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.
As a decorator, I have designed my share of guest rooms over the years.
I have not slept in all of them and given them the test drive, that’s usually what a client does to ensure that the room is up to THEIR standards.
Recently however, I had the pleasure of visiting one client in California, the other in Colorado, two distinctly different spaces: one a pool pavilion/guest house and the other a cozy upper floor room with multiple dormers covered in a toile with a generous bath dressing area.
As I lay in bed in the morning thinking about the plan for the day I got distracted. As light peaked in through the dormers, I started to think about the installation over seven years ago. The room, the house, has stood the test of time, and that made me feel good about my work and everyone that was a part of the team.
So I got out of bed and photographed all of the decorating details that we agonized over years ago, and, the objects found all over the country and many abroad. A mental skip down memory lane makes me grateful for clients that give you rein to do what you do best and are collaborators in the process, and appreciate the result. The bonus being, we LAUGH….a Lot!
Back to that pool pavilion…
The minute I walked in with my bags I was greeted with flower arrangements in every room.
Here, I was experiencing the ultimate welcome, the goal of every guest room.
The flowers said, “Welcome, glad you’re here,”
My response to that, “Thank you, it’s so good to be back.”
May 14, 2013
Near the verdant Parc Monceau stands a noticeable anomaly in what would be traditional Parisian architecture. It is a red five-story Chinese pagoda. It was once the home of infamous Chinese art dealer C.T. Loo and is now the home of the eponymous C.T. Loo Gallery. C.T. Loo - who rose to prominence between 1910 and 1940 – is a man somewhat shrouded in mystery. Selling art to world-class museums in addition to royalty and American business tycoons, he always swore a vow of secrecy with his clients. So clandestine was Loo, that he would even refrain from taking and sending photographs so as to keep his clients protected and his business deals discreet. Controversy still surrounds Loo, especially in China where it has been rumored that he pillaged various ancient Chinese tombs to unearth the priceless art which belonged (as he believed) in the hands of serious collectors who would pay greater homage and take greater care of the pieces. Still in China, there is general unease when speaking about Loo’s legacy. Despite his somewhat negative rap, during his years as an art dealer, he helped many clients and art collectors publish their lots of art and spread the word about much of the lesser known fine art during that era.
February 13, 2013
When Aston Webb designed the Victoria and Albert Museum in London in 1891, little did he know that the collection of ceramics that the museum would continue to accumulate would outgrow the 11 galleries stretching from the Exhibition Road to the Brompton Oratory.
Enter, OPERA Amsterdam the design firm engaged to redesign the galleries. A sense of theater and discovery engages the visitor and invites them to look at and through the cases as if you were a peeping Tom in someone else’s pantry. I remember the old cases of mahogany and glass feeling much like a laboratory in a science museum filled with dusty stuffed animals. Now, the new cases and the reconfiguration beg your attention.
With the original cases lining the walls, and long new ones down the middle, one walks slowly, as if ceremoniously on a porcelain parade ground. Old and new cases blend seamlessly, as you focus on the contents…..isn’t that the point?
Five years, 20 curators and 26,500 items later you have the Ceramics Study.
Galleries are a wonder to behold, especially for those of us who have rarely said NO to the purchase of a cachepot, spillvase, teapot or another set of dinner plates.
Here’s a sneak peak of what to expect!
Written by Charlotte Moss
Middle Atrium Photo by Fritz von der Schulenburg For “World of Interiors”
Victoria & ALbert Museum
Address: Cromwell Rd, London SW7 2RL, United Kingdom
Phone:+44 20 7942 2000
Hours:
Monday hours 10:00 am–5:45 pm -
See all
February 11, 2013
Fabric designer and stylemaker Michael Devine produces some of the best printed linen designs on the market, available through John Rosselli here in New York. Recently I received a swatch in the mail, with a note from Michael informing me that he had named a print ‘Charlotte.’ Well, flattery aside, a gorgeous pattern cannot be denied – it is simply DEVINE!
