Still feeling the effects…

I am sitting here still recuperating from jet lag as I got home on Tuesday so my body and brain still thinks it is close to 3:00 in the morning in France.  The older I get, the harder it is to recuperate from my European getaways.

Playing “Vanna” in front of the entrance to Hall 5B at the Maison et Objet.  This was the last day of the show that I attended and thought this would be an appropriate ending at the doorway.  I never quite made it out of Hall 5 because it was so huge and had so much that I wanted to see and was really interested in.

 

 This picture was taken at the Lelievre Showroom located on the Rue de Mail.  These stickers are over 20″ long and I liked how their ready-made pillows reflect an embroidery that is similar in style.  While this is new to me as far as wall decor, when I showed this picture to my niece who lives in France, she recognized them right away and it seems that “stickers” have been there for a while now.  Of course they are!

 

 

This is a gorgeous sheer at the Sahco Showroom located on the Rue de Mail too.  I love the graceful petals delicately attached to the panel.  

 How yummy!

 

 This cute little storefront caught our attention while walking the streets of Paris.  We had just finished our rooftop excursion on the Galeries Lafayette and were  headed toward the Showrooms participating in the Deco Off.  It beckoned to be explored so we went in and I am so glad I did.  What confection lay before us!  Everything and nothing was catching my eye and then this cute little French girl came up to me and offered me a sample of a cookie.  I willingly obliged and it was love at first bite!  I ended up walking out of there with a gorgeous tin full of raspberry filled cookies that just melted in your mouth.  Truly a highlight of my day

 

 

And then on the last night in Paris, a dear friend and his wife joined me at the Hotel for an aperitif.   His wife works at the Lelievre Showroom and she had given me a tour the day before when I was there.  Aren’t they cute?  There will be more to the story about my friend in a future post when I reveal who he is and what he does! 

My next post will be about the latter part of my trip to France in Brittany and the gorgeous coastline.  Stay tuned…….

Ribbons, ribbons and more ribbons!

 

MOKUBA   MOKUBA    MOKUBA    MOKUBA

Only in Paris could I find a store devoted uniquely to ribbon and trim, or so I thought.  It was Monday evening on the way back to the Hotel that we saw this store located in the 1st arrondissement  and well, when you are with a group of “creatives” you just have to stop and go in.

All I can say is WOW!  What eye candy for a girl like me!  I thought I had died and gone to ribbon heaven!  All the possibilities for using these ribbons were swirling around in this head of mine and I was starting to feel like I had imbibed a little too much.

 This whole store was devoted strictly to ribbon, aisles and aisles of it.  I was surrounded and probably wouldn’t have noticed how much time could pass if it weren’t for the group I was with.  When I heard my name being called and I saw the group at the door patiently waiting on me, I knew there and then that time could pass by very quickly.  I’m sure I could spend a lot of time in there and not even know it, except maybe when it came time for dinner, as I love to eat and that would be the only thing that would distract me enough to get me out of the door! 

 

 Notice the different types in these pictures. We have warm and fuzzy, curly, pleated, mini pom-poms, frilly and my favorite, the elasticized just below.

These ribbons are noted for adorning the couture designs on the fashion runways, but I can also see them adorning my couture draperies too!

 As I stated in the opening, I thought this store was only in Paris but later found out that there is a store in New York City, Tokyo and Barcelona.  Guess I will just have to journey to New York which is a hop, skip and a jump for me.

Have fun looking at these pics!  Imagine what could be done with these ribbons!

Mokuba, Paris

Mokuba, New York

Mokuba, Tokyo

Mokuba, Barcelona

Inspiration from a window

 

While attending the Maison & Objet there was another show going on in Paris as well.  It was the Paris Deco Off and the showrooms for fabrics and trims were  opened up to the public.  As we were walking toward Galeries Lafayette to get in some shopping we discovered that we were on Rue de Mail where the high-end showrooms were and decided to take a peek while there. 

This particular display is from Pierre Frey.  Note the warm shade of tan with the cooling effect of the robin’s egg blue.  Very calming to look at, it begged to be seen in greater detail so we made our way into the showroom and discovered some gorgeous embroidered silks!

This was another display from a showroom who’s name escapes me but it too begged to be seen.  This is an interior shot of the display.  It is a stuffed peacock sitting on a divan of pillows and a gorgeous blue/tan fabric.  Note the fabric behind it detailing the peacock feathers.  The feathers were approximately 20″ tall and just gorgeous on the white background.

This display was for a wedding dress shop but look at  how gorgeous these dresses are and how well  they can cross over into couture draperies.  Note the dress on the left which totally inspires me to want to incorporate these layers of tulle into a couture drapery.  I can totally see it at the bottom of a panel and then in a mini-dose at the header. 

Here was another shop that inspired me in a different way.  This is the famed kitchen supply store in Paris and I just had to stop!  Since I beat the living daylights out of my crèpe pan for the past 16 years, (just ask my friends who eat my crèpes), I found the dream crèpe pan and just had to buy it!  While checking out, I looked up and saw a picture of Julia Child using a copper pan from this store!  Another way to express my artitstic nature, cooking is a pleasure for me.  Just like I need to have the right equipment to make my couture draperies, I need to have the right equipment to create fabulous meals.

Maison et Objet – part three

The first day of the show was fantastique!  We all took  the Metro, which for me, was the first time ever since I’ve been in Paris.  I am a taxi girl personally, so this was quite an experience for me when on the way back from the show, there was a bomb threat  at the Gare du Nord and all trains were stopped so the station could be evacuated and the suitcase in question dealt with.  We were sardines on the train to begin with and standing room only.  Not good when you are tired, hungry, sore feet, and oh,did I mention tired?  Anyone who knows me well knows that the combination of fatigue and hunger are the warning signs that I will turn into a “beasty-girl” if not taken care of asap.  So after being stranded for an hour and a half, we finally made our way back to the hotel and then onto dinner.

 

 Thanks to Deb and Susan, we had a meet-up at the Dedar booth, an Italian fabric company with luscious fabrics.  This particular fabric was a flocked fabric with the flocking only on certain parts of the pattern, creating an interesting visual effect.  Imagine this on a headboard or an upholstered wall!  Yummy!  We were shown more samples and given a goodie bag with info on their product line.  One of the fabrics shown, had a vertical repeat of 126″!  Definitely for long panels.

Another fabric shown was the most yummy for me because of the finished edge.  Note the tiny pleats that fell into a graceful ruffle hem.  This is how the fabric comes so I was envisioning using this fabric as an overlay on a solid panel gracefully tied back to reveal the under panel.   Sound good? 

I found an interesting furniture line from another Italian company called Castagnetti & C.  I spoke with the designer who has these  pieces hand painted with  a white base and french words.  I apologize for the quality of this photo because it is the postcard from his booth.  We are not allowed to take pictures  on the show floor.

      

It was an Italian kind of day yesterday now that I think about it because I also found a fantastic line of drapery hardware from Casa Valentina.  Their hardware is very modern.  One of their lines is stainless steel hardware with lighting under the rod!  How cool is that!  Again, I couldn’t take pictures so check out their website at www.casavalentina.it to see all the cool things they offer.                                                           

So all in all, it was a great day.  I even ate at an Italian restaurant last night too!

Paris – part deux

Today we had a free day so our bodies could get good and ready to take in the first day of the show tomorrow.  This morning a group of us went to the Museé D’Orsay, an art museum I have been wanting to go to since the first time in Paris over 20 years ago.  It is the home of a very nice collection of the Impressionist paintings.

My roomate and I at the Museé d’Orsay with the grand clock in the background.

Having been to Giverny 3 years ago and seeing Monet’s gardens, I was excited to see the originals of his paintings, especially the one with the bridge and the waterlillies.  So instead of just a postcard or print, I got to see the real deal.

I must say though that the highlight of today for me was finally getting to meet a friend of mine from France, a gentleman who designs tiebacks for drapery panels.  Not just any tiebacks mind you, but one of a kind unique and custom tiebacks.  His name is Remy Lemoine and we enjoyed a nice lunch together with a group of designers.   Eating in Paris is always a highlight for me, well, just plain eating is a highlight,  but meeting for the first time was truly a pleasure and delight. 

Paris and the Maison & Objet

It has been way too long since I posted last, but I am here in Paris, France for the ultimate interior design show in the world!  We landed today and I am trying to get my body acclimated from the jet lag and gather my thoughts.  I am here with a group of designers, industry leaders, and we about to embark on a week of exciting finds.

I will be posting about the interesting items I will be finding and quite possibly incorporating into my designs.  So stay tuned…….

A Dream Job, The Oaks Cloister – Part Two

 

This is going to be a longer post because there is more to this story with the Music Room and the Sitting Room.  Kick back, relax, get a glass of wine and enjoy!

 

After the completion of the Ballroom Austrian Shades, I was approached by the clients to come up with something for the next two rooms on the first floor, which was actually the second, because the Ballroom is the first floor.  These two rooms flanked either side of the front door.  In this picture, which was taken when Joseph Huston owned the house, we are standing at the entrance to the Ballroom looking into the Sitting Room, the Foyer and to the right the future Music Room and to the left the Dining Room.

 

My direction from the client was to come up with something “swaggy, elegant, different, over the top”.  Needless to say, I was the girl for him, my creative beast was unleashed and ready for the challenge!  I love these clients because they allowed me to be creative, spontaneous, indulgent and yes, ‘over the top’!  A designer and workroom’s wildest dream come true!

 

I measured the windows and studied the rooms carefully because these rooms in themselves are pieces of art.  From the wooden sculpture panel entitled “Boar’s Hunt”  over the fireplace  mantle that was made by Alexander Stirling Calder, to the elaborate ceiling of ornamental strap work motif  which is typical of Tudor elaboration, I had to match the grandeur of these spaces.    In fact, this ceiling work is similar to that of the Governor’s private office at the Capitol in Harrisburg.

 

Because my best thinking comes at night, it was during the night that I came up with the design.  It was a Eureka moment and I knew this was the design for these two rooms.  I presented the idea to the Designer coordinating the project and then to the client and was given the go ahead.  The fabric was a beautiful Robert Allen silk taffetta which had a very light hand but did everything I asked it to do!  We interlined it and self lined the cascades as well as the center jabot.  I chose to place bead trim only on the swags so that when the light shown through the window, the beads would capture the light and spread it throughout the room. 

 

 

 

 

The Music Room

 

 

 

 

 

 

 The Sitting Room       

 

 

 

Again, like the two pictures previously posted, these two pictures were taken by the talented Peter Leach.

 

An interesting story about these window treatments:  several years ago, the clients had a visit from friends who wanted someone else to see the house.  It just so happened that the person they brought to see the house was  someone of interest especially to me because of the company he represents. 

 

During this time, we had moved on to other projects in the house which I will be discussing in a future post.  I was consulting with the client about these projects and was relating to him all the new and exciting things I had seen at one of my IWCE shows.  My memory escapes me at the moment, but I think it was the show before the Washington,DC show, Atlanta maybe?   If someone out there remembers, please correct me in a comment.  I was relating the experience of making my window treatment for the TrendSpot area of the Showfloor and how it all went.  I also told him I had a book I wanted him to see that I had just purchased.  I LOVED it and knew he would like it too!

It was at that time that he started telling me about the visitors he had entertained a couple weekends before.  He had the very same book I just bought because none other than Robert Bitter, then co-president of Scalamandré, now co-CEO,  was the visitor to his house!  He was given a signed copy by Robert himself! 

 

And…..the part that really got my attention?  He told me that Robert really liked these window treatments!  My client had just relayed this compliment to me from someone in the industry whose reputation will far outweigh anything that I do!  Scalamandré is world-renowned for their fabrics and trimmings and the walls and windows their work graces.  The White House, The Breakers, Mt Vernon…..I think you get the point.  I explained exactly who his visitor was, and then both our eyes got real BIG, like, pinch me now, am I dreaming?  But of course, this was my DREAM JOB, was it not?

Philadelphia Oaks Cloister – A Dream Job! Part One

 

Oaks Cloister

This photo is a 2004 shot of the house that I did in Germantown.  When I got the call from one of my designers that a client was having a party and needed Austrian shades for their ballroom, little did I know what this project would turn out to be, much less, be 5 years in the making!  As it was a busy time of the year for me, I told this designer I would squeeze these clients into my schedule and get their window treatments done before the party.  When I went to measure the windows and quote for fabric, I must tell you I could not believe the eye candy that awaited me!  It truly was a ballroom, in a house, and not just any house mind you.

 

This was the house of Joseph Miller Huston, architect of the Pennsylvania State Capitol.  It was in this very house that he designed the Capitol and his house reflects the  beauty and talent of the artisans that he used for the project.  There is an excellent brochure detailing the life of Joseph Huston and this house.   http://www.etown.edu/docs/InstitutionalAdvancement/OaksCloisterBrochureWeb.pdf and I highly encourage you to further your reading as there are photos of the house when he owned it.  You will then be able to compare those photos from the past with recent photos of how the house was restored.

 These photos were taken of the ballroom after restorations were completed.  Note the ceiling in which 25,000 sheets of gold leaf were used to bring it back to its original glory.  It truly is breathtaking to look at!  The hand carved stone fireplace is from Caen, France and is thought to be a replica of the original one which calls its home in the Cluny Museum in Paris.  Word has it that the original was made for King Francis I and located in Rouen, France when Napoleon saw it and had it moved to Paris!

 

The next shot is taken of the stairway which leads up to the first floor of the house.  On the left wall at the bottom of the stairs, the owners discovered a hidden walk-in vault which was camoflauged by the revolving bookcase! 

 

Hanging in the windows are the Austrian shades I made which were installed the day before the party!  The floors were still being refinished as we were installing them!  Talk about tiptoeing around!

 

In my next post on this house we will move to the Sitting  Room and Music Room.  It’s important to note that these divine photos are courtesy of Peter Leach Photography.  Kudos to Peter for the fantastic job he did!  He is listed under my ‘Cool Things’  tab as the ‘Over the Top Photographer’ so look him up and see what he can do for you!

Scalloped Header Stationary Panels

 

Scalloped header panels

Hey everyone,  been awhile since I had class on how to do something.  I just installed this window treatment today and thought you might want to know the secrets behind it!  For this particular application, the panels are assymetrical and the rod butts right into the wall.  I wanted the  focus to be on the stonework and fireplace in the center of the wall.  We put tassel trim down the leading edge of the sheers to give it more drama as well as wrapping the sheers behind and around the outer panel.                                              

I made the pattern from 5″ buckram and determined the spacing and pleat sizes ahead of time.  With the right side of the drapery fabric facing up, and the right side of the lining facing down, I then layed the pattern on top and cut out my scallops.  Note that I made a facing of drapery fabric and attached it to the lining.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Turn inside out and press.  Under normal circumstances, you want to cut the corners and clip the curves before turning to the right side.  I did not do this however as the fabric was an upholstery weight and loved to fray at the edge.  It was also supple enough that when turned to the right side, there was no puckering at curve lines or a distorted curve. I also used a 1/4″ seam allowance.

Once this was done, the side hems were then turned over and sewn and the flat section at the top of the panel was folded in half and tacked at the back.  This formed my pleat and the rings were then sewn to the back of the pleat.  Do exactly the same with the sheers but instead of using lining on the back, just make a 6″ self facing turned over.

 

 

There you have it!  Happy sewing!  If you have any questions, feel free to post them under comments and I will help you out!

Fulfilling a Greenbrier dream!

Hallway leading to The Spa

 

Once again, I found myself in West Virginia this weekend,  a last minute trip to my father’s place in Greenbrier County.  This time though, I was helping to fulfill someone else’s dreams! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last week Marie from www.decoratorondemand.blogspot.com posted about the beauty of The Greenbrier and how she would love to go there.   Having been there myself on a couple of occasions for some respite at The Spa, I have experienced the beauty firsthand.    It was during a discussion on Facebook that I decided that since I was going there, I would take some pictures for her so she could see  more of the beauty that belongs to The Greenbrier.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Going to The Greenbrier Spa and not selecting a treatment that includes “taking of the waters”,  the  sulfur  water that is, is like going to McDonald’s and not getting French Fries.     When I went there a couple years ago, I chose the “Mountain Soother” which  starts off with a soak in the mineral waters followed by  a Swiss shower, Scotch spray and then a targeted massage at the neck and shoulders.  This was the perfect remedy for my aching muscles as fabricating couture window fashions can require inordinate amounts of bending, stretching, holding, draping, lifting and hanging of multiple layers of fabrics.  I LOVE what I do, but it does take a toll on the body.   

 

As designers, it is OUR job to fulfill YOUR dreams!  It gives me great pleasure designing and fabricating those DREAM window fashions for my clients.   

 

 And now Marie, here are a few pics that will help you fulfull YOUR dream of seeing The Greenbrier and getting that reservation made for December!

 

                                                 

 

SO ASK YOURSELF, WHOSE DREAMS HAVE I FULFILLED TODAY, AND IF NOT TODAY, WHEN?