While doing some online research yesterday, I stumbled upon these photos of Samuel Wittwer's Berlin apartment, which appeared in the Swedish publication, sköna hem. Wittwer is an art historian, the Director of the Foundation of Prussian Castles and Gardens- Berlin-Brandenburg, and a porcelain specialist.
It's Wittwer's passion for porcelain that is really the story here. A bevy of blue and white pieces grace one room of Wittwer's apartment (alongside a blue and white painted commode, no less,) while blanc de chine figures make appearances in other rooms. And although there are some lovely fabrics and furniture here, at the end of the day, it's all about the porcelain. At a time when porcelain collecting isn't as fashionable as it used to be, it's refreshing to see a young man who has devoted his home to his porcelain.
All photos from sköna hem, Christian Burmeister photographer.
Porcelain can make a room, as it does in that first picture. Blue and white porcelain can look wonderful on many different colored walls, but I particularly like it on brown such as this picture. My daughter's MBR in her house has double windows on one wall, and then a large walk-in dormer with a window that is both smaller and considerably shorter than the other windows. What to do about curtains! We painted her walls a dark brown (no red in it), used Duralee's Porcelain chintz for curtains for the double window, and made a "window treatment" by putting various shapes/sizes of Blue Willow plates/platters around the dormer window - voila, a "curtain"! The blue/white porcelain just pops on the brown as it does in this picture, albeit with far finer porcelain. The good thing about blue/white porcelain, is that even inexpensive looks great when massed out.
ReplyDeletesrb, your daughter sounds very clever. What a great idea for a "curtain".
DeleteJennifer,
ReplyDeleteThis is why I want to live in Europe! Professor Barrows was always telling us about the "porcelainmania" that swept Europe coming from the Chinese trade- and how the aristocrats had whole rooms devoted to it in their palaces and castles...chateaux, manor houses- I love the drama of his blue and white collection against the "tete de Negre" walls! Fabulous! Thanks for the post!
Dean
Dean, I think that you and I both have come down with bad cases of porcelainmania. :)
DeleteGorgeous is the only word that fits.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reminder.
Mary
You are welcome Mary!
DeleteI love the idea of displaying the various small cups and saucers on the bookcase shelf! A small detail that we can implement.
ReplyDeleteKaren, That is exactly right. I experimented with this over the weekend while rearranging my bookshelves.
DeleteWhat wonderful pictures...and even if one can't afford the real Meissen...there are still many German/Austrian and French porcelain houses that are lovely just for the sheer joy of their patterns. I have a porcelain marks book and I still refer to it from time to time. I especially enjoy using odds and ends for amusing things. I have a chipped Limoges as a water bowl for the doggies. My grandchildren also have small plates for their bedtime snacks on mismatched tea saucers from Austria and old Prussia. Thank you for the lovely pictures. I love Berlin!
ReplyDeleteMrs. Olsen, I love the idea of tea saucers being used for bedtime snacks. I might have to start using mine for the same purpose!
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