Tartan Plaid

I know tartans have been very popular lately but they've always been part of my life ( even my alma mater's mascot is a tartan plaid! seriously). Growing up we were very 'American 'and not very in touch with my Scottish heritage -but there was always an abundance of tartan plaids around especially at my grandparents. Maybe because of that...

Continue Reading... Label: covet

Happy Halloween!

"All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt" Charles Sch...

Continue Reading... Label: quotes

Mirrored Walls

I've been thinking about mirror a lot lately. What do you think of a room that is mirrored? My mind goes instantly to those suburban dining rooms which are tragically mirrored...Or the city apartments that were mirrored back in the 80s - Oy Vey.However, I think these images posted are pretty fab, don't you think? Look at the famous mirrored...

Continue Reading... Label: Interiors, just for fun

Beau Brummel: this charming man

I recently watched a wonderful dvd "Beau Brummell: This charming man" about the life of George Brummell (nicknamed Beau for obvious reasons). This movie was a BBC Television drama made in 2006 and based on the biography by Ian Kelly. You've probably all heard of this famous man, but aren't sure why. The handsome James Purefoy (from 'Rome')...

Continue Reading... Label: movies

Dior, the talent

While I can barely do him justice, especially in such a short post, I would like to just talk briefly about Christian Dior as I'm currently reading his autobiography from 1957. Dior believed that accessories MADE the outfit. After coming up with the initial sketches of a dress, he would then go on to chose the accessories right away, even...

Continue Reading... Label: fashion, just for fun

Mies van der Rohe library

This past weekend I finally went to the library to check it out. It just so happens that my local library is the main branch of the DC library system and was designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe! Completed in 1972, the library measures in at 400,000 sf and is the only public library ever designed by Mies. Steel & glass with some brick...

Continue Reading... Label: Architect, DC

Is this for real?

How would you pronounce this as a child's name??? Le-aLeah?? NOLee A?? NOLay a?? NOLei?? Guess Again. It's pronounced "Ledasha"! Oh yes - you read it right- the dash is pronounced! This child attends a school in Livingston Parish, Louisiana. Her mother is irate because everyone is getting her name wrong. So if you see something come across...

Continue Reading... Label: just for fun

Highclere Housetour

Hooked on Houses is having a house tour today and I thought I would participate. Rather than show my small little apartment, I thought I'd show something a bit more grand. Highclere was featured in the September issue of World of Interiors in 1988.This grand estate is owned by the Earls Carnarvon and has morphed from an 18th century Jacobethan...

Continue Reading... Label: Architect, blogging, Interiors

Undecided Voters

My favorite funny man, David Sedaris, wrote this hysterical political observation in the New Yorker that I just had to share. To put them in perspective (undecided voters), I think of being on an airplane. The flight attendant comes down the aisle with her food cart and, eventually, parks it beside my seat. “Can I interest you in the chicken?”...

Continue Reading... Label: just for fun

Halloween Tombstones

After reading my post on a cemetery in Pittsburgh, a reader sent a halloween project to me that he's had for the past 4 years in front of his house for the holiday. I really loved this idea! He made the tombstones out of rigid foam, using a hot wire, a whole lot of utility blades, and sandpaper. The epitaphs are painted in "Wildfire" paint...

Continue Reading... Label: just for fun