THE COQUI COQUI EMPIRE OF SENSES

Necessity is the mother of invention – illustrated through the fact that Francesca Bonato and her business partner Jacopo Janniello Ravagnan‘s accessories line: ”Hacienda Montaecristo” was born of necessity when Francesca and her husband, Nicolas Malleville, a contemporary landscape architect and perfumer, opened their first Coqui Coqui boutique hotel on the Yucatán Peninsula in Southeastern Mexico.

”We all needed to supply our homes, the hotels, the boutiques, so we started working with local artisans and weavers to create these pieces. I started collecting the traditional Mexican shawl called rebozo.” Francesca Bonato

It was back in 2003 when the couple opened their first bohemian chic boutique hotel in TULUM near a former hippie outpost which has today become one of the most stylish and high-end beach destinations in Mexico. With the never ending coconut trees and white sandy beaches, nothing else but nature’s pure resources, are the inspiration behind the Coqui Coqui experience.

The jungle, the Caribbean Sea, the ruins, and the local architecture are the backdrop and magnificent canvas to this bohemian chic contemporary designed hotel – where pure, elegant, stylish, and rustic are just a few of the feelings which the hotel exudes.

Unified in a tranquil beachfront environment, they provide guests with a truly majestic and extraordinary hospitality.

Today, a decade later, this peaceful and relaxing sanctuary has definitely become an integrated part of the Yucatán Peninsula, both in charm and in culture.

In addition to the two smaller properties that followed in VALLADOLID and COBA, in September 2011, the couple turned a turn-of-the-century building in MÉRIDA’s historical center into another Coqui Coqui guest house which stands next door to the second Perfumeria after its flagship sibling in Valladolid.

The youngest residence next to the Perfumeria in Mérida is the latest addition to the Coqui Coqui Empire, complete with its Venetian plaster walls, marble baths, red velvet settees and original ornate tile work. Its design reflects the metropolis’ vibrant life whilst keeping its elegant and sophisticated époque design intact.

Inspired by the synchronicity of local and colonial traditions, the romanticism of the past and Mexican culture, the Coqui Coqui Empire embodies the owners’ passion and love for culture and tradition. And that is what makes it so unique, something definitely worth seeing, staying in, smelling and ultimately, wearing.

http://www.yatzer.com/coqui-coqui

NAPA WALLEY RANCH

A cinder block fireplace, shag carpet, and “babyshit blue” colored walls were a few of the daunting details in the 1950s Napa Valley ranch house that Dione Carston and her husband, Ham, faced when they moved in several years ago. Dione, an avid equestrian and interior designer, stylist, and owner of Steed Fine Hoarding & Tack in St. Helena, has filled her own home with her far-flung collections and groupings of high and low objects, antiques, and flea finds.

Above: The large wingback chair with elephant ears was from an estate sale; Dione recovered it in vintage Kubo cloth with hemp fringe and zebra print cow hide (a vintage bear throw is draped on top). On the wall are two museum-quality hippopotamus shields from the Arussi tribe in Africa.

Above: The mahogany veneered paneled walls and lights are original to the house. Dione painted the “asylum pink” cinder block fireplace in Benjamin Moore Black Bean Soup.

Above: Crystal decanters sourced at thrift stores sit atop an R & Y Augousti tray from Paris. The reproduction drop leaf table is a consignment shop find; the Swedish Demi Lune Chairs are from Restoration Hardware. On the wall is a collection of Ham’s oil paintings, an over-sized clock from Target, and a vintage stuffed pheasant.

Above: Dione took the doors off the cupboards in the kitchen to create open shelving. The butcher block counter top came from Lumber Liquidators, with Ikea cabinets beneath (with rope for handles). The sink is also Ikea. The plate is a gift from a friend (for something similar, go to Vandalized Vintage by Trixie Delicious on Etsy), and the pendant lamp is an Alameda flea market find.

Above: A collection of cleavers from a local flea market.

Above: The side table in the bedroom was brought back from Mexico, while the chair is a consignment store score.

Above: For Dione, “Bedrooms are for sleeping and loving—nothing else. They should be simple, serene and as restful as possible. No technology or televisions, just a place for the mind to rest.” She pulled out the inbuilt closet and placed a Moroccan carved headboard in its place; the walls are painted Benjamin Moore Linen White. Dione had the custom indigo dyed rabbit pellet bed spread made to order. The Philippine rosary is a thrift store find.

Above: Dione had the shower curtain made from linen and leather remnants. On the floor is a durable coconut hair carpet (she copied the idea after spotting it in the lobby of a European hotel); she also has it on her kitchen floor.

Above: An arrangement of dogwood branches on Dione’s dressing table. Dione, a onetime make up artist, is an avid horse rider. The blind is made from bamboo garden fencing that Dione cut to size and staple-gunned into the window frame. To wit, her collection of cowboy boots, which are reflected in the mirror (including Hermes boots found on eBay).

Above: Dione hangs her necklaces from steel push pins.

Above: “I put together a room like an outfit with layers of texture and color,” says Dione of her dressing room. The leather and steel body cast is a lamp and was a find from the Les Puces at Clignancourt in Paris. On the wall, is a bear with peacock boa and tiara for good measure with a vintage zebra rug on the floor.  On her taxidermy, Dione says, “! hate hunting and the killing of animals and only buy vintage taxidermy. I feel I am giving them a final resting place. It’s my bleeding heart part of me.”

Above: On the porch off the kitchen is Dione’s “aviary real estate,” nests bought at Pier One that now house finches. The green table is an upside down cow’s watering trough. For shade, Dione installed a bamboo garden fence roof.

Above: The entrance to the ranch house is nestled among a stand of trees; Dione also keeps stables for her horses.

Above: The exterior of the nearby stables that Ham built for Dione’s two horses.

http://steedfinehoardingandtack.blogspot.it/

http://www.homedecorgroup.com/home-ideas/tough-glamor-at-home-with-a-napa-valley-designer/

http://laurejoliet.com/

http://www.remodelista.com/

ADD COLOR TO YOUR HOME

Inspired by an innovative Sydney home here are some great ideas to help you add colour to your home!

Garden “We loved the colour and patina and wanted to use this as a garden backdrop,” says David of this back fence. “You can see this green wall as soon as you enter the front door.” The NSW Architecture Awards jury cited the “clever use” of the wall and its scene-setting presence in the garden when honouring the home in its 2012 Residential Architecture category. It evokes the area’s industrial past, too.

Tip: In an urban setting, opt for sculptural plants.

 Artwork A love of art is key to this home’s build. “I needed maximum wall space for the artwork, so there are skylights and high windows,” says owner Courtney. “Every time architect David Boyle came to me with a new window in the design, I’d scowl and ask him for more wall space.” The deck’s 4.2m roof allows the thick-glazed windows to remain uncovered to maximise light.

Tip: Protect artworks from direct sunlight with UV frames and careful positioning.

Books “Colour-coding books is entirely unoriginal and a bit design-nerd tragic,” admits Courtney. That said, it’s a system that works: “Now that I know which books are where, by dint of the colour of their spines, I can’t bring myself to go back to any other way of shelving them.”

Tip: Custom 2.5 metre-high storage maximises space and becomes a decorative feature

 Bathroom “It’s like a folly and I love it,” says Courtney of the kids’ bathroom. “I decided to not only go the bright yellow, but to go all yellow. David liked the madness of the idea.” The tub was painted in Dulux’s Golden Marguerite and her “sparky” even found a yellow power point cover.

Tip: Opt for custom Laminex wall panels for a seamless look with minimal grout lines.

Art A clever mix of ‘salon’ and ‘New York’ hangs gives a gallery sense to artwork displays throughout the home. In the master bedroom, pieces are applied straight into the wall.

Tip: “Have the discipline to leave tracts of blank wall,” says Courtney. “Otherwise it’d be like living inside the pages of a stamp album.”

Clever storage “Storage was an important part of the brief,” says Courtney. And, though her home was completed in 2010, “the built-ins are still going in, even now!” David designed the daybed nook at the end of the built-in desk in her office, and his wife upholstered the seat using Courtney’s vintage fabric.

Tip: Tame open-storage chaos with patterned boxes, such as these red and blue polka dot patterned ones.

Small spaces You can still decorate outdoors, even if you’re limited to weatherproof objects. Courtney has used sculptural baskets by Lorraine Connelly-Northey and seashells to create a comfortably jumbled look.

Tip: Use found objects to create inspired and personal displays.

http://www.homelife.com.au/homes/galleries/11+ways+to+add+colour+to+your+home,23745?pos=9

 

PERFECT ARCHITECTURES

Weaver birds nest – Namibia.

Weaver birds get their name because of their elaborately woven nests (the most elaborate of any birds). The nests vary in size, shape, material used, and construction techniques from species to species. Materials used for building nests include fine leaf-fibers, grass, and twigs. Many species weave very fine nests using thin strands of leaf fiber, though some, like the buffalo-weavers, form massive untidy stick nests in their colonies, which may have spherical woven nests within. The sparrow weavers of Africa build apartment-house nests, in which 100 to 300 pairs have separate flask-shaped chambers entered by tubes at the bottom. Most species weave nests that have narrow entrances, facing downward.

Sociable weaver (Philetairus socius) nest in a quiver tree (Aloe dichotoma), Fish River Canyon, Namibia.

.

SOUTH AFRICAN DESIGNERS WEAVE A TREE HOUSE FOR ADULTS

Maybe we’re crazy, but we’ve always wondered what life as a little baby bird would be like, all safe and cozy in your handmade nest. Which makes this new “Organic Lounger” designed by Animal Farm, a Cape Town design firm, so fantastic.

Inspired by a weaver-bird’s nest, the cubby has a steel frame, and walls made of woven branches. It can hold two adults and a small child, and you access it through the bottom, via a rope ladder.

The chief designer, who really does insist on being called Porky Hefer, says he’s currently working on a larger nest that’ll seat four lucky adults.

 

http://inhabitat.com/animal-farms-cozy-human-nests-hang-from-the-treetops/

KOLMANSKOP “THE GHOST TOWN”

So you build a small town in the desert and bring in 300 Germans. Of course you need a bar.

Kolmanskop had its own ice factory so in the bar you could get cold drinks like soda water and lemonade.

Already in those days a Dry Martini was a classic drink……like a Manhattan or a Tom Collins.

But most probably the poor bartender just kept on handing over a beer. Even the Jägermeister wasn’t introduced until 1935…

Kolmanskop ice factory just next to the shop owners house. Imagine this. A desert a hundred years ago with an ice factory…

Electrical panel.

In this room here below Hr Zirkler, the butcher, was hanging his meat.

The butchery was one of the shops in the “Shopping Street”

and it was neighbor to…

…the bakery, Hr Brechlin was the baker. Once upon a time this house smelled of German baked bread…

Here below the Kolmanskop Hospital. When you enter the hospital the feeling is strange and unmistakable.

It was a very modern hospital for those times, in fact it had the first x-ray machine of the southern hemisphere. The acquisition of an x-ray machine was not only motivated by concern of the people living in Kolmanskop but was also used to detect the smuggling of diamonds.

When Kolmanskop finally was abandoned the machine was sent as a gift to Ovamboland who did all the hard work mining diamonds.

The Casino today is in a good shape and the visit to Kolmanskop starts here. The entrance hall is beautiful and from it you can go left into a tourist shop where even diamonds are sold. This is the only place where you can buy diamonds direct from Namdeb.

The bowling alley looks almost the same and it is occasionally used even today.

The Namdeb management sometimes comes here for a game and then the bar opens up as well.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tea_explore/5337351492/in/photostream/lightbox/

KOLMANSKOP I

In April 1908, August Stauch (here above), the railway station master at Grasplatz registered a 6 month prospecting claim of 10 km wide along a 24 km stretch of the Lüderitzbucht-Keetmanshoop railway line.

In May 1908, Zacharia Lewala, who had formerly worked as a coachman in Cape Town and/or on the Kimberley mines picked up a diamond on a stretch of the railway line on which he was working.  He reported it to his supervisor and the news was conveyed to Stauch –  (Here below Zacharia Lewala).

In September 1908 the German Colonial Government proclaimed the “Sperrgebiet” making a large territory along the coastline from the Oranje River all the way to 26 S and 1oo km from the coastline “Forbidden Land”.

Rough diamonds.

A diamond rush followed. In 1909 Stauch found the Idatal (named after Stauchs wife Ida), a valley where the desert winds made the diamonds visible. In the moonlight men were on their knees and hands picking diamonds from the surface. (Above local miners).

In 1909 mining also started at Kolmannskuppe. The place was named after a British transport driver, called Colman.

During a desert storm he managed to survive but had to abandon his ox wagon. His wagon, standing on a hill (kuppe) became a landmark, named Colmans Hill (Kolmannskuppe) and when a town was built next to the mine the old name was kept although it is actually built on another hill opposite the original Colmans Hill.

Kolmanskop was built in this gem-rich land, in German colonial style, complete with all modern facilities, including a hospital, ballroom, casino, ice factory and sports center. Its tram and x-ray machine were the first in Africa, funded by the diamond wealth.

The Kasino. It was built in 1927 as the last building in the centre of Kolmanskop. It was used for many things. It was a big restaurant, it was a church, a theatre, a sports hall and many other activities took place hear.

The main hall was a sports hall and a theatre among other activities.

“The theatre sponsored visits of shows and operettas from overseas and a 8 – piece orchestra that played for all the formal dances as well as tea dances on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. All the ladies turned up in the latest fashions. The club served tea, coffee, beer and spirits while the orchestra played sweet music. Some couples did the tango or one step. The brave ones tried the Charleston”.  (Marianne Coleman, daughter of Ou Kat Coleman foreman at Kolmanskop)

This was the residence of the mining engineer Leonhard Kolle who stayed here with his family until 1935 when they moved to Oranjemund. A beautiful house with a huge veranda along the whole building. On the right hand side you see trees. This was not common in a desert town.

Of course there had to be a hospital in a wealthy and organised town such as Kolmanskop. The picture above shows the first hospital in Kolmanskop.

Some of the equipment used is shown in a small room in the ”Old Shop”.

Later on the hospital was enlarged to what it is today.

There were some 40 children in Kolmanskop. Of those 25-30 attended a school in Kolmanskop with classes up to grade 4. The picture above is from 1926. The teacher was Mrs Hussmann. She lived in a nice little house between the architect and the quarter master.

The shopping street – ”Kolmanskuppe Ladenstrasse”.

The town declined after World War I when the diamond-field slowly exhausted and was ultimately abandoned in 1954. The geological forces of the desert mean that tourists now walk through houses knee-deep in sand. Kolmanskop is popular with photographers and filmmakers for its settings of the desert sands’ reclaiming this once-thriving town.

Dust Devil is a 1993 horror film written and directed by Richard Stanley. The film was described as being like “Tarkovsky on acid” by Steve Beard of The Face.

The King Is Alive (2000) is the fourth film to be done according to the Dogme95 rules. It is directed by Kristian Levring. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival.

Samsara is a 2011 non-narrative documentary film, directed by Ron Fricke and produced by Mark Magidson. Samsara was filmed over four years in 25 countries around the world. It was shot in 70 mm format and output to digital format. The film premiered at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival and received a limited release in August 2012.

http://on-the-rand.co.uk/Diamond%20Grounds/Sperrgebiet.htm

http://stories.namibiatourism.com.na/blog/bid/270034/Kolmanskop-Swallowed-by-the-Dunes#Comments

LIKE BIRDS

BLUE MAJORELLE

In 1919 the French painter Jacques Majorelle (1886-1962) took up residence in the Medina in Marrakech (then a French protectorate) with which he fell in love. Majorelle was the son of the Art Nouveau ébéniste of Nancy, Louis Majorelle. Though Majorelle’s gentlemanly orientalist watercolors are largely forgotten today (many are preserved in the villa’s collection), the gardens he created is his creative masterpiece.

2

In 1922 he purchased a palm grove just outside Marrakech and in 1931 he commissioned architect Paul Sinoir to build him an Art-deco style workshop of astonishing modernity. He set out his primary living space on the first floor and made a vast artist’s studio on the ground floor to paint his huge decorative works.

3

Fond of botany, he created a botanical garden around his villa structured around a long central pool, with a variety of over 1800 types of cacti, 400 species of palms and other rare varieties of the time. Different environments, planted with lush vegetation in which hundreds of birds nested.

4

The garden is a living and evolving work of art made up of exotic plants and rare species that he brought back from his travels around the world: cactus, yuccas, water lilies, white water lilies, jasmines, bougainvilleas, palms, coconut trees, banana trees, bamboos…

5

Embellished with fountains, ponds, water features, ceramic jars, avenues, and pergolas… This bold action revolutionized the way in which gardens were to be viewed.

6

In 1937 the artist created an ultramarine blue that was both bright and intense: known as blue Majorelle, he used it to paint the walls of his workshop, and then the entire garden transforming it into a living tableau which he opened to the public in 1947.

7

The power of the blue Majorelle is long lived and permeates the essence of what it means to live and see color in Marrakech.

8

Following a car accident, Majorelle was repatriated to Paris where he died in 1962. The garden then fell into neglect. In 1980, Pierre Bergé and Yves Saint Laurent acquired the garden to save it from property developers and to bring it back to life.

9

Following the death of Yves Saint Laurent in 2008, Pierre Bergé decided to donate the Jardin Majorelle to the Fondation Pierre Bergé – Yves Saint Laurent.

10

11

12

The Garden welcomes over 600,000 visitors each year, tourists and locals alike.

13

14

Mr. Frédéric Mitterrand, in the presence of Mr. Pierre Bergé, placed a plaque engraved, “Maison des Illustres” (‘House of Honor’), at the gate of the Villa Oasis, where Mr. Yves Saint Laurent came and worked throughout his life.

15

16

17

18

19

Yves Saint Laurent said “A visit to Marrakech was a great shock to me. This city taught me color”.

.

.

.

http://www.tuttartpitturasculturapoesiamusica.com/2011/12/jacques-majorelle-1886-1962-france.html

.

http://www.travel-exploration.com/

.

http://gardentoursmorocco.wordpress.com/majestic-gardens-of-morocco-tour/

.

THE LIGHT OF PROVENCE – Château de Moissac I

Built in a hill-top village, a refuge for lovers of ancient stones…In the early 17th century, the Château de Moissac-Bellevue was a residence dedicated to relaxation, owned by a noble family from Provence.

Sobre, patrimonial, remarkable, with its monumental entrance, vast drawing-rooms and dining-rooms opening out to the gardens, its imposing kitchen, its bedrooms and bathrooms extending upwards to the attics, the building was rewarded for its exemplary restoration in June 2008 by the “Prix des Vieilles Maisons Françaises” sponsored by Emile Garcin.

Terraces and ponds extended by soothing landscapes as far as the eye can see.

http://chateaudemoissac.fr/life_at_the_chateau.html

ISLAND HOME

This stone house, isolated on an island of Maine, belongs to Charles and Barbara. Its lord and master, is the sea.When the time of storms comes, it takes possession of the space. 

http://www.planete-deco.fr/

A RANCH IN COLORADO

Occupying some 16,000 acres beneath the snowcapped San Juan Mountains is the Double RL Ranch, the Colorado getaway of fashion designer Ralph Lauren and his wife, Ricky.

The ranch includes a main lodge, three guest tepees and several outbuildings.

The living room of the four bedroom primary structure. Pieces from the Ralph Lauren Home collection, such as the suede sofa and club chair, fill the compound’s interiors. A work by Fritz Scholder is above the fireplace. The cowboy hat on the table in the foreground once belonged to John Wayne.

In the master bedroom, concho belts and an Indian chief blanket with an American flag motif, both 1880s, hang on a ledge holding an Apache olla basket, at right. The 19th-century breastplate with mirror, at left, is believed to have come from the Blackfoot Indian tribe.

Art Nouveau-style lamps illuminate a living area that lies alongside a bar and dining area. On the mantel is a photogravure, left, by Edward S. Curtis, a chronicler of Native American culture. The canoe hanging above is a Canadian birchbark. Stickley wood chairs.

Leather armchairs provide comfortable seating when the couple and their guests watch movies. “Although the ranch is a work in progress, there’s a real feeling of heritage here,” says Ralph Lauren. “Everything is authentic to me—and pleasing to my eye.”

The couple often use the space to serve breakfast to family, including their three children, and the cowboys working at the ranch.

The terrace faces the tack house. “After 20 years here, I still notice new things, depending on the time of day,” says Ralph Lauren.

Little Brown Cabin

“The cabin is named after Billy Brown, who lived in it when he homesteaded part of the ranch in the 1880s,” says Ralph Lauren. “It was moved from its original site.”

Little Bear Cabin

The interior of the cabin, which is named after two curious bear cubs that frequented the area during construction, is lined with logs from an 1880s Montana barn. An Edward S. Curtis photogravure rests on the rock fireplace’s wood mantel.

The mudroom serves as a storage area for leather chaps, riatas, stirrups, early snowshoes from Taos and Native American-made fishing accessories.

Like most of the dwellings on the property, the space is equipped with accommodations for as many as eight visitors. Before the rock wall is a 19th-century painted stepback cupboard that was found in the South. On the table is a Santo Domingo dough bowl.

Little Blues Pony Cabin

Near a pasture where the horses often graze, the cabin is partly constructed from a dismantled barn from Montana. Blue accents, such as the small wood chair, are displayed throughout. The photograph is by Karl Moon. The bed was acquired in Pennsylvania.

Elkmeadow Cabin

A rebuilt clawfoot tub, a Shaker-style basket and a New Mexican Navajo rug are in the bath. Ralph Lauren Home multicolored towels; red Polo towels.

The pool, which reflects the faraway mountainscape, is located just off the main lodge and is accompanied by a gym.

The barn was built by the homesteading Vance family. “My family and I ride out to it on horseback for dinner,” says the designer.

A place setting includes Ralph Lauren Home placemats, napkins and flatware. The Double RL Ranch logo is on the plate.

Sun streams in through an American flag to the dining area, which is decorated for a Christmas meal. Sage and willow branches from the ranch grounds adorn the tree. The tablecloth is French lace.

Guesthouse

A pair of 1960s-style butterfly chairs flank the entrance to the 1960s silver Airstream trailer the couple offer to their guests. “The interiors are redesigned in an Army-surplus style,” the designer says. A canopy over the wood-plank platform protects visitors from the elements.

Tepee

A collection of Indian blankets warms the inside of one of three guest tepees, which measures 28 feet in diameter. Since they have no heating or cooling systems, the structures are used in the milder months.

The exterior was handpainted by Native American artists.

Tom Harrington on a cattle drive. “There’s such a sense of space at the ranch,” says Ralph Lauren. “Whether Ricky and I are riding horses or driving, we’re at ease, surrounded by the mountains. It’s completely restful and inspiring.”

http://www.architecturaldigest.com/celebrity-homes/2002/ralph-lauren-colorado-ranch-slideshow

ROMANEIRA

.

Deep in northern Portugal’s Douro Valley on the banks of the Douro River, on 400 hectares of sprawling private vineyards is a place that only exists in one’s dreams. Drenched in lush green pastures, vineyards and continuous birdsong is Romaneira, or  Quinta dos Sonhos (Place of Dreams), and here, the dream has become a reality in an expression of peace, tranquility and utmost beauty. If you have not been to Portugal and it is on your bucket list, this quinta is a must.

.

.

You will never forget this experience and you will relive it often in your real life, when the stress starts coming, the memory of Romaneira will lift you out of it and lighten your load, i promise. Only recently have the locals discovered that that their ancient local grape varieties can be used to make not only excellent Port wines, but increasingly outstanding unfortified wines that are finding their place among the great wines of the world.

.

.

13 rooms and six apartments set across two houses, 2 pools, one indoor and one out,( which boasts the most spectacular view of the river and vineyards); a chapel, a restaurant with an incredible wine list (duh), a hammam (massage room) equipped with Moroccan robes and slippers and a library filled with design books. Owner Thierry Teyssier has done a great job with the interiors, handpicking antiques and objets d’art from around the world. The result is utmost serenity amongst a beautiful, chic and inspiring environment.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

http://www.quintadaromaneira.pt/en/

.

.

KNOBS AND KNOCKERS

 

Marvelous intricate handle.

Iron coat of arms.

Winchester Cathedral door – England.

The Forbidden City door.

Art Nouveau door handle.

I got a fish for you.

A door in Carcassonne.

Country French antique door.

Cross and feather door knob.

The Public School knob of New York.

Door handle, Terlingua ghost town.

Double knobs.

Lions door knob.

Horse head door handle.

 

http://pinterest.com/schaefdesigns/knobs-and-knockers/

 

FROM MY WINDOW IN MILAN

No comment! I am waiting for Spring and it is snowing again. The snowy landscape is charming but two inches are enough to congest Milan’s traffic. The unbelievable thing beside the fairy tale landscape, is that the air is strangely fresh and fragrant. A good opportunity to leave the car and  take a walk for a deep breath!

PARENTHESIS

This lovely little country cottage looks like a dollhouse. Simply perfect for the next weekend!!!!

Source: from the web

THE FRAMED STORY

My journey to  Amsterdam was exciting. This old lady is very intriguing with its impressive architecture, lovely canals crossing the city, great shopping, and friendly people. I spent a week going around as much as possible. There is something for every traveller’s taste here, whether you prefer culture and history, serious partying, or just the relaxing charm of a classic European city. In the South district you find the Museum Quarter and the Vondelpark, the most popular park here. I was walking around the park, when I found this fantastic frame (here below) . How can people throw away such lovely things! Without hesitation, I picked it up and it was a real challenge to go through custom to bring it to Italy. Once at the Eindhoven Airport, it was like smuggling hot stuff.

This kind of ornate antique frames are not usually made of carved wood. Instead, the frames have a wooden base with an ornate plaster veneer added to the top of the wood. The finish is then added to the entire frame so it appears to be a single carved piece.

Step 1

Press plastic clay into an undamaged section of the frame that matches the damaged section. Carefully peel the clay off the frame and roll the edges so that it will hold liquid plaster. The purpose of this step is to make a mold.

Step 2

Mix the plaster and pour it into the mold carefully trying to avoid air bubbles. Let it dry and then remove it from the mold. You now have a duplicate of the detail that was damaged.

Step 3

Sand the rough edges and the excess of the casting until the pieces fits into the spot that was damaged.

Step 4

Paint the entire piece of plaster with gesso. This will seal it and prepare it for the final finish.

Step 5

Glue your plaster segment into place.

Step 6

Paint or gild your final finish so that the new segment matches the original color and finish. Now the frame is finished and ready to be rehung!!!!

LE GROTTE DELLA CIVITA – SEXTANTIO HOTEL II

Sextantio Hotel “Le Grotte della Civita” in Matera, Basilicata (Southern Italy).

What an amazing view!

The Hotel Sextantio’s entrance.

The hotel is a throw-back to the Middle Ages, with craftwork made by locals. Also in this case, tradition and simplicity are interwoven with modern comfort.

Every piece of furniture is either an antique find or made by hand, using the antique methods and techniques.

The modern bath-tube matching the antique furniture. Just perfect.

http://www.sextantio.it/

Where others see decay, Daniele Kihlgren sees opportunity, creating hotels that breathe life and a future into the fading communities of Italy’s past. If you want ton read more about him visit the link here below:

http://www.madebyoriginals.com/originals/daniele-kihlgren

VILLA PATCHWORK

I collected some inspiring pictures from different sources and I made a “Patchwork” of different places. The villa here below doesn’t exist, at least as a single place. It is an imaginary mansion and it has not been easy to make it look coherent and with a balanced style.

 

http://www.shabbychicmania.it

A GRAIN OF SAND

Single story house shack on a sand and shell beach. Once part of a small fishing community in Kent, rough and ready but basic amenities and basic interior.

Isolated, lonely, reached by an unmade farm track. One of a handful of similar yet different shacks. Sea and beach on one side and marshland and fields as far as the eye can see on the other.

The property consists of one large living room with a small kitchen area, a bedroom leading off the living room, and a smaller room also leading off the main room.

There is a wood burning stove for heating. French doors lead into a porch and then a small area of decking which extends halfway around the southern side of the property.

The shack is on a fenced plot about 60′ square. There is a WC. Located in Isle of Sheppey. PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE IS NO WATER OR ELECTRICITY

 

http://www.jjlocations.com

OUTDOOR ROOMS

The African Palm

The Pear TreeThe Door Bell

Tool Shed

 Plastic Buckets and Garden Equipment

The old Bird CageThe AgaveThe old Wide-Mouthed Frog, called Galileo, is gazing at the stars.