Rainy Days

I feel a little rain coming on - very fashionable rain. Aren't these stripes classic?

Mega Check Walker umbrella, Burburry

New Check Walker umbrella, Burburry

London Fog double canopy "Golf" umbrella

Hermes "H" umbrella

"Sky" umbrella, MOMA

Frank Lloyd Wright Water lilies umbrella, MOMA

Made Me Laugh: Humor in Home Decor

No, this wasn't what I had in mind.

This was... Peekaboo Giraffes?

Or Jonathan Adler's "cruelty free" zebra rug?

What about a phonograph on your ipod cover?

Or a rotary phone on your iphone? The fact that they're needlepoint instead of neoprene just drives the joke home.

All designs, Jonathan Adler.

The Southern Literary Trail

Artist Christopher Stott, Pear With Books

Susan, of the blog A Southern Daydreamer Reads, has begun a summer reading challenge in the blogosphere. I'm game! 

Earlier this summer, I visited Flannery O'Conner's home, Andalusia, as well as Margaret Mitchell's Atlanta apartment, where she wrote Gone With The Wind. Both are part of the Southern Literary Trail, a special event this year celebrating classic Southern writers in Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. The Trail got me thinking - there are so many great Southern writers I either haven't read, or haven't read much of - if I can't TRAVEL the Trail, why not READ my way through the Trail? Now, there are too many great Southern authors to read everyone (or everything they wrote), but I've selected a few for my own challenge. I'm off on the Trail! Here's my route:

1) Mud on the Stars, William Bradford Huie (Hartselle, Alabama)

2) The Complete Short Stories, Truman Capote (Monroeville, Alabama)

3) A Good Man is Hard to Find, Flannery O'Conner (Milledgeville, GA)

4) The Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison (Tuskegee, AL)

5) The Collected Plays, Lillian Hellman (Demopolis, Alabama)

6) As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner (Oxford, MS)

7) The Moviegoer, Walker Percy (Greenville, MS)

8) The Golden Apples, Eudora Welty (Columbus, MS)

9) The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams (Columbus, MS)

10) The Beautiful and Damned, F. Scott Fitzgerald (Montgomery, AL)

Caveat: this list is subject to change, based on whimsy. I may switch the works around a little... but I have until September 21st, when the challenge ends, to figure it out! 

New Mexico Museum and Jozef Bakos

A recent issue of Architectural Digest brought the Museum of New Mexico store to my attention. They're offering beautiful patterned tiles (or trivets, but I dislike that word because it confines a flexible decorative object to the kitchen). The tiles are decorated with artworks by prominent New Mexico painters or Navajo patterned rugs.

Springtime Rainbow, by Jozef Bakos.

A tile with an Arape Style Navajo rug design.

Santuario de Chimayo, New Mexico.

I was unfamiliar with the work of artist Jozef Bakos (1891 - 1977), so I decided to investigate further. Bakos was originally from Buffalo, NY, and was a member of "Los Cinco Pintores," an avant garde painting group in Santa Fe. He was also a professor at the University of Denver, a carpenter, and a furniture maker.

Jozef Bakos, Sunmount

Jozef Bakos, Sun Mountain

Jozef Bakos, Kitchen Interior

Images, jozefbakos.com, matthewchaseltd.com, askart.com.

Gad About Girl

You may have noticed I've been en absentia a bit this past week - I'm traveling! But, I have plenty of fun things planned for the next few days, so y'all come back now, ya here?

xoxo Sanity Fair

The Well-Read Look

I love pretty things, Anthropologie, and books, so when I find pretty books at Anthropologie - perfect! Below are a few snapshots of my favorite tomes - worth the reading, and perfect for decorating - your coffee table, bedstand, or display shelf. 

Valentino:  A Grand Italian Epic

What Would Audrey Do? 

Jaime Hayon Works

Sarah Midda's South of France

This is London

The Cultivated Life

All images, Anthropologie.com

Writing Papers: It's a Pleasure

Stylecourt is one of my favorite blog reads (and a fellow Southerner!) and this week I was so excited to see stationers Gadabout Papers featured. Beautiful, personalized papers are such an encouragement to writing, and I would pepper my friends with notes if I owned a set of these (coming soon - look out friends!). The monogram placement is just so clever. Be sure to visit the website to see more of Hanna Brooks Nation's designs.

All images, www.gadaboutpaper.blogspot.com.

Loving Liz

The latest baubles and bows from Liz Claiborne. I'm really loving what Isaac Mizrahi is doing with this company.

All images, Liz Claiborne.

Trompe L'Oeil, Part II

A big thank you to artist Theresa over at Art's The Answer! for tipping me off to Atlanta-based Gunderwood designs. They specialize in fabulous trompe l'oeil, faux finishes, and beautiful hand painted murals and flooring. Their repitoire is staggering.

Isn't this mural wonderful? I love the contrast of the scenic wall and the broad molding. I see this as a great look in a dining room or foyer.

Detail of a hand painted map of Hilton Head, for a client's home. This would be a fantastic look in a child's room as well. 

Two of my favorite outdoor cum indoor treatments make friends:  clouds and trellis work.

This is floor cloth - entirely hand painted. Stunning!

Frugal Finds on Frugally Blonde

A little while ago my friend Liz over at Frugally Blonde asked me to do a guest post on frugal clothing finds. Unfortunately between mutual trips and some technical difficulties, I missed when the post went up! So, without further ado, I'd like to say a big THANKS to Liz for the honor of contributing to Frugally Blonde, and provide a preview.

Guest Post: The Cheap and Chic Wedding Challenge
This time of year, there are so many weddings - indoor, outdoor, evening, morning. What's a girl to do? AFTER the gifts, the airfare, and the hotel rooms, your little wallet is gasping. But you really don't want to show up in last year's togs (especially not when the pictures come out). Here are some inexpensive ideas for making your new purchases multitask to save serious coinage, all based around a versatile dress for only $42.



GRAND TOTAL? $145.78

For the rest of the outfit options for this dress, click here.

Thanks Liz!

Couture Italian Leather: Valextra

Valextra is often known as the "Hermès of Italy," and their fine craftsmanship has earned them the title. Valextra makes very subtle, minimalist designs - your grandmother could have carried them, and your granddaughter likely will too. No logos, no labels, just classic creations. Could you spot one on the street?

All images, Valextra.com.

The White House Diplomatic Reception Room

A recent post on The Peak of Chic about gorgeous scenic wallpaper reminded me of a collection of photographs I have of the Diplomatic Reception Room at the White House. This is one of my all time favorite rooms - I would steal every stick of it if I could! I've been lucky enough to spend time there and study the design, and there's just not a thing I would change.

The "look" - yellow silk damask and the famous Gilbert Stuart portrait of George Washington. The room is a perfect Oval (as you'll see below) and opens directly onto the South Lawn. At formal State Arrival Ceremonies, a limoisine bearing the visiting head of state comes up the circular South drive, where he or she is greeted by the President and First Lady. After the ceremony, they proceed directly into this room, hence the name. The fireplace you see is where FDR had those "fireside chats." 

Detail of more yellow damask and the intricate wallpaper, which is divided into 32 panels (this one displays the Natural Bridge, of Virginia). The door to the left opens into the lower cross hall, the main thoroughfare through the State Floor. The door to the right opens into the China Room, named for the beautiful displays of historic Presidential china. The photos don't do this space justice - the colors are so rich and vibrant in real life.

A scene from Boston Harbor. We owe these beautiful walls to Jackie Kennedy (as well as most of the other historic pieces in the State Rooms today). The print is by Jean Zuber, of Cie in Rixheim, Alsace, and is called "Views of North America." It dates to 1834, and scenes include Niagara Falls, West Point, Boston Harbor, and the Natural Bridge. The rare paper was discovered rolled up in a farmhouse attic in New England and Jackie immediately snatched it up for this room, installing it in 1961.

The room is decorated in the Federal Period, and most of the beautiful pieces are by New York or New England cabinetmakers. 

A wide view of half the room, facing the South Lawn Vestibule. There are three floors of oval rooms in the White House residence. The Yellow Oval on the top, family, floor; the Blue Room on the main State Floor, where most receiving lines occur; and the Diplomatic Reception Room. Over a century after the White House was built, the West Wing was added, and efforts were made to keep it uniform with the older residence it adjoined. One result was the decision to continue the idea of an oval shaped room into the West Wing. That's the reason we have today's Oval Office.

The vestibule opening onto the South Lawn (as above), seen from the Diplomatic Reception Room. Notice that the intricate wallpaper continues even into this space. The canopy you can just make out through those doors is the famous entrance you'll frequently see pictures of Presidents walking to and from.

A stunning mahagony desk by John Shaw, made in 1797, highlights this side of the room. The rug incorporates emblems from all 50 States. In this view, you can easily see the State symbols woven into the rug border. 

A panel depicting Niagara Falls. Niagara Falls was one of the most interest-exciting natural wonders on both sides of the Atlantic in earlier days. Today it's seen more as a cheesy tourist destination than a stunning natural wonder, but in the 1800s it was considered one of the seminal representations of the New World's landscape, rather how we view the Grand Canyon today.

A close-up shot of the falls. Note the picturesque little steamboat at the bottom.

Last look: A rather bare Diplomatic Reception Room prior to Jackie Kennedy's restoration (courtesy of whitehousemuseum.org).

All images, my own. Please email me for permission to use them. Thanks!