100 years ago, American architects flocked to the École des Beaux Arts in Paristo be schooled in the decorative arts. The ideas and inspiration they brought home spawned the Beaux Arts movement and they yielded what's arguably the most famous example of the Beaux Arts style in the US, 1911's New York Public Library.
The Reading Room
The Map Room
Now that is what my friend Tom would call a Beaux Arts pile.
The Beaux Arts movement of a century ago was the great amalgamator. Beaux Arts buildings and the Beaux Arts style borrowed heavily from the decorative styles that preceded it and combined everything into fanciful and exuberant buildings and rooms. Beaux Arts embraced the modern by absorbing the past.
Around 100 years later, Siematic teamed with superstar designer Mick de Giulio to interpret Beaux Arts for the 21st century. As was the case 100 years ago, Siematic's Beaux Arts honors the many forms that came before it and presents something utterly new.
Beaux Arts Flannel Grey
Beaux Arts Flannel Grey
Beaux Arts Magnolia White
Beaux Arts Magnolia White
Beaux Arts Magnolia White
Beaux Arts Salvia Green
Beaux Arts Salvia Green
Beaux Arts Salvia Green
That my friends is some amazing kitchenry. The photos above from the Flannel Grey kitchen pretty much do it for me. Bravo Siematic!
The paneling is architectural salvage, believe it or not. Despite the omnipresence of zebra skin rugs these days, I don't hate it here.
This is the kitchen.
I think it's a little too cute but I love the simplicity of it.
This is a great photograph.
I love the curve of the hand rail and the peek of blue in that field of white. Beautiful photograph, and I wonder how it plays in real life.
Finally, this bathroom is what prompted David to send me this article.
The article describes this stone as slab marble and it's absolutely beautiful. However, I spend a lot of time around marble and slab stone and I'm not so sure that this is marble. I have never seen marble with such pronounced stripes. It's possible I'm sure, but I suspect that this is a quartzite and not a marble. Can we hear from a stone expert? Quartzite or marble?
Here are a handful of layout options I have in front of me. I like the one that's up and running now but I've been getting mixed reviews. I made up some samples so let me know if any of these work better than the others.
Option A: Pleasant and Non-Threatening
Option B: 3-D House of Flies
Option C: Miss Sandy Sandstone
Option D: Rusty the Diesel
Option E: Down Down Yellow and Brown
Option F: The Tired and Expected Cliché
So there are six options. Bear in mind that this is a temporary fix and that I have a new logo that will get folded into this version and will be the linchpin of the final version. That final version ought to be ready by summer. Now, my goals are simple. I want the template to come second to my content but I want the template to show off my content better than my old template did.
I want it to be kind of serious, but not too serious.
I want it to look like something other than the cheesy, canned template that it is.
With that said, I welcome your feedback. Thanks gang.
This is not my new layout, it's a temporary replacement for the field of green that's been irritating me so much. What do you think? Clean? Easy to read? Or is it too boring? Hit me with your best shot, I can handle it.
It's approaching mid-March and I don't think I've ever had this many plates spinning at the same time. That's not a complaint at all and oddly enough, I'd welcome a couple more things to do. I know I can't keep up this pace forever and vacations await.
So the other day a new travel book fell into my lap. The book is Susan Van Allen's100 Places in Italy Every Woman Should Go. Though Susan's targeting a female audience, her subject matter transcends gender. 100 Places is a terrific insider's guide. It's full of off-the-beaten-path treasures and fresh perspectives on old standbys. Whether it's the Piazza Barberini in Rome or Oplontis in Torre Annunciata, an insider's guide that lists places where I've already been gets an instant nod of approval from me.
More than that though, Susan Van Allen makes my long to see the places I've yet to see. 100 Places is daydream fodder for me right now, but mark my words. I will see her 100 Places and add 100 more. You can read her table of contents (and buy her book) here.
Saxon Henry is a great friend and contributor to this blog. She launched a new site a couple of weeks back called Roaming by Design. She is running a contest right now and the prize is the iPhone app version of 100 Places. All you have to do is leave a comment after her post and chapter excerpt on 100 Places. Poke around on Saxon's site while you're over there, she does a great job of combining her loves of travel, design, writing and everything else that catches her eye.
My photo of the Villa la Terrazza as seen from the Marina Piccola in Sorrento.
Of course all talk of Italy brings me back to my incredible stay at the Villa la Terrazza in Sorrento in 2008. It's fast approaching two years since I looked out over the Mediterranean from the patio of the villa and I am dying to return.
Photo from the Villa la Terrazza. This was our living room for one of the most idyllic weeks I've ever spent.
Andrea Azzariti a fifth generation member of the Gunderrode family to own and maintain the Villa. He has a new website for it and it just launched. If you are ever looking for the ultimate get away, this is it. I cannot endorse the six apartments of the Villa La Terrazza and Andrea's hospitality strongly enough.
It seems like a dream now, but there was once a time when I padded through this dining room every morning to get coffee and greet the day. The old marble counter in front of the window was the spot where I stood to chop tomatoes for bruschetta. I'll never be the same. Really.
Included in Andrea's new website is the following video. Watch this and then tell me that the Villa la Terrazza isn't paradise found.
