Wednesday 8 February 2012

March issues of Architectural Digest and Elle Decor

I'm stuck in the airport in Charlotte en route to Gainesville because US Airways (terrible, horrible) left Boston late and made me miss my connecting flight.  They wanted to re-route me through Miami (Seriously? Three flights and 14 hours in airports to get from Boston to Florida?) but now I'm on a later, single flight to Gainesville that still gets in 13 hours after my initial departure.  Fortunately during hours of waiting, I've had good company from the March issues of AD and Elle Decor.  They're really inspiring.

I don't usually get AD but one of the blogs I read had sneak peak photos a couple of days ago of Diane von Furstenberg's NYC loft by the High Line so I just had to buy a copy.  I adore the magical High Line (to paraphrase DVF's description of it: a ribbon of green floating above the city) and the roof garden aspect and glass-ceilinged master suite made me think of my dear, humble red brick building, though of course DVF's place is way, way fancier and more costly.  The best photos from the article were on the blog already, but I enjoyed reading about her.  I'm not a big fan of her fashion (too many bold prints and bright colors for my taste) but I deeply admire her expansive spirit and the romance of her life.

The other delicious feature from AD is about Julianne Moore's garden.  So cool and mossy and still.  I have nowhere near enough shade to go there (and am happy with the sunniness of the red brick building's roof) but I still loved vicariously visiting her hideaway.  I was encouraged by her comment that the reclaimed bluestone pavers cost the earth but her architect talked her into it and now she thinks it was totally worth it.  I note the way she keeps the surfacing consistent throughout.  Our roughed up travertine was also an expensive item that gave me pause, but her garden and words are reinforcing my confidence in the choice.  Also in the decision I made a couple of weeks back to make the retaining walls around the patio and the steps out of the same material.

General remarks aside, I wanted to share a few images that I'm saving for future reference:


(From Elle Decor.)  I really like the way the forsythia looks next to the blue of the sofa.  Could this be the jewel-toned color combo I've been searching for the head house?

Another possible idea for the head house came from the image below:


I wonder if we have room to squeeze in a shelf above the windows? It would need to scooch around the dropped the ceiling joists but it could be a great way to bring some layering into the space.  I'm picturing plants in pots and interesting sculptural objets more than books.  I do have a history of loving shelves above doorways.  Really not sure we have enough space though - we'd need at least a foot.

Finally, since I'm in full-fledged curtain mode, two shots of window treatments:


This one is a possible for the head house.  It gets super hot up there and we definitely need to block or at least filter some sun.  I like the way these grass shades have their roll on the inside so it's visible, like a tent.

(I've also been looking at these sheer medallion drapes from Restoration Hardware Baby and Child:


They're very inexpensive but I'd need to do some alterations, so maybe not a bargain in the long run.  Also, I'm not sure about the light-blocking (Is it enough?) and the pattern (Does it clash with the staircase panels? Is it too trendy?).

Sorry the next image is so dark and gives just a glimpse of the curtain panel - it's shadowy in the original photo too, but click to super-size:


It makes me think of the drape for our kitchen pantry.  I like the fringe on the bottom hem of the panel.  The frayed look, reminiscent of an antique rug, which this might in fact be.  The more I look at fabrics, the more I think that an antique(d) woven panel is my ideal.  I almost bid on a Flemish tapestry last month but when I went to the preview it had too many condition issues for even impractical me to dream of putting it near food.  I've also been looking at these curtains from Ballard Designs, which are crewel-embroidered on burlap:


I'm worried about the scale of the design.  Is it too trendy?  Maybe I should just order a pair and return them is they don't do the trick?  I would love the be able to close that space off....

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