{textural healing}

Recently picked up a cleanly designed, ultra-modern chest of drawers for extra storage, yet can't seem to stop looking at complex, ornate and embellished pieces of furniture. It's all about textures and layers these days, and love the worldly, well-travelled look that's showing up in décors all over the place. Quite taken with this Pink Mother of Pearl Inlay Chest of Drawers (above), which is really quite festive, and for fabric textures, Ruth Singer's chair (below) is a wonderful combination of rustic and delicate.

{And thanks to those of you who were wondering about the lack of updates and took the time to write. It's been a busy few weeks and only began slowly down in the past week, so decided to take some off for unfinished projects . . . not to mention the social engagements are beginning to pile up--Monday evening, we're attending an event at my friend Derek's restaurant with Padma Lakshmi of Top Chef. Should be a lovely night!}



Geometric bedside table with intricately inlaid bone and bone hexagonal knobs

Black with bone inlaid floral design mirror from Jaipur

{voulez-vous sortir avec moi ce soir?}

The holidays are almost here and the invitations are piling up, and there's enough to think about with thoughtful and personal hostess gifts for dinner parties and soirées, without having to worry about what to wear . . .

To make an entrance and turn heads, something sparkly, gauzy or metallic never fails (above), or if you prefer a more understated look, black is always stylish (below), modernized with a full skirt and ruffling.

Wrap your feet like little presents in glamorous be-ribboned shoes and no one will even consider asking you to remove them before entering!

{dresses: Bill Blass via style.com}

{beautiful vignettes + happy friday!}

Some people just have a knack for placing really lovely things in even lovelier arrangements . . .

{images: timfalle}

{rosé sauvage}

Things are beginning to feel festive around here, with Melissa's recent French-Inspired Satellite Party, our little trip to NYC, the Murano lamp give-away and thoughts of the perfect gift wrap, lots of gold decorations and lacy snowflakes. Of course, what could be more festive than champagne? Well, pink champagne, of course! And Piper-Heidsieck's Rosé Sauvage, with its trademark gold and pink packaging, is always a stylish choice.

And while we're on the subject of stylish, exchange your regular bottle of vintage for for the limited-edition Rosé Sauvage by Viktor & Rolf as a hostess gift for this year's soirées and dinner parties and you'll be sure to be everyone's favourite guest.




{left: original; right: Viktor & Rolf }

{win a pair of Murano lamps}

Ed Sexton of Swank Lighting sent me a lovely e-mail with some great news: to celebrate the opening of their Dallas showroom and the launch of their website, the partners are giving away a pair of Barovier & Toso lamps:

"They’re among the crown jewels of the cache we found in the warehouse at E.P.Paul Company. They are a rich, deep raspberry at the bottom with a creamy white at the top, and loads of 24 kt. gold dust sprinkled throughout. The solid wood bases have been gold leafed. "

These beautiful Murano lamps are valued at $3,400 and all you need to do to qualify is click here and fill out the registration form with your name, state/province and e-mail address.

The draw will be held on January 18, 2008 at the showroom in Dallas.

{Good luck!}

{trinity table}

Creative Flair Chic sent me this beautiful waterjet-cut Corian Trinity table for my {laced with style} post {thanks, cfc!}. The table was designed by Danny Cheung and exhibited during Sydney Design Week.

{laced with style}

{image: "newcastle" by wildquaver8 on flickr}

While I can appreciate the sheer prettiness and femininity of lace, I never imagined it coming back into fashion . . .

The history of lace dates as far back as the fifteenth century, when Charles the Fifth required lace-making to be taught in the schools and convents of the Belgian provinces. At this time, lace was solely based in fashion, mainly to replace embroidery as a means of transforming dresses to follow differing styles of fashion, since, unlike embroidery, lace could be removed from one material and placed on another.

Many styles and techniques of lacemaking have developed since, and almost all of them in these very Belgian provinces, making it known as the birthplace of lace.

The use of lacy patterns in design is not new (Marcel Wanders' 1996 Knotted Chair immediately comes to mind, or Thomas Paul's Gothic Dinner Plate Set). Below are a few examples of modern interpretations of this very old and very beautiful artform.

{A new use for the lace doily by Paul Lowe, via Emma's beautiful blog}


{A tear-sheet of an old Chloe advert, most likely from British Vogue}

{Lacy lamp at Glamchic}

{Window in the Taj Lake Palace, Udaipur by Shilpi Singh}

{Pretty, lacy accessories from a tear sheet from (most likely) Gotham}

{Marcel Wanders Studio Crochet Chair, hand-crocheted and coated with a fibre resin--via Maison Lunatique}

{The amazing Gothic Excavator sculpture on the Belgian coast by the often controversial, always thought-provoking Belgian conceptual artist Wim Delvoye}


{Renovated terrace house in Melbourne via All Things Bright and Beautiful}


{Lacy architectural features via Desire to Inspire}

Sand-blasted white carrera marble console via Maison Lunatique}

{Windowsill in Lanark, Scotland, taken this summer}

{spring ahead, fall back}

Now that it's officially Fall with the arrival of brisk, blustery days and our clocks falling back to give us an extra hour in our busy schedules, it's time to dress the part, which means layers, and I'm crazy about this season's layering socks over tights (above) and pairing them with stacked-heeled pumps or Mary Janes. Some designers have taken the look one step farther, by incorporating the layered look into the design of their Fall footwear collections for complete style and practicality that's sure to make you the cutest girl playing in the fallen leaves.


Marc for Marc Jacobs stacked- heeled pump boots (available at Bergdorf Goodman).

Marc for Marc Jacobs Mary Jane boots (available at Bergdorf Goodman).

Fendi boots (available at Holt Renfrew).

{images: h&m, Bergdorf Goodman (2&3), Holt Renfrew, Bergdorf Goodman, Holt Renfrew}

{venetian art glass lamps}

These beautiful lamps have had a bit of press recently, and I'm writing about them because I really liked the e-mail Ed and Doug sent me today, and because I love their story. They also happen to have an extensive collection of original Venetian Art Glass Lamps--an entire east coast warehouse full, to be exact. The business partners recently acquired all the remaining inventory of the Edward P. Paul Company (BALBOA Lamps), purchasing hundreds of pairs of "these beautiful art pieces and had them rebuilt with safe new UL Certified hardware and we are now selling them to the public for the first time since they were packed away in their original shipping crates for nearly 50 years."

They also recently opened a boutique showroom in Dallas.




For more information, contact:
Ed Sexton & Doug Taylor
Swank Lighting
512-448-2688

Showroom:
Debris Antiques
1205 Slocum Street
Dallas, Texas 75207

{taj lake palace revisited}

Many of you were quite taken with and very inspired by the Taj Lake Palace in Udaipur, India and some of you have sent lovely letters about your adventures there and elsewhere. I’m in and out of meetings today, so I’d thought I’d leave you with some stunning images of this magical place. There are also more beautiful photographs at All Things Bright and Beautiful.




























{images: badgurl, creative flair chic, Shilpi Singh }