Some might think a dressing table is an unnecessary indulgence. Yet, if you consider it a contemplative place you have created for yourself where you can gather your thoughts before beginning the day, a place to rest and refresh, or possibly a place where you can take a moment to be thankful, a dressing table might be a meaningful addition to your life.
A chair with its inner core exposed, seat covered in burlap stitched with twine, back and arms softened with creamy muslin held in place with charcoal black flat head steel tacks is a unique alternative to completely reupholstering a chair.
Ribbons tied around a swanlike neck, ribbons encircling a waist, grazing a shoulder, wound around a head of hair, trailing from a sleeve, or fluttering on a skirt; ribbons have been an aspect of fashion since the Egyptians wrapped metal, leather, or ribbon around their heads to hold their hair in place.
A column in the January, 2025 issue of The World of Interiors prompted me to think about the unique and storied objects in my life.
A recent article in British Vogue (‘Tis the Season to Invest in a Vintage Party Bag’ by Alice Cary) sparked a train of thought.
After a round of holiday parties you might be tempted to spend New Year’s Day lolling around on the couch pretending to read between naps. We wanted to try something new this year, so we made reservations to hike in Lost Maples, a state of Texas natural area near Vanderpool, Texas, about 90 minutes from home for us.
When an occasion is on the horizon do you rush out to buy something new to wear? This was my customary process in the past. Now, with online articles and images featuring upcycled garments, you, like me, might be interested in the process of creative reuse of fabric, decorative trim and lace, or the garments themselves.
One morning while having coffee and reading with my husband I said, more to myself than anyone else, “Can’t remember which design house has just hired Peter Copping as its artistic director…” My brilliant husband who is constantly building his knowledge base replied, “Lanvin…”
If you are most fortunate in life, simple things can give you inordinate pleasure. For me, one of these things is monograms; in particular, letters hand engraved on coin silver flatware or pewter or embroidered on antique linens.
While your first thought of crochet in the past might have been of doilies on chair backs there has been a resurgence of interest in crochet lace and innovators such as Roisin Pierce and Magda Butrym are reinventing the art and creating storied and breathtaking clothing.
The convenience of online shopping sometimes makes it possible for one to purchase an item for which they have no immediate need. The thought of a candelier (a chandelier using candles rather than electric bulbs) has always appealed to me. When I found one online it was purchased with the thought that a use for it would develop over time. Until then, it remained in the box behind a door in the studio.
While waiting at the cutting table at a fabric store in downtown San Antonio my attention was drawn to this pale griege rose covered lace. A closer look revealed scalloped edges; it had to come with me. The man cutting the lace remarked on its beauty and said he could see it as a full skirt in the style of the fifties – think Dior bar suit skirt.
Stopping by the local bookstore to pick up a book one afternoon recently I was struck by the crowds of people gathered in the stacks; young parents with babies in
Shoes are fascinating from both an historical and an artistic perspective. These made of silk toile are simply irresistible. They were designed by Roger Vivier in 1959 for Christian Dior. Roger Vivier who originally studied sculpture before entering the world of fashion design often described his fanciful and ornate shoes as sculptures.
To arrive at the making and framing of the leaf botanicals it is necessary to trace a small bit of the background to my unending passion for studying and preserving natural elements. David Attenborough (Amazing Rare Things: The Art of Natural History in the Age of Discovery) writes about the Egyptians who included paintings of plants on the walls of tombs and Leonardo da Vinci, a Renaissance artist who studied and drew plants to learn about how they grew and reproduced.
There is a growing interest in sustainability in fashion. For many this means using sustainable materials and methods in the manufacture of clothing. You might support the movement by wearing and/or restyling vintage clothing. Or in some cases, simply redesigning or restyling a piece of clothing you already own and have not been wearing.
Summer is here and the perfect accompaniment to your summer sundress may be a straw handbag. There is a plethora to choose from. My search for such a handbag led me to think a bit about handbags in general and straw handbags in particular.
Many of us may have an interest or passion we return to throughout our lives. For me, one of these is printmaking. My first experience with printmaking occurred right after high school at the Glassell School of Art in Houston. During the printmaking class we lived the learning as we explored a range of the intaglio printmaking methods; drypoint etching, chemical etching, and aquatint. Later during the sessions on lithography, we were assigned a block of Belgian stone and tasked with cleaning off the old image, creating one of our own and running it through a printing press.
The essence of an object well aged brings character to a room. The same can be said for a garden. Deep rusty orange terra cotta pots and planters are ubiquitous in the Texas Hill Country. Eventually over time terra cotta pots will develop a whitened and greenish coloration on top of the natural rusty orange color. Not having the patience to wait for the patina to appear on my terra cotta pots spawned a search for a way to hasten the aging process.
When you live in the Texas Hill Country where the outside comes inside through dramatic views of gently rolling hills, rocky canyons, and tree lined arroyos, it is appropriate for us to consider interior design which recognizes and incorporates aspects of these elements. Drying and pressing native plants is one way; an alternative to this is to the botanical silhouette.
Friends tell me there is a story behind everything in our house. The story or provenance is the history of an object. My fascination with glass globes and garden cloches began with these flowers from my sister’s wedding cake. She was married in a garden in Fredericksburg, Texas in the Hill Country and after the wedding the flowers traveled with me in a box on the back seat of the car.
My fascination with espalier, or training plants to grow on walls harks back to childhood when we had a yellow flowered, heavily scented Carolina Jasmine vine growing on the fence. Later, when married with dogs, we were probably the only couple who had a vine covered dog run. Here, in this photo taken during a two-week summer tour of Italy with my sister, ivy growing on wires strung between posts to create a living fence could be seen outside more than one villa in Montecatini Terme, Italy.
Fresh flowers are a lifelong passion of mine. Reflecting on flowers and flower arrangements calls to mind so many moments of my life… heather and baby’s breath in a porcelain vase shaped as a woman in a long dress, the flowers filling the back of her skirt; a birthday gift from my father. Standing in the lobby of the Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C. thunderstruck by the tall glass cylinders placed on a round mahogany table and filled with twisted grapevine stems and orange lilies.
Renewing and repurposing furniture you already own is one of the most satisfying experiences! Yes, it does take some amount of courage though less bravery is needed when the piece has outlived its current purpose. Here is a glimpse of my large vintage table in its new form. Read on for the full story!
A plinth is a support or base for a column made of a thick block of stone. The contemporary meaning for plinths used in interior design includes bases made of various materials for sculpture, decorative vases, altar candles, and other objects of interest.
This photo is a mezzotint print I made of a bridal headpiece found in a vintage shop. It wasn’t a clothing shop so the head piece was buried in a box of odds and ends of lace and hat ribbons. Unearthing it prompted a decades long fascination with bridal raiment.
We often open the double doors onto the terrace and those at the opposite end of the house leading to a walled garden to let the canyon breezes flow through the house, bringing in the scent of ash juniper, rosemary, and sage. When the doors are closed some of this freshness remains, augmented with other scents to create a unique and personal olfactory experience.
Tortoise shell with its warm neutral tones has been used in design as a decorative veneer on furniture, boxes, jewelry, and picture and mirror frames.
Lingering over the Sunday New York Times Style section and T Magazine insert is a pleasure not to be missed. My focus is on these sections that provide me with ideas and inspiration related to lifestyle, fashion, and interior design including stories about the people who create fashion and interiors. When we lived in Galveston, Texas we used to walk to a local shop where they made breakfast burritos and sandwiches. You could buy a paper from the stack and sit on a stool at the counter, alternately reading the paper and watching traffic go by on the Seawall Boulevard.
As defined in Wikipedia a bibliophile is “an individual who loves and frequently reads or collects books. This image of a painting by Pierpaolo Rovero, ‘Past Present Future,’ is indicative of the way we readers understand the power of books to take us to unknown places, allow us to try on the lives of others, provide information and inspiration, give us comfort…there are infinite connections between books and readers.
When the Milieu Magazine comes in the mail it’s time to stop everything and take a first look, wandering through the images and previewing the text. The 19th century Japanese folding screen covered in painted leather in the bedroom of Didier Gomez and Jean-Pierre Tortil’s Paris apartment made my heart pound.
In 1950 designer Jean Desses created this miniature toile or muslin of a dress design. (photo courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum). The folds, draping, smocking and tie at the waist wrought from inexpensive fabric evoke images of both ancient and modern sculpture. Toiles or muslins are created as test pieces for designs and include markings and perhaps written notes. Once finalized, the toile may be taken apart and the pieces used as a pattern for the garment. We might liken a toile or muslin to a prototype.
If you have ever traveled to Italy you will know the pleasure of Italian open air food markets and cozy restaurants where dining is art. If you have ever carried your suitcase up a flight of twenty-one steps to catch the train from Florence to Rome, you will also know the value of packing a tiny bag of minimalist, mixable fashion.
Conceiving and setting up to work on project of extended duration can bring as much pleasure as seeing the completed work. The renewed emphasis on hand crafted and embellished fabric in fashion and interior design inspired me to delve into this art.
Highlighting a naturalist or botanical print with a French mat is an artisanal and historical method of framing the work. This reproduction of a naturalist drawing of a lizard is one of a small group. Read on for the back story.
According to masterclass.com, a milliner was originally a word used to describe a resident of Milan, Italy. Milliners are “hatmakers who specialize in bespoke headpieces…” The millinery profession gained prominence in the 1800’s and is still practiced today.
Monochromatic dressing in latte colors is appealing to me as a break from black. What happens when a sample of unknown latte colored fabric from the remnant rack is upcycled into maxi slip skirt?
A newly discovered passion is making table linens. My most recent venture combines an interest in printmaking with an inspiration from Fortuny.
Enjoyment can be found in setting a table in the library, drawing room, dining room, on the terrace, or in the garden! We’ve repurposed a vintage tiger maple cabinet similar in size to a linen press by adding a freestanding interior shelf system for place mats, tablecloths, large candlesticks, and the like.
Years ago we wanted to have slipcovers made for our dining room chairs which were then upholstered in solid black fabric. The tailor referred to a slipcover as a bespoke suit of clothing custom made for our chairs. So it seemed, as the butter yellow cotton duck covers with scalloped edges and tiny self-covered buttons down the back rivaled any dress in my closet.
During the holiday season or anytime, you may enjoy creating some traditions for enjoyable evenings at home. For us, having dinner together is always enjoyable. What would it be alter the setting and have dinner in front of the fireplace while listening to an opera?
Here in the Texas Hill Country the shoes most often on my feet are Keen lightweight ankle boots for hiking. Their extreme comfort and ruggedness stand up to the 40 step trek to the second tier of our land and beyond, over ledges and loose rocks and ripples. Still, there are moments when it’s time to don something with another type of flair. In this post we’ll take a closer look at shoes; so much more than covers for the feet.
Though we may associate toile with French decoration, this storied fabric was quite popular in colonial American interiors and has experienced a resurgence in both interior design and fashion.
My last post introduced the idea of a walled garden or in Latin, hortus conclusus. Creating a walled garden or any garden in the limestone beds of the Texas Hill Country requires a steadfast effort, an iron will, and a love and respect for nature.
It is written that the word paradise comes from the Persian word pairideaza which means surrounded by walls. To be in a walled garden, possibly within a larger, wilder garden, is to be in a paradise of sorts. A walled garden or hortus conclusus is a place of contemplation, separate from the world outside the walls.
The minimalist fashion movement calls for consumers to focus on clothes fitting their personal style, paring down to the essentials, and creating a capsule wardrobe.
A recent visitor to our home said to me, “I really like your walls…” At the time we were looking at a wall of antique bird prints in our bedroom. Thinking about this in relation to my recent post ‘The Gallery Wall: Memoir in Frames’ gave me the idea to write about rooms where the hangings are connected by a theme.
Antichi Sapori means ‘antique flavors’ or ‘antique tastes’ What a fitting way to begin this reflection on shopping for vintage and antique pieces.
An engaging and informative article in Veranda magazine titled ‘Are Gallery Walls Still in Style? Here’s What Designers Say’ (Rebecca R. Norris, August 10, 2023) inspires me to a fuller consideration of such. One of the designers quoted in the article notes, “A well-considered gallery wall can read like a book and…narrate a story.” There are innumerable ways to style a wall or walls in our rooms and so, this will be one of several posts on the topic. This post will consider the ways a gallery wall can be a visual memoir representative of a life story.
Sometimes, when you share something of interest to you with family and friends, they express a desire to try it out themselves. This has certainly been the case with my
Lately it seems when reading about fashion words such as slow fashion, traditional craftsmanship, deadstock, remnants, restyling, restoring, and/or vintage fashion are encountered. A fromdeepintheheart.com post of February, 2023 titled “Using Vintage Fabrics in Fashion” introduced the idea on this platform and featured a skirt made of vintage embroidered handkerchiefs embellished with seed pearls from a broken necklace and vintage sequins. Today’s post continues to consider traditional craftsmanship and features remnants of crocheted lace…
Old engravings or prints of garden plans, and as in this photo, people enjoying a formal garden are appealing to me. Searches in vintage shops, print shops, and used bookstores didn’t result in my amassing a large selection of garden plan drawings.
Working out on the land has become a passion for me. Wearing hiking shoes, a long-sleeved tunic, loose denim pants, a straw hat, and short or long gloves depending on where the work is happening, time and the rest of the world cease to exist. It occurred to me to try to document with sketches the life of these native trees and other aspects of our small piece of the Hill Country. So, I began with the purchase of an inexpensive, well designed fountain pen.
As a child I was sometimes allowed to borrow jewelry from my mother or grandmother. Most pieces came with a story. On rainy or hot days in the Texas Hill Country when gardening is not an option there is nothing better than a trip to a vintage shop and moments spent searching every inch of the glass display cases for something of interest. For several years this interest centered on cufflinks.
This set of diamond flower brooches from the Russian Imperial Family Collection came up for auction in London in 2004, part of lot 36, Russian State Jewels. They remind me of the astonishing jewels on view in the Lester and Sue Smith Gem Vault at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. My favorite of the collection not one of the jewel encrusted tiaras or necklaces, but rather a set of antique diamond flower buttons which belonged to a queen– imagine having buttons made of diamond clusters! While we may not have diamond brooches or buttons there are many fascinating pins to be had and just as many ways to wear them.
“Everything here has a story,” exclaimed a recent visitor to my home. For many of us, the things with which we surround ourselves are much more than furniture or objects; they provide us with inspiration, quiet moments of joy, memories, and more.
Full skirts are filled with happy memories for me…twirling around in a pink seersucker skirted dress with a starchy net petticoat made inside, trailing the train of a raspberry taffeta ball skirt along the path of Market Square park on my way to dinner and a show, the rustle of my Grandmother’s skirt, sitting close to her on the sofa and listening to her read aloud.
From my first glimpse of the blue leuder stone grotto near the bottom of our piece of land I imagined sitting in this quiet space and contemplating nature. A dead tree formed half an arch and one day we tied it to a native sumac to form a natural arch at the top of the grotto.
Growing up, my friends had posters of Jim Morrison and Jimi Hendrix adorning their bedroom walls. I had a poster from a grisaille exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. Grisaille, rooted in the French word for gray is a technique of monochromatic painting in multiple shades of gray or gray based tones.
It’s always a thrill to find a way to redesign or repurpose something you already own. For me, reupholstering a chair seat is a fine way to freshen up a room, bring a chair into a new location smoothly, or create a focal point with a chair.
Black and white dressing is always a good idea! With a large collection of black cotton ribbed turtleneck sweaters and an armoire filled with stacks of folded fabric the thought occurred to me to make my own black and white dress.
A highlight of early evening is a walk to the herb garden with a timeworn basket and bonsai scissors ready to clip herbs needed to make our dinner. The scent of fresh cut herbs is delicious!
We tend to surround ourselves with objects of personal significance. Whether it is something beautiful to look at, something to make us happy, something useful, something which evokes poignant memories, our objects tell a story.
With the coming of spring we can open our doors and windows and let fresh breezes flow through our rooms. Spring often elevates a desire to beautify and organize our surroundings. Many of us may have a collection of baskets on hand for just this purpose. A person who loves and collects books is a bibliophile and I am definitely that person, but I would also call myself a “basketophile” of sorts.
As much as we may enjoy the elegant ease of dressing in a quiet, uniform style there are clothes which speak to the heart and must be indulged.
Searching for vintage fabrics, ribbon, and passementerie to use in interior design takes patience and a willingness to lift stacks of fabric and sift through baskets filled with carded sequins and beads to get to the treasure at the bottom. It is a special pleasure to give new life to old fabrics.
Vintage fabric, lace, ribbon, buttons, handkerchiefs, and tablecloths are sorted in trays, stacked in baskets, and exploding from a burgeoning wardrobe cabinet in our studio. Beginning in my teens when an old pair of snap front bell bottom jeans became a work of art embellished with appliques of birds cut from old fabric and studded with tiny beads, vintage fabrics and passementerie have enchanted me.
It’s been several months since I began reading the works of Mandy Aftel, Jean-Claude Ellena and others on the subject of scent, perfume, fragrance, or simply smells! The readings have included the natural and cultural history of perfumery, the botany of perfumes, and using natural ingredients to concoct scents.
As a young person working in the neighborhood library I spent all my breaks in the back room stacks looking at fashion magazines, then sewing my own clothes, often inspired by something from the glossy pages of Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, or Elle.
Painted furniture provides a focal point and lifts the look of a space. As far back as the 1700’s people in Sweden and other Scandinavian countries began using pale grays and softened whites to paint and refresh furniture handed down through the years, to bring light into rooms during the dark of winter, or even to coordinate furniture made of different woods.
I am a firm believer in the hostess gift to express my appreciation. It is such a pleasure to be invited to someone’s home on any occasion. I enjoy seeing how others live and entertain and always go away with new ideas!
Recently I have been collecting and reading books about the history of perfume and making perfume. As a result I have set up a lab in my home to experiment with scent making.
I created my first wood panel as a folding screen when we moved to a loft in a historical bank building. The loft was one continuous space with brick walls on both sides. We believe it was once office space for those who worked in accounting or bank records. The screens were made to provide slight visual definition of areas or rooms within the larger space.
I recently gave my niece two India ink fashion sketches I made and framed for her birthday. She is in the business and has a passion for all things related to fashion. How did I come to make fashion sketches?
I had purchased a trifle bowl many years ago thinking I would learn to make an English trifle. While I love having the trifle bowl on my pantry shelf filled with silver baby cups collected over many years, including my own and my grandmother’s, it occurred to me it would be fun to attempt a trifle for our family Thanksgiving gathering at my brother-in-law’s family home.
I love peering inside shop windows and on any walking trip through a town or city can be found photographing shop fronts and window displays. I rarely venture inside, focused instead on the lettering on the window or the way the collection of objects are arranged.
Have the trees changed color? This is the curious question from a man about to hike into the Lost Maples Nature Area as we are coming out into the parking lot after a magical morning hiking the Lost Maples Trail and part of the East Trail.
About an hour and a half north of San Antonio (17 miles north of Fredericksburg, Texas) is the Enchanted Rock State Natural Area. Now that we are unpacked and somewhat
I love to read British, Italian, and Australian Vogue online with my morning coffee. I discovered them during the pandemic and find I really enjoy keeping up with the news on fashion and design. There are often inspirational photos like one of Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel reclining on a sofa. Knowing something about current fashion also gives me a connection to my nieces.
I’ve been writing the words, “Texas Hill Country” and assuming you are familiar with this place. To be honest, coming from Houston, I wasn’t always sure what or where the Hill Country was and so, have decided this post will be dedicated to the discoveries I have made thus far in defining for me the Texas Hill Country.
Continuing to reflect on scent leads to an exploration of what I have encountered and then, to actively seeking information and inspiration through books and film.
When I was a little girl I used to play with my mother’s cosmetics; holding the metal tube of lipstick close to my nose to smell the perfumed waxy smell and opening near empty bottles of old perfume to see if there was any scent lingering behind.
Standing on tiptoe, breath fogging the glass of the multi-shelved vitrines filled with vintage trinkets, craning my neck to see the price…
Our house is shaped like the letter H with a covered porch spanning the two rear “arms” in back. While we could bring our indoor furniture with us when we moved, we didn’t have any outdoor furniture for the porch.
Look around your home and notice the things you have placed close to you. They may not be of great value or practical use,…
I used to think wild flowers were a spring thing. Here in the Hill Country there are wildflowers every season even in the winter when the dried seed heads emerge from clumps of native grasses. Here are a few of the flowers blooming here in September.