C'est Inspiré is simply that - what is inspiring. Where the words end, images continue to speak. Seeing all that is around us, we seek some aspect of something that is life enhancing... something that you would like to be reminded of - to revisit. Something to capture and bring into your world, not leave behind... . That is why I take a camera everywhere; have spent countless hours organizing images in scrapbooks and pouring over them later to revisit the place, the people, the memory.
So, C'est Inspiré may be a single photo - or it may be 50, it may mean one thing to me, another to you - the meaning isn't important. Did it inspire? Did it make you smile? Did it bring back a pleasant memory? One or all of the above will do.
During a brief period of his life, the legendary art historian Bernard Berenson kept diaries where he wrote about how to see - and what he saw. These diaries were published under the title The Passionate Sightseer and edited by Raymund Mortimer.
Anyone, anywhere, anytime can be a passionate sightseer - just look.
The domed stained-glass ceilings, tall wooden bookshelves and leopard-print carpeting give Gryphon the lavish ambience of warm southern living.
The Yin and Yang of Savannah. Elizabeth on 37th captures that regal, old-world charm while Local 11 Ten embodies that fresh modern crispness. The contrast of the two restaurants reminds me that even places so thoroughly steeped in tradition always have room for a fresh new spin.
Gyrphon Tea Room
337 Bull Street
Savannah, Georgia 31401
Elizabeth on 37th
105 E 37th Street Savannah Georgia 31401
www.elizabethon37th.net/
Local 11 Ten
1110 Bull Street Savannah, GA 31401
www.local11ten.com/
We took a refreshing pitstop at Savannah's Paris Market. No meal this time, just some effervescent herbal sodas.
The Paris Market
36 West Broughton Street Savannah, GA 31401
www.theparismarket.com/
Alex Raskin Antiques on Bull Street in Savannah. Adorned with slate-grey ironwork, the facade of the building appears just as antiquated as the treasures ins
ide. The seemingly minimal restoration of this structure is most fitting for a purveyor of antiques.
Alex Raskin Antiques
441 Bull Street, Savannah, GA 31401
http://www.alexraskinantiques.com/
I couldn't imagine a trip to Georgia without making it to the capital city of Atlanta, which is exactly where I went before my stay in Savannah. While in Atlanta, we dined at Canoe: a special dinner organized by Century Furniture to celebrate the launch of my furniture collection. The riverside location of Canoe gives it the unique air of bliss and relaxation; like wading down the Chattahoochee River at dusk. Georgia truly Eats. And she eats well.
After a full day of activities: lecture, book signing, cocktail reception, I sat down for a quiet dinner with a girlfriend at Restaurant Eugene. It really is all in the details, and so often, the thoughtful touches are what make a visit so memorable…While having cocktails we noticed the waiter pressing out the wrinkles of a new tablecloth, to get it just right before seating us. Something I had never seen before, at ANY restaurant. Don't you just love that?
Canoe
4199 Paces Ferry Road, SE
Atlanta, Georgia 30339
http://www.canoeatl.com/
Restaurant Eugene
2277 Peachtree Road
Northeast Atlanta, GA 30309
http://restauranteugene.com/
At Gryphon the bill comes in an old book selected from one of their many bookshelves.
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May 23, 2012
Terrain or not Terrain? OR flood in the case of my event at Calico Home in Philadelphia on May 16th. The night before our arrival, there were flash flood warnings on the main line…And flood it did. Thankfully the event still went on, but as the room was being dried, I thought, what better time to sneak away to suburban Philadelphia’s unique home and garden emporium, Terrain.
Founded in 2008 by the same people who brought us Anthropologie, Terrain is a suburban Philadelphia nursery catering to flower enthusiasts and decorators alike. But Terrain is more than just great plants, they carry antique furniture, table-settings, body and bath products, home décor as well as everything for the garden and the gardener…
In keeping with the farmhouse-chic made so popular by Anthropologie, Terrain stands out as a one-of-a-kind more-than-just-a-nursery, home and garden accessories store. Terrain actually was “one-of-a-kind” until its second location opened this Mother’s day in Westport, Connecticut. If you cannot make the trek to Connecticut, Terrain also has an online store at www.shopterrain.com.
In addition to all things earthy, the store also contains its own eatery with fresh fare sourced locally and hosts and array of gardening events, planting demonstrations, and terrarium workshops.
Looking for an unconventional location for your special event? Terrain also accommodates private events such as showers, tea parties, picnics and weddings.
Terrain is not your average hardware store or nursery. It’s like its own living and breathing universe of flora that you would want to take with you to plant in your own garden. A bucolic balance between lush, charming and rustic.
Never one to pass up a bookstore, I felt the magnetic force to Read it Again, Sam as I walked up the downtown mall in Charlottesville recently. A few out-of-print classics went home with me as gifts for friends, and part of my 'stock' for future birthdays and Christmas. Gardening volumes, wild
flowers, Virginia recipes, a bio of Elizabeth David, and books on Lee Miller, Palladio and Audubon were amongst the cache. It is impossible to walk into a bookstore and walk out empty handed. An undeniable truth.
Read it Again, Sam
Dave Taylor, Owner
214 E. Main Street
Charlottesville, VA
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May 10, 2012
...Some More Ideas! : Leap Day is the gift of an extra day.
Leap year. The gift of an extra day was the email I sent on Feb 29th reminding friends and family that 2/29 was a gift of a day, make it count, make it memorable, you won’t see another for four years. Invited by friends to have dinner at La Grenouille to celebrate a belated birthday, we chose Leap Day as the perfect day to gather.
The conversations were at break-neck speed juxtaposed with perfectly timed service. It is always a meal to be savored with a little liquid effervescence, and last night ended with a soufflé of Grand Marnier.
The owner, Charles Masson, is the master of the infamous floral decoration and is always there to greet and keep a doting eye on his guests. The table bouquets were a collection of carnations, and the bar’s tall bouquet cast a shadow on a glass vase of Hellebores with an unusual coloration of green petals dappled with deep claret.
In the restaurant, forsythia branches burst from vases like sun rays towering over guests while occupying the coveted banquettes. They are interwoven with yellow oncidium; and are anchored with white lilies, yellow callas and alstroemeria. The arrangements at La Grenouille are at the same time an appetizer and a dessert. In all of this elaborate beauty, there was the quiet reminder that even a single blossom can speak volumes. Heaven knows we did that evening…
A little Leap Year math:
An extra day!? Well not really, just a way to keep the calendar on track. Pour quoi? Well, it actually takes the earth 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and a few odd seconds to completely circle the sun.
If the spirit moves you, you can do the math, but trust me…it works out that if we did not add an extra day every four years then every 100 years the calendar would be off by 24 days…..
Filofax…Outlook…an elegant Hermès diary….whatever you use. I wouldn’t want my calendar messed up…would you?
From our archives, articles about La Grenouille and Charles Masson….
March 2, 2012
