes, collections, seating, and flowers. And yes, after looking at the photos, I would agree that she was. But she was also the most organized person I have ever seen, with the exception of my mother. Mrs. Ryan's silver boxes were perfectly lined up on her desktop, while her drawer full of beaded necklaces was a study in precision and order. And what has to be the world's most extensive collection of gloves was filed away in a drawer and arranged by color, all kept fresh thanks to a Porthault butterfly sachet.
This, people, is what I aspire to. No matter how hard I try, though, my cache of beaded necklaces will never look anything more than a jumbled cluster.
Ahhh, music to my ears or eyes. There is nothing more empowering that you can accomplish in a short amount of time than organizing part of your home. Just a drawer going from chaos to order is mood lifting and inspiring. Great post!
ReplyDeleteMixie, so true. I really do think I will do some organizing this weekend. :)
DeleteYikes! A compulsion of arrangements.
ReplyDeleteIt is nice, and satisfying, to get things in order, but Mrs. John Barry Ryan III seems to have gone a bit to the other extreme. Her regiments of things in lock step are actually frightening...
I wonder if she actually organized her drawers by herself? Or, did she have someone do it for her? I wonder...
DeleteWow! This is motivating but I will never be as organized as that. It's wonderful to have everything in its place, the challenge is keeping it there.
ReplyDeleteSo true Jennifer!
DeleteI totally agree with Quatorze--what would happen if a two or three year old stumbled in and was attracted to all of the bling--I hate to guess.
ReplyDeleteBut I was planning on doing a little organizing today.....
Have a super week-end.
Mary
And you as well!
DeleteWhile living in NYC in the early 1970s I met Mrs John Barry Ryan III at the opening of a boutique (and if that phrase doesn't date me, nothing will!)
ReplyDeleteWell, perhaps "met" was a slight exaggeration, since she spoke not a single word but simply stood in place, severely groomed, surrounded by
an entourage of handsome, haughty young men dressed in black---all of whom struck a single pose for the entire evening as though choreographed.
Very intimidating, and intended as such. Oh, and that was the evening I met Prince Egon von Furstenburg! I am not making up any of this.
That must have been some party. Severely groomed and severely organized, too. I hope that von Furstenburg was friendly.
DeletePS- I love your photo avatar.
The Prince was charming!
DeleteLove all the organization-now if someone would just organize me! xxpeggybraswelldesign.com
ReplyDeletehttp://www.corbisimages.com/stock-photo/rights-managed/U1211011C/portrait-of-mrs-john-barry-ryan-iii
ReplyDeleteI'm thinkin' a 3 year old would have done well to stay away from those drawers :D
Her obituary; apparently we can thank her for "Eloise":
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/29/nyregion/29ryan.html
I Googled her name and found this:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/29/nyregion/29ryan.html?_r=0
Quite interesting! An Eloise connection even!
Untouched Takeaway and Maven, A huge thank you! I had not taken the time to investigate Ms. Ryan, so I was not aware of the Eloise connection! Thanks a million for doing a little sleuthing. I think the comment in the article about her perfectly groomed eyebrows jibes with the perfectly groomed drawers we see above!
ReplyDelete