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Archive for October, 2012

Autumn, a season of timeless elegance, let mother natures seduce you with her charm. The month of October, crisp morning air and colors so alive with change, familiar surroundings don a rustic palate of jewel tones that dazzle you with their beauty. It’s time for long walks and late night talks with our children by the fire. This is truly my favorite season, here is a quote from Anne Mary Lawler:

The fields are harvested and bare,

and Winter whistles through the square.

October dresses in Flame and gold

Like a woman afraid of growing old.

Here, in my home are some signs of the season I’d like to share..

Our front door is always open welcoming our family and friends.  Many people celebrate the autumn season by decorating their front porch. Pumpkins, cornstalks, pilgrims and other traditional autumn décor start making their appearance, welcoming guests into the home and delighting those who pass by.

Inside my humble abode I was undecided this year whether I wanted to paint pumpkins go au naturel or spray paint them in metallic silvers and golds. I decided to stay true to the harvest season and use the different varieties and colors that nature offered. Here are two different groupings:

Love the Cinderella pumpkin in the urn!! The orange gourds are surprisingly versatile decorative items, especially when  displayed in groups. Before you put away the urns and pots that held your summer  flowers on the front porch, use them as a base for your larger pumpkins,  and add elegance to your display.

Just loving the pumpkins and mum, the lovely yellows and reds together are great, but I’m leaning more towards the horse and urn above rather than the grouping of various pumpkins below. Which arrangement would you use?? Post your comments for me, I’d love to hear from you!

                                                                                                                     Although this grouping of pumpkins in sizes and colors is appealing!! Above our entry, I used some fall garland and floral arrangements, gourds and a beautiful blue Hubbard squash (that will be eaten after the holiday!!), this array of color will great me in the morning as I descend from my bedroom to discover yet another glorious fall day!

Let us then, be up and doing

with a heart for any fate;

Still achieving, still pursuing,

learn to labor and to wait..

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Inspiration!! This was written more than a hundred years ago, this wisdom is as relevant today as when it was penned, Longfellow’s advice if you’ll receive it, is an emotional and spiritual boost  “let us then be up and doing” he is telling celebrate each day!

 You definitely know what season it is when you walk into my dining room, I think decorating for the season is far from a trend — it’s tradition.

It’s something that people have been doing for years, and they are going to keep doing it because they want to feel the seasons and they enjoy celebrating the holidays using seasonal items for fall, from several pumpkin variations to represent harvest, to seasonally colored throws, pillows and mantle pieces,  — it’s all about the color. Colors are identified for the seasons. In the fall you start to see more blacks, browns, reds, oranges and onyx. And decorating doesn’t have to be costly or time-consuming, you want to accessorize for the season and then build it up — it can become a layered process. You can easily and effortlessly update your home without breaking the bank,  get a new throw, add a couple of pillows, and then start adding your holiday decorations as they come.

Some welcoming front doors and holiday arrangements that I wanted to share with you:

I’ll end with this photo of my entry, I really like the urn, I think… hope this was a fun-filled fall adventure!!!

Happy Holidays!! Stay tuned…..

XOXO

M

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Even if you don’t know the name, chances are you’ll have at some point seen de Gournay’s fabulous wallpapers. Perhaps it was a striking backdrop in some glossy fashion shoot, in the luxury penthouses of some of the worlds most high-end hotels.

Since it’s founding back in 1986, De Gournay’s exquisite wallpapers have been hand painted in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province. The company specializes in creating wallpapers inspired by 18th century Chinoiserie, all adhering to traditional methods. Literally meaning ‘Chinese-esque’, the style was popular in Europe and was a true fusion of East and West: designers would create their own interpretations of Chinese compositions, and stately homes, palaces and castles across Europe would invariably have at least one room entirely decked out with Chinese mirrors, lacquer furniture, and, of course, wallpaper.

 

Recently someone asked if I could identify the wallpaper in these Miles Redd designed rooms which I posted here on the blog …of course I said it’s de Gournay , one of my favorites!  This exquisite hand painted wall covering costs around $650 and up per panel, is truly a luxury. . Here are a few other example of genuine de Gournay goodness:

The hand painted papers of de Gournay stand at the pinnacle of interior design.

Although an investment, a room done in de Gournay certainly does not need artwork or much embellishment.

 

 

Painted Panels
The London-based firm De Gournay specializes in 18th- and 19th-century chinoiserie and neoclassical French designs. The Papiers Peints Panoramiques are particularly remarkable. These are made of block-printed sheets with panoramic landscapes and historical and mythical scenes meant to re-create the spectacle in a wraparound fashion. Some designs are more than 200 years old. Prices vary widely. $ By appointment only. At 143 W. 29th St., New York; 212-564-9750; www.degournay.com.

How decadent! If money were no object, I would love to swathe my dining room in a beautiful Chinoiserie de Gournay design. Chinoiserie designs are so timeless to me and depending on what you pair them with they can look so fresh and modern. They’re rather versatile and truly classic.

Here is another Miles Redd, this rich chocolate is exquisite!!!

To quote Martyn Lawrence Bullard, I have to say that de Gournay’s line of hand-painted wallpapers is absolutely “delicious”.

Maria Christofilis, founder and creative director of the Anthousa collection, loved her custom-made peony and cherry blossom silk panels by de Gournay that they inspired her new  home fragrance, De Gournay Jardinieres and Citrus Trees, and the beautiful fabric swatch became the packaging.

Do you have any favorites?

 

Hope you enjoyed today’s adventure, its always nice to see you here again, stay tuned ….

 

XOXO

 

M

 

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