architect design™

Just in time for the winter season is a new book that is sure to bring a breath of warm weather to everyone's Christmas List: Palm Beach Chic from Vendome Press.
Chronicling the houses of the storied resort town, the large coffee table book features a huge number of houses ranging from the historic to the very modern.
 I hate those book reviews which ruin the whole book for you so I'll feature a number of images on one of my favorite houses in Palm Beach featured in the book, Villa Artemis.
Built in 1916 by architect F. Burrall Hoffman (who also designed Vizcaya) for Mr & Mrs. Frederick Guest, the house is most known for a number of images by society photographer Slim Aarons of daughter CZ Guest at the home (one seen above).
Although the house has been greatly modified since the Guest's time as owners, architects Ferguson & Shamamian recently worked on restoring and adding to the house with the present owners and it was decorated by designer David Kleinberg. This storied house has become even MORE fabulous thanks to this duo!
Notice the charming watercolor of the front door by talented artist John S. Coles in one of the bedrooms.
The white stucco house with Mediterranean blue accents is my ideal palette for a tropical climate such as this; classic but interesting.
While the grounds have been heavily redesigned, they still feature the same vistas made famous by Slim Aarons. The work in the gardens even won the prestigious Palm Beach Preservation Foundation's award.
The renovated pool house is where the family spends most of their time. I love the black and white palette.  
 The formal rose garden matches the neoclassical tone set by the house; formal but not fussy.
Two last images from the book I have to share are from the home of designer Lars Bolander and his wife. The open storage in the kitchen was designed to display their collection of cookbooks and china -why not be surrounded by all of your beautiful things?!
 This may very well be my favorite kitchen I've ever seen!
For more on these houses as well as plenty of others check out your own copy of Palm Beach Chic from the Vendome Press by Jennifer Ash Rudick!
All images unless noted are from the book by talented photographer Jessica Kewicki Glynn. 

Sometimes #reallife gets in the way of blogging so I've been noticeably absent even though I have many posts lined up! In lieu of a 'real' post I thought I'd share some great detail shots from my Penpal's latest trip to Great Britain.
 Details matter!  These animals on the end of each pew make church fun!
This pug makes me laugh!
 Ancient hand-painted encaustic tiles.
 Beautiful colorful fabrics.
 And of course in Great Britain everything is heavily gilded.
 The polychrome sign above is pretty amazing, no?
 A gutter collector box is always a beautiful feature -but in Great Britain they also come GILDED.
Thats not the only gilded part of these ancient buildings.....strapwork hinges! I've never seen anything like this.
 And save a bit of romance for last; together in life, together in death.

While in Paris this past fall I visited the famous department store Printemps on the Boulevard Haussmann. Not for the reasons you think (shopping) but to check out the amazing 365 degree views of Paris from the rooftop restaurant!
Lunch was pretty good by American standards, sub-standard by Parisian, but no one could pay attention to their meals with all of Paris at their feet.
 Above you can make out the Eiffel Tower through the haze just beyond the Grand Palais.
 Above is La Madeleine which I blogged about HERE.
 There are just no bad views, a picture postcard in every frame.
Above is the roof of the Palais Garner, more commonly known as the Paris Opera House. I blogged about this magnificent building after one of my previous trips HERE and HERE.
The views of the Printemp's rooftop minarets are stunning in their own right. That shiny gilding must be recently applied!
Above you can barely see the hidden business district of Paris -leave those nasty tall, modern buildings out of sight!
 I love the multilayered roof of the apartment building across the street.
 Nor the Eglise Saint-Augustin seen above.
 Paris, not only the city of lights but the city with no bad views!

I have to admit something; I'm a very nervous flyer. I think I hide it relatively well but until my feet are back on the ground I fret and worry.
However that said, I could stare outside of a plane window all day long and be happy. I love the view of the clouds, farms, and cities below:  God's art.
 Imagine that just 100 years ago views such as this were unthinkable. It makes the flying worthwhile.
Palm Springs is an arid /desert climate nestled against the beautiful Santa Rosa- San Jacinto Mountains. In the winter the weather is PERFECTION; mid 70s and sunny during the day and cool for sleeping or hot-tubbing at night.
Thanks to technology parts of the city are an oasis of lushness, despite worries that this kind of water usage can't last for long as the area expands into the desert.
Nothing beats the winter-time blues like a trip to the warm, sunny south.

While summertime 'downtime' (obviously) continues on this blog I thought I'd share some images my Australian penpal was nice enough to share with me of Sanssouci.
 I've blogged about the rococo palace in the past (here and here) and it never gets old.
 While this style may not interest you the attention to detail cannot fail to impress.
 This collection of porcelain on gilded brackets above reminded me of Howard Slatkin's NYC apartment.
 Notice the very successful jib door (closed) to the left of the chairs in the guest room above.
The chairs have a very modern looking ikat type fabric. Many of the fabrics and wallpapers were recently replaced by a company in Lyon.
 I especially love the blue version. Notice the matching curtains.
 Here you see the same fabric in green to match a green guestroom.
 The marquetry work in this small cabinet is amazing. These side chairs sport a more expected silk damask.
My favorite room at Sanssoci, as I've said in previous posts, is surely the Voltaire guest room which he inhabited for a time.
 The polychromed boiserie are so fun and cheerful.
 Birds and fruits sit next to monkeys and parrots - could it be more whimsical?
 Notice the very modern looking grotto-esque icicles at the top of the mirror.
 The parrots almost look entirely free standing on their brackets.
 The wallpapers are also a riot of pattern and color.
Notice the intriguing electrical switch below which blends right into the paper. Of course in the 18th century they wouldn't have had any switches so it's nice to hide them.
 Again with the modern fabrics, doesn't this fabric below remind you of something from the 1950s?
I hope you enjoy these delicious detail shots of Sanssoci Palace!