Chateau Miromesnil

Chateau Miromesnil is known for it's architectural beauty but also the wooded country in which it sits and its vegetable gardens (seen below). It has also been home to some famous characters. The famous author Guy de Maupassant was born in the chateau in 1850 while his parents rented it for 3 years.Earlier the chateau had been home to Armand-Thomas...

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Paris Opera House

One of the things I hope to see while in Paris next week is the Paris opera house by Charles Garnier -especially the ceiling by Chagall (one of my favorite artists!). This sketch by Raoul Dufy depicts the opera house in 1924, long before Chagall started the ceiling - can't you see the similarities? How did he know what was coming?!The Dufy...

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The apartment

"The Apartment" theme song (Jealous Lover)- Watch more Videos at Vodpod.The theme song from the great 1960 film starring Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine is "Jealous Lover" - a song I love dearly and played about 100x on the piano while home this past weekend. The film won five Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. Enj...

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All in one kitchen

I recently came across this amazing all in one kitchen system. Made in Italy by Meneghini, the mini-kitchen fits into a wood or lacuqered cabinet that looks like a piece of furniture. However, it opens up to reveal 2 electric rings, a sink and faucet, a fridge and 2 storage compartments - magic!I think a cabinet like this would be great for...

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Vaux le Vicomte

Unfortunately I don't think we'll be able to make it to Vaux le Vicomte this trip to Paris (next time!) but it's still an awe inspiring site, don't you agree?The history is fascinating - built by the superintendent of finances to King Louis XIV, he aroused suspicion of stealing funds for this magnificent palace. Plus, you never wanted to...

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Trellis work at Versailles

The thing that spurred our trip to Paris in the first place, for both Heather and I, was a passion to visit Versailles. The gardens are especially spectacular and have had many evolutions over the history of the chateau. Probably my favorite thing I've seen in pictures so far is the trelliswork that surrounds the Fountain of Enceladus, seen...

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The view!

Only 2 weeks till our trip to Paris, time has flown! When Heather and I were first talking about doing the trip it felt like ages off but now it's practically here! A friend sent me these pictures she took of the city from the top floor of Printemps. These fabulous views just echo my excitement! Best view in paris from a great store? I'm...

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John Derian

While on Cape Cod last week, I was able to finally stop in the John Derian store in Provincetown.I had looked for it last year on my annual beach pilgrimage but couldn't find it! The saleswoman told me they only put up the sign this year -good thing! Still not the easiest place to find, down a small street behind some bushes, but the store...

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Seaside cottages

Since I'm away at the beach, I figured it was a good time to show some seaside cottages. Not the Newport variety, but actual cottages. The book 'Cottages by the Sea' by Linda Leigh Paul features a number of amazing cottages in Carmel, California. I had 2 favorites that I want to share with you. The house seen at the top images of the post...

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Le Bois des Moutiers

Le Bois des Moutiers is an arts & crafts house in Varengeville-Sur-Mer, France by the well known english architect Edwin Lutyens. The house sits in a remarkable garden designed by Gertrude Jekyll. Because of the dry rocky soil, the garden lacks the lushness of its' British counterparts and has a distinct look to it.Visit the webs...

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St Marys, Wellingborough

Wellingborough is a town in Northamptonshire, England, which houses a spectacular cathedral, St. Marys.Designed by Sir Ninian Comper starting at the turn of the 20th century (1906), the church was finally completed in the late 1930s. He designed the building, furnishings and beautiful windows.Comper was a Scottish architect, known as one...

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Hediard

I can't believe our trip to Paris is in a few short weeks! There are so many places I'm dying to visit but one of them is definitely Hediard, the gourmet grocer and restaurant near the Ritz. Little gossipy tidbit - Princess Di had her last meal just around the corner at the ritz and passed here on her infamous way home to london. Obviously...

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Monet at Giverny

Monet created over 250 paintings of the Water lilies or Nympheas at his gardens in Giverny (in Northern France). These paintings always remind me of calm summers, just in time for my yearly pilgrimage to the beach next week!The gardens of the house he first rented then owned have been open to the public since 1980. I would love to visit...

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R.I.P. Charles Gwathmey

Charles Gwathmey died today at the young age of 71, leaving the architectural community bereft of one of the pure modernists left. As a young architect in school, Gwathmey Siegel was one of the firms we studied and saw referenced constantly. He practiced a severe Corbusian modernism that while it has many detractors, still is an important...

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