The Home of a Collector

For centuries, educated people often aspired to assemble notable collections in their field of interest. Maybe it was ancient Greek artifacts or Chinese export porcelain or even historical documents. But today, this kind of collecting is a rare thing. People still collect art (though sometimes I question if many of these art collectors actually understand the art that they're purchasing), and thank goodness there are those who have the good sense to buy antiques. But it does seem as though the Sir John Soanes of the world are a dying breed.

What especially interests me are the homes of collectors. Their houses are not filled with "stuff", but rather with unique specimens that reflect the interests and personality of the homeowner. Take, for example, the Roman apartment seen here, what was the home of the late Italian architect Andrea Busiri Vici. According to the French language article from which these photos were taken, Vici built and decorated his apartment so as to properly display his various collections that included autographs, documents, miniatures, books, and pagan statues. (Keep in mind that it's been years since I attended French class, so my translation may not quite be up to snuff.) Regardless of the shoddy translation, you can look at the photos of his apartment and see that he had all kinds of wonderful things: intaglios; portrait paintings; miniatures; antique furniture; and busts, though I can't tell if they're of the pagan variety or not. The collections were of great importance to their owner, and as such they were displayed prominently throughout the home. But what's interesting to note is that the home doesn't seem cluttered nor museum-like. It was actually a very attractive and comfortable way of living with one's collection.



The living room/library where one could relax on the sofa with a good book or conduct a little research at the round table in the corner.



A smaller drawing room with intaglios, paintings, and miniatures hung on the walls.



To the left, a sculpture peeks out from behind the circular stairwell. At right, two Piranesi prints, one of which depicts the Trajan Column.





A quotation from Stendhal was painted above the door frame.




I know that I should say that the library is my favorite room in this apartment, but I'd be lying. It's this very chic terrace.




At first, I thought the closet doors were painted with trompe l'oeil documents, but I believe that in fact they are family papers and ephemera that were displayed behind sheets of glass.

All photos from Connaissance des Arts, 15 October 1954.

Penguin Great Food Series

I'm about to report some old news, but it's new news to me. I just recently learned of the Penguin Great Food series of books that was published last year. Devoted to the best food writing from the last 400 years, the series includes books by the likes of Elizabeth David, Samuel Pepys, and Calvin Trillin. And what just might be the icing on the cake are the book's charming paperback covers. In fact, that's what initially caught my eye when I first saw these books. While the cover art is a feast for the eyes, it's what inside that is sure to provide much (great) food for thought. (Sorry, I just couldn't help myself with that last sentence!)



From Absinthe to Zest: An Alphabet for Food Lovers by Alexandre Dumas



The Well-Kept Kitchen by Gervase Markham.



Murder in the Kitchen. by Alice B. Toklas by Alice B. Toklas.



The Joys of Excess by Samuel Pepys.

The Tiling Effect

I don't know why, but Delft, Portuguese, and Spanish tile have been catching my eye lately, and it's made me realize that I miss seeing it in interiors. You used to see some beautiful examples of it in bathrooms, kitchens, solariums, and alongside fireplaces, but not so much anymore. I think that we threw the baby out with the bath water a few decades ago, banishing all hand-painted tile from our homes as a result of the unfortunate looking tile that started to be seen everywhere.

In the right environment, hand-painted tile, especially that in blue and white, can be really very charming. Think about how nice it would look in a country house, a beach house, or even a country-style home in the city. I haven't bought any Delft or Portuguese tile before so I don't know how easy it is to find the good stuff, but after studying these photos below, I'm thinking that it just might be worth the effort.

Image at top: blue and white tile at Antenor Patino's summer house in Portugal. Photo by Horst.



This photo of a Paris kitchen, one that I featured a few weeks ago, got me on a roll thinking about tile.



Delft tile was used to great effect at Chateau de Groussay, and that's about the highest seal of approval there is in the design world.



Gorgeous Portuguese tile at Fronteira Palace, Portugal. I've read that some of the hand-painted tiles depict monkeys frolicking around.




Antique Delft tile surrounds a fireplace in a house located in Ile-de-France.




In this Georges Geffroy designed bath, Portuguese tile lines the floor, walls, and ceiling.




Antique glazed tile was used in a French kitchen designed by architect Pierre Barbe. If I could find antique tile like that above, I would use it in my own kitchen in a heartbeat.

Patino photo from Horst: Interiors; Chateau de Groussay photo from Decoration, Volume I (Connaissance des Arts Collection); Geffroy and Barbe photos from The Finest Rooms in France.

Bringing Nature Home

Most of us just can't get enough of flowers, books on flowers, and photographs, drawings, and paintings of flowers. Oh, and maybe even floral fabrics and floral china too. If this describes you, then you should consider picking up a copy of Bringing Nature Home: Floral Arrangements Inspired by Nature, photographer Ngoc Minh Ngo's new book dedicated to the beauty of flowers.

Ngo, whose photographs often grace magazines like House Beautiful and Architectural Digest, has a background in landscape design, something that probably explains her affection for flowers. Having partnered with Nicolette Owen, co-founder of the Little Flower School in Brooklyn, Ngo has authored a book that is a compilation of beautiful photographs of floral arrangements in situ as well as of flowers in their natural habitats. The book is divided into the four seasons, so all kinds of flowers make appearances in the book: carnations; peonies; dahlias; fritillaries. But what's really striking about this book is that it's mostly full-page photos, something that allows the reader to really soak in the details of each image. The photos are so captivating that I had a difficult time choosing a few images to feature here!























All images from Bringing Nature Home: Floral Arrangements Inspired by Nature by Ngoc Minh Ngo; Rizzoli publishers; 2012. Images used with express permission of the publisher.

The Peak of Chic Entertains

I've been working on a project, and it's one with which I've been having a lot of fun. Today, I am debuting my new blog, The Peak of Chic Entertains. My love of entertaining prompted me to start my new blog, one which will focus on good food, flowers, table linen, china, and cocktails. I'll give you peeks into my entertaining closet as well as those of friends. I'll even play around and create tablesettings just for fun. After all, it will give me something to do on those Saturday nights that I'm home alone!

I plan to post updates on the new blog around twice a week for the time being. But you can still find me here at The Peak of Chic where I'll continue to write about design, history, and stylish living (almost) every weekday.

Look forward to talking entertaining with you on the new blog!

The Company Store Twitter Chat

Please join me this evening for a Twitter chat that I'll be hosting with The Company Store. We'll discuss bedroom decorating ideas as well as "must-haves" for every bedroom. The chat starts at 8pm EDT. Make sure to follow #TCSchat to join in the conversation.

Hope to see you tonight on Twitter!

Easter Egg Traditions

When I was a small child, I was always delighted at what the Easter Bunny brought me on Easter morning. My favorite treat was the cheap plastic chicken that laid plastic eggs when you pressed down on its legs. Remember those?

After I discovered that my parents were in fact the Easter Bunny, Easter morning didn't lack for excitement thanks to the more grown-up Easter eggs that my sister and I started to receive. For a period of a few years, my parents always gave us Limoges egg boxes from Tiffany & Co. (Although one year, the egg was by Halcyon Days, not Tiffany. You can see some of the eggs, above.) It was really a nice tradition that I believe ended, unfortunately, when I went off to college.

Never was the tradition of giving jeweled or porcelain eggs on Easter day more spectacular than when Tsar Alexander III commissioned Peter Carl Fabergé to create masterpiece eggs for his wife, Tsarina Maria Feodorovna. The first Fabergé egg that Alexander presented to the Tsarina was enameled, and hidden within the egg was a golden yolk that contained a golden hen that in turn held a tiny diamond royal crown and a ruby egg. Now that was an egg. Alexander III's son, Tsar Nicholas II, continued the tradition of commissioning Fabergé eggs for the Easter holiday until the Russian Revolution cut short both his reign and his life.

While Fabergé eggs may be out of reach for most of us, there are all kinds of wonderful eggs that one can collect or give as gifts to others. There are versions in papier-mâché, porcelain, silver, and even malachite. But truth be told, I still have a soft spot in my heart for plain old dyed Easter eggs. That was the one craft project that I could do as a child with semi-successful results!





Marjorie Merriweather Post owned this fabulous Fabergé egg, now displayed at Hillwood Estate Museum.




Porcelain eggs from Atelier Le Tallec.




I have always loved (and always wanted) a Schlumberger egg charm. This one is lapis.





Silversmith Stuart Devlin is known for his highly collectible egg boxes. This one which contains a surprise hummingbird dates to 1976 and is available through Styles Silver.




Bill Blass owned this Stuart Devlin egg that was made in 1969.




How sweet are these vintage German papier-mâché eggs that can hold candy? At $6.50 each, you should buy a dozen. Available through D. Blümchen & Company.

The Novelty Shop Around the Corner

While researching a post, I stumbled upon the D. Blümchen & Company website, and it's got to be one of the most enchanting online shops around. D. Blümchen & Co. sells all kinds of decorative novelties, and while much of the stock is intended for use on holiday decorations, they could be used in any number of craft projects or for simple ornamentation. They carry Dresden trim which are traditional German die-cut foil paper decorations. I was excited to find these as the last time I saw Dresden trim was during my trip to Vienna five years ago. They also carry vintage floral sprays (see above and below) that are made of little fruits, vegetables, flowers, and leaves attached to wire picks. I'm not so sure what I would do with them, but I'm fascinated by them.

The stock is a mix of new, vintage, and old stock. While some pieces are made in the US, others were crafted in Germany, Russia, and Japan. It's really a very charming site and I urge you to visit it. Even if you're not a crafty person (and I'm definitely not), I think you'll find it most interesting.





Japanese Maple Leaf Spray




Dresden trim Birch Leaves




Dresden trim Fancy Starbursts




Czech Blown Glass Raspberry beads




Mixed Fruits and Chestnuts Spray



Vintage Red Woodland Mushrooms




Flying Swallow Cut-Out



Seashell and Fish Scrap Relief Picture