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.