The Midas Touch....

You don't have to tell the Parisians how to warm up a room....major restoration is now complete on the gilded gold ornament of the Opera, Ponte Alexandre bridge and the Fontaines de la Concorde.

Louis XIV, the Sun King knew how to warm up a room as well. Several thousand sheets of gold leaf were used in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles alone.

Versace brought in Sherle Wagner fixtures for a power room in his Miami home.

From this extravagance, we can learn tricks to warm up our own environments. Vintage leather books with gilded spines glow when featured in a bookcase or stacked as a base for an object of interest.

Small scale items such as this gilded clock add warmth when grouped with other textures.

I gilded these fabulous door recently. It added the perfect balance to the entry of the home.

You can get away with gilded ceilings in small areas. This was done in a small study featuring a wall of paintings in ornate gilded frames.

How about gilding the edges of a built in cabinet? Very subtle and classic.

Textiles can add a hint of gold through beading or gilded thread.

Don't forget gilded mirrors!

This Fornasetti table was found on 1stDibs- a collection of many antique dealers with a variety of wares including many gilded sconces, candlesticks, consoles and chairs to warm up your home. Gold can be a great way to warm up your home. Let me know what your favorite gold touch is!

Things are Looking Up.........

What do you see when you look at your ceiling? It has been called the "fifth wall" and rightly so. The ceiling is many times overlooked in setting a mood for a room. I make a living interpreting people's dreams and giving them environments that nurture them after a hard day at work. This post is a series of ceilings I have painted for client's home environments.

The above is one of the most challenging requests I have had to interpret. This ceiling is a story told through twelve panels depicting travels made by my clients. It tells a story of european travels through France and Italy.

This master bedroom ceiling brings a smile to the client each night as they unwind from the day...it is based on designs in the fabric used for the room and is painted on a plaster ceiling.

(Thank you Beth for featuring me today on your blog-Chinoiserie Chic)

Detail of the chinoiserie motif.

This red study demanded an embossed and gilded ceiling to accent a wall of framed art. It really plays well off the light fixture original to the home.

Faux crocodile was the request for this coffered ceiling. The homeowners raise exotic animals and have a lodge feel to their environment.

This dome was given a nod to early Christian symbolism. The "stitching" on the groin lines is done in a "fish bone" design or "Ichthus". This symbol of Christ would be typically applied to the highest point of the profile of a building such as a bell tower or dome.

I had pure delight on this restoration job. These walls and ceiling were obscured with paint for over sixty years. I used Farrow and Ball organic paint and plaster to restore the stencil work originally done at the turn of the century.

Two wishes were incorporated into this living room ceiling. The subtle clouds were based on a hotel lobby they had stayed in and the corner motifs were based on carvings in the gilded french mantel.

This ceiling done with sepia clouds finished the illusion of an Italian villa.

Think about it...when you lay in bed at night, what is above you as you drift off to sleep? Is it a neglected fifth wall ? Even if a solid color is the answer for your room, consider a shiny venetian plaster or a simple flat lime wash.. Don't overlook this important "wall" when you are feathering your nest and making your home your personal environment!

Let's Organize....!

Being an artist, I am constantly trying to balance chaos and order in my environment. I like things to be functional, yet pretty.....take these great wooden cigar boxes. Stacked, they look great.

Each one holds an incredible amount of art supplies, chalks, pens, charcoals......I picked mine up from a local tobacco shop. They sell many of there boxes once empty.

Look at this fabulous laptop holder from Paul Smith..so different, functional, yet artistic.

                                                (Ullabenulla)

Need a daily reminder board? Step it up a notch and make this french inspired organizer . I made one for myself after seeing this one on Ullabenulla. I found a gilded frame with half of the ornament missing in a junk shop. Perfect for my needs.

What about your desk? There is always the sea of paperwork to deal with. Use this spiral holder available from the Museum of Modern Art.

Now that you have the file holder, get some graphic file folders. Think visual, I use one design for bills, another for clients, one for my blog, etc. You just need to enter the room and glance to the files to see the one you need!

There are many styles out there, from William and Morris designs to faux bois.

My last thought is also a quirky little art inspired item. These "paint tubes" are door stops! Just because we all have work to do and things to organize doesn't mean our environment has to be dull! Put some color and art into your life this week.

International Decorative Artisans League-Memphis 2009

Just got home from the IDAL convention held in Memphis , Tenn. this year. This was a very intense week of classes, lectures, demos and sightseeing!

I was fortunate to assist Pierre Finkelstein in one of his faux marble classes.(never washed so many paintbrushes and cups!) He is the author of The Art of Faux, which is a must have in any decorative artist's library.

Working with Lucretia Moroni is always a class on my list! We learned Italian techniques for producing several varieties of marble.

It was my first time to study with Tania Seabock. We worked with gilding and painting decorative ornament on leaf. Such a beautiful technique!!

Here I am working with Vella, a trowelable product carried by many Sherwin Williams stores in the US. This is a great look with the feel of Venetian plaster. Vella can be waxed, polished to a high sheen or left dull for a more rustic feel. It can be embossed or manipulated to resemble marble...a very versatile product!

It was so good to see Helen Morris, owner of Stencil-Library in the U.K. and Design Inspiration blog. Helen was the keynote speaker for the opening of the convention.

To unwind in the evening, we would hop on the trolley and head down to Beale St......home of the blues and great food!

All the heavyweights in blues are represented here. Music pours from every storefront as you walk the downtown street.

This is part of the menu from the Memphis location of Ground Zero, a popular blues club partially owned by Morgan Freeman....seems barbeque is a staple here!

These conventions are always good sources for cutting edge decorative finishes. Faux Effects booth featured a new twist on animal skin showing it in a high gloss mimicking patent leather! They also featured an asian influenced stencil technique done with layers of texture.

Stencils are much more complicated with intricate designs influenced by delft tiles, moroccan floors and moorish fretwork.

If you are needing a green product, JaDecor is the answer. Teaming up with the Cotton industry, they offer a wall finish that is "acoustic, thermal,repairable, durable, and Green". This is the perfect finish for a home theatre , art gallery, or a noisy environment such as a school.

Looking for sophistication? Sherry Haydel, Ltd has it covered. She is based in New Orleans and features a line of fabrics, hand painted furniture and fortuny inspired stenciled walls.

This is a detail of some of her artisan furniture finishes.

The convention ended with a banquet wrapping up a creative week. Helen's skirt summed up the week featuring an iconographic stencil of Elvis along with the IDAL logo.

All things must end, and the 2009 IDAL convention is now being filed in many tired brains as we travel home to practice newly learned techniques. Exposure to new things makes us see the familiar in a different light. Go out and look at your world with new eyes today!

Lèche-Vitrines

Window Licking is the literal translation for this french phrase. Americans call it window shopping but; in any language, it translates to visual eyecandy for the pedestrian. With many people having a "staycation" this year, I thought we could do some lèche-vitrines from our computers!

The summer soldes or "sales" are in full swing in France through July 28th. In case your passport is expired or couldn't find a pet sitter, here are some things you can purchase on line from Europe without getting out of your pajamas!

Pylones offers these Tour Eiffel graters in two sizes. (Thanks goes to ParisBreakfasts for this photo) These can be snatched up also through Amazon.

Once you own a jar of  Fleur de Sel de Camargue from France, you will never use common table salt again! This salt is harvested from the top layer of a salt marsh and each jar is signed by the harvester! The salt is not bitter like common table salt can be in the states. I love it sprinkled over salsa or in salted caramel! (thank you David Lebovitz)

From Italy, we can't forget the Santa Maria Novella potpourri. Aedes de Venustas offers this in the US from their New York store.(they also have the Cire Trudon candles that I love from the oldest candle shop in Paris)

Piment d'espelette is a chili grown only in the Basque region of France. When ground, it is a sweet yet hot pepper used to compliment chocolates , truffles and other candies. Hard to find in the US, but Thefind.com came through with a source!

Got home from your last trip to Paris and regretted leaving a souvenir behind? Don't fret mes amies, just click here for those great enameled signs or a french beret. Stretch your american dollars by staying home and shopping smart! Enjoy your finds and have a great summer.