RECYCLED BICYCLE CHANDELIERS

CONNECT is a series of chandeliers inspired by DIY and Bike punk culture combined with aesthetics rooted in the Victorian era created by LA based artist Carolina Fontoura Alzaga. Her handmade bespoke pieces evoke a strong industrial look and invite the viewer to examine them up-close in order to come to grips with their fine details and the technical precision needed to put them together. Carolina managed to master the challenges faced by resilient materials such as bicycle chains and cassettes and created a stunning collection which also addresses universal themes around sustainability and the environment. She admits to having a strong connection with  urban bicycle culture and hopes to inspire audiences to question their ideas on what is beautiful and functional.

Above and below: Connect 14a Model.

Carolina: “The idea for ‘The CONNECT Series’ began from seeing pots and pans hung from a makeshift pot rack which had been created from a used bicycle rim during a time that I was completely immersed in DIY and bike punk culture. In turn, it inspired me to make a mobile made from a bike rim, bike tube and bike gears”.

Above and below: Connect 8 Model.

Carolina: “Visual art has the unique quality of being able to relay information on a level that language alone cannot access. There’s an immediacy to this sensorial reaction that is very special. 

What I find pleasing about these bicycle chandeliers, especially when seen in person, is that they command attention. They trick the eye – most people usually confuse them with regular chandeliers but have a moment of surprise once they get closer. Most of us go about the world accepting ideas as immutable fact when in reality, things are much more dynamic and malleable”.

Above: Connect 4a Model.

Carolina:”The most challenging aspect is making each chandelier an approximate perfection despite the imperfect nature of the material. I’ve had to surrender to the rhythm of creation and accept regressing in order to progress”.

“I didn’t start out being interested in lighting but now I absolutely love it! The CONNECT Series is bound to bikes as a material so as to maintain the integrity of the concept. It can’t have motorcycle parts or anything else because then it’s not TCS, it is something else”.

Carolina: ” I’m sure that in the future I will be making other sculptures with lights in them as well as other proper lighting fixtures”.

 

 

http://www.yatzer.com/Recycled-Bicycle-Chandeliers-by-Carolina-Fontoura-Alzaga

 

THE VOLKSHAUS BASEL

Above: Bentwood stools arrayed in front of the bar.

Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron recently finished work restoring a classic 1925 building in the heart of the city. Volkshaus Basel, a onetime concert hall now bar, brasserie, and concert space, with a hotel coming soon. The world-renowned architects went to great lengths to restore the former grandeur of the space, which had been aesthetically compromised during a 1970s renovation. The architect’s stripped the building back to its original frame (the ceilings had been lowered during the renovation), and restored the original height of the rooms while preserving as much of the original detailing as possible. Using a black and white palette, the decidedly modern decor successfully restores an air of Swiss Old World glamor.

Above: Thick hand blown LED pendants are a modern take on chandeliers.

Above: Metal-topped dining tables. The architects chose materials such as metal, leather, and wood, which will gain a weathered patina over time.

Above: A table setting with embossed leather cover.

Above: The design of the chairs are based on the original Volkshaus chair model.

Above: Wallpaper with seventeenth-century etchings are used in the antechambers of the restrooms and hark back to the early days of Basel, when this area was once a medieval manor.

Above: On the wall, a mural provides a guide to all the Volkshaus ventures.

 

http://volkshaus-basel.ch/

http://www.architecturaldigest.com/blogs/daily/2012/06/volkshaus-basel-restaurant-switzerland

http://www.swissmade-architecture.com/?seite=Home

 

 

 

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

 

A LITTLE COTTAGE

A rustic little cottage painted out in white with gorgeous little touches of aqua-blue & duck-egg blue

… loving the vintage wood pieces and the fresh country appeal of this sweet cottage.

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http://shannonfricke.com/about

SARATOGA SPRING

This beautiful home in Saratoga Springs, New York has a gorgeous fresh look to it …

Scandinavian influences, lots of white and wood and styled in a really relaxed, livable way.

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A TASMANIAN COUNTRY HOME

http://www.homelife.com.au/

IDEAL C

When I found this wonderful German typewriter on a dusty and messy shelf of a Bargain Corner shop in Swakopmund, I was excited. I thought it could be a perfect happy birthday present for my husband.

This smart, deeply black metal office mechanical typewriter is an “Ideal C” model, manufactured by Seidel & Neumann in Dresen – Germany, 1917 circa. The typewriter has a universal keyboard with four rows. A lever on the left of the keyboard operated the carriage return and line spacing. The serial number 661786 is located under the carriage. My Ideal is still writing perfectly with its black ink tape.

Karl Robert Bruno Naumann (below) was born 10 October 1844 in Dresden. He was a skilled and highly trained engineer travelling around Germany as a young 16yr old repair journeyman. He has improved his engineering skills along the way, even with clockmakers. Bruno founded his own company around 1868 in Dresden, Germany on a shoestring. At first, Bruno was concentrated like many small engineering firms on mechanical repairs and small manufacturing but later, he saw the huge potential in sewing machines and bicycles. By the turn of the century, the company decided to invest in the production of motorcycles and typewriters.

After the phenomenal success of their “Ideal” model, which had four upgrades and their folding “Erika” typewriter, they also invented “Erika Picht” typewriter by Oscar Picht for blind people.

The Seidel & Naumann Ideal typewriter had four model changes. Their folding Erika typewriter, named after Bruno Naumann’s granddaughter, was still a best seller. The Erika No1 was the first folding typewriter in the world. Other typewriters followed like the Bijou in 1925, the Electric and the Gloria.

The Seidel & Naumann machines were used by the German Military in the 1930’s including the dreaded SS with a custom – made key which featured the “SS” symbol on the key number three. They say Hitler used a Seidel & Neumann typewriter. In addition to that, for many years Nazis hiding from justice used the number 18 in their clandestine communications. It was a code for Adolph Hitler. In the alphabet A=1 and H=8.

This is a picture of the factory before its destruction in the Dresden bombings and firestorm.

Above: this is the only copy of the giant Hamburg – Seidel & Neumann factory, that I have found. The chimneys burned black day and night producing thousands of machines 24 hours a day.

Above: the Erika portable typewriter. Here you can see just how portable the small machine was even aboard ship. Circa 1910 – 1930.

A vintage French advertising poster for Ideal typewriters.

Above: “Bargain Corner” shop in Swakopmund that is where I bought the “Ideal C” typewriter. This place had a very particular atmosphere. It was a sort of a local Flea Market selling cheap African junk and memorabilia.

 

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.

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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.

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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.

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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…

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

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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.

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

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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.

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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.

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

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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.

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

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

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

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

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ETT HEM HOTEL

Ett Hem was a private residence built in 1910 for an official and his wife. This structure has a great history, surrounded by beautiful things. They left their mark on this townhouse, located on Sköldungagatan, in Stockholm’s upmarket Lärkstan district. The original lady of the house had a love for the aesthetics of Karin Larsson – the wife of the famous Swedish water-colour painter Carl Larsson (1853-1919) – who collected objects, textiles and furniture from all over Sweden. The Arts were a great part of the couple’s lives and the residence incorporates this through truly unique ‘objèts’ and artwork. Yes this house had the privilege to be brought up amongst true eclecticism. The designers behind it, British interior designer Ilse Crawford of Studioilse and Swedish owner Jeanette Mix, have renovated the 1910 Swedish building originally designed by architect Fredrik Dahlberg, converting it into a hotel where luxury resides.

Transforming the house into a hotel has been a delicate process: its personality had to remain intact. Yet it also had to offer all the services required by modern travellers. The result is that Ett Hem is again filled with the best collection of furniture, Scandinavian antiques and design. Things that frame moments in life.

Staying at Ett Hem is like being a house guest in somebody’s private home. Guests are welcome to do as they please but will be taken care of, down to the last detail. Ett Hem means “a home” in Swedish and it does what it says on the tin.

Comfortable living spaces come from the array of tactile materials – sheepskin, leather, brass, glass, cane and felt furnishing.

In winter you can curl up in front of the sitting room stove, retreat into the library for a quiet read or have a cocktail by the piano.

There’s a short menu of dishes using local produce available around the clock, which can be served wherever you prefer. Eat in the kitchen or more formally in the library, or look out at the garden from the Glasshouse, a great place for breakfast.

A brass chandelier and brass cabinet hardware add a note of warmth.

There are many historical references within this heritage building. Antique chandeliers, lit by real candles, were sourced by Studioilse. Ceramic ovens were added to those guestrooms that did not have one
already.

The reception room  (here below) features an original stone fireplace and alongside Pierre Paulin’s Chair.

Nomad floor lamps by Niclas Hoflin and a vintage flat weave rug sourced by Studioilse, as was the antique cabinet to the right.

The twelve rooms at Ett Hem are all different, as you would expect in a private house. Some are more spacious, others more compact, but all have a warm domestic feeling created by a Swedish sensibility using tactile materials such as oak, Gotland stone, and sheepskin. Several of the rooms in this private hotel have open fireplaces or tiled stoves.

This guestroom scheme includes Lamp Pascal floor lights by Vico Magistretti
and a custom-made desk and headboard designed by Studioilse. The art on the wall above the desk is a piece called ‘Next door Nebula’ by Jonas Nobel, one of many of the clients own artworks displayed throughout Ett Hem.

Bathrooms are clad in locally sourced Gotland limestone and have polished brassware fixtures.

A daybed for quiet moments.

A soaking tub carved out of a single piece of marble-framed Victorian-style.

The hotel’s fitness area includes a sauna and a large, well-equipped gym.

In fine weather, guests may read on chaises in the walled garden.

The hotel sits behind a brick wall, surrounded by a small garden.

Ett Hem, Sköldungagatan 2, 114 27 Stockholm, Sweden

http://www.etthemstockholm.se/EttHem_press.html

http://www.studioilse.com/

http://www.carllarsson.net/

BAROQUE ENCHANTMENT – Château de Moissac VI

Mystery enhanced by candlelight, the living portrayal of an atmosphere.

http://chateaudemoissac.fr/baroque_enchantment.html

INTIMACY UNVEILED – Château de Moissac IV

The sheer magic of space and secret hiding places thoughout bedrooms and drawing-rooms.

http://chateaudemoissac.fr/intimacy_unveiled.html

NUANCES IN STYLE – Château de Moissac III

A palette of changing hues : ochre, sand, grey and rose…..

http://chateaudemoissac.fr/nuances_in_style.html

LIFE AT THE CHATEAU – Château de Moissac II

A theatrical backdrop with its majestic flight of stairs.

http://chateaudemoissac.fr/life_at_the_chateau.html

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

WHAT’S COOKING?

My small Aluminum Jello molds collection. They appear to be from the 50’s when Jello was the “King”. I am not really a Jello lover, so I thought of another use for them.Vintage Chef offers all types of shapes molds for different uses: pudding, jelly, bread, candy, madeline molds and more. The Melon shape for example, was produced by Mirro Corporation of Manitowoc, Wisconsin in 1942. It is marked “Mirro” – The Finest Aluminum – Made in USA. I found it in a “Back Yard Sales” in Arizona three years ago.

Old French silver sugar dredger, wooden spoons, silver knives and forks, an English aluminum teapot, crystal oil and vinegar bottles. During the Victorian era shakers were used to sprinkle sugar or cinnamon on bread or muffins.

This Vintage large Stopwatch for sports events is an original Junghans creation. Black numbers, reset – stop and start lever on side. Junghans Uhren GmbH is Germany’s largest watch and clock manufacturer. On 15 April 1861 Erhard Junghans created the company in Schramberg, Baden – Württemberg. I found it in Milan in a junk shop.

Above and below: Italian white porcelain serving dishes by Richard, Laveno and the German Villeroy & Boch, first half of last century.

This Italian larch cupboard comes from Piemonte, my native country. White porcelains vessels, fruit raised, cups and bowls are very old and comes from Capodimonte, Nove, Bassano and Deruta.

An Italian water jug, some British wine carafe and milk jugs. Few pieces are from the Wedgwood manufacturer others are from Capodimonte and Laveno.

The most valuable is the light brown jug. I found it in a Blytswood Care (Christian Care for Body and Soul) shop in Scotland last summer. It is a James Dudson hand potted Stoneware Jug with cream decorations, about 1870’s.

An Italian early ‘900 Crystal Chandelier. I bought the silk lampshades in Amsterdam, at the Flea Market last year.

This green wood frame was the first step to create this collage of antique jewelry plaster molds. Necklace plaster clasps and brooches pasted on cardboard looks like an old cameos collection.

This is baccalà mantecato (dried cod) one of the most typical Venetian recipes. It is very good as a second course, accompanied by some seasonal vegetables, or as a starter, preferably served on warm bread slices or hot polenta pieces.

This are marinated anchovies in orange and lemon juice served with sliced fennel, sliced peeled oranges, olives, barbs fennel, oregano, extra verging olive oil and orange juice.

This is chicory salad with anchovies, nuts, salt, pepper, olive oil and vinegar.

I love guacamole salad prepared with avocados, tomatoes, cucumbers, yellow bell pepper, red onion,  jalapeño pepper, garlic, lime, olive oil, salt, black and cayenne pepper.

Shrimps with cannellini beans, rocket, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Ravioli stuffed with fish and dressed in orange juice, orange zest, butter and parsley.

Fine cream with pieces of candied orange and peeled orange.

After showing you my kitchen, I can reveal my secret. Yes, it is an Ikea kitchen. It is possible to transform everything, even the most basic furniture with imagination and creativity. Just do it.

WAITING FOR FRIENDS

Waiting for some friends, I welcome you to my home in Milan. This is the dining room. When we rented it two years ago, it was completely empty. The old chestnut worktable, the straw chairs of a restaurant, the tavern counter, the yellow blu baroque armchair in velvet are the result of intensive research in flea markets. What gave me more satisfaction was the complete restoration by myself.

Telling the story of our home is like telling a story of love. It’s never trivial but always full of passion and personality. Small gestures, daily deeds that are there to stay forever. Creativity has to come from your heart. To create a room is like staging a bit of ourselves.

When I found this counter, it was love at first sight. It was covered in dust and spider webs and completely battered. Inside it was full of bugs and moss. Keylocks were broken or missing. In one word: it was ready for Halloween.

This 50’s baroque armchair seat’s was torn apart when I initially bought it for 50 euros. After cleaning it, I intervened surgically with a mattress’ needle and thread, stitching it all together. I struggle a bit to mend it because of the thick fabric and I could not use the thimble.

A classic “osteria” counter wouldn’t be such without an old collection of liter, half-liter and 1/4 liter thick carafes, sealed by the typical State lead bullet that was once used to guarantee the precise capacity of each glass.

I added three “diamond” bar mirrors which I found in an antique shop in Piemonte, in order to make the room look larger and brighter.

To give further light to the room I also placed some old silverware. Some of these precious pieces were engraved by my grandfather who was working on behalf of the Royal Savoia family.

I decorated with cream and green Florence’s papers every cupboard’s compartment, so that I could then place my ceramics, crystal vases and silverware.

I enjoy taking care of my guests, cuddling them as much as possible.

The walnut table has such a rich texture that covering it with a tablecloth would be a cardinal sin. I prefer to use some quilted american matts , fiandra towels, silverware, brass candleholders and a big tray at the center.

This magnificent Italian Art Deco couple of hand-crafted pheasants is a 1940’s piece. The long-tailed gallinaceous birds are made of silver plated brass. They look like precious antiques and they add a touch of elegance to many decor. These sculptures are ideal as an ornament for a refined dinner table. Their look reminds me the post colonial Ralph Lauren’s style.

HOME STORE

If anyone knows how to make domesticity interesting, it’s Alastair Hendy, the British chef and photographer. His new Home Store in Hastings, East Sussex, mixes a dash of history with a bit of theater—offering a mix of old and new utilitarian objects.

A design impresario, Hendy’s resume includes: Theater and costume designer at Central St. Martins; display manager at Habitat; chef for Antonio Carluccio; cookbook author; and well-known food and lifestyle photographer. His interests converge at Hendy’s Home Store, where he sells vintage tableware, brooms of every kind, candles, sinks, garden tools, and even some sensible furniture. On the weekends when he’s is down from London, the shop is also a restaurant, where Hendy serves up simple plates of fresh-off-the-boat seafood. “I am not an ornament person,” he says. “I like practical things, such as scissors, brushes, and string. My mum was a collector, and my grandfather—well, his life was held up by string; bailer’s twine held his coat together. It’s in my blood.”

The store is housed in a three-story Georgian townhouse, which started life in 1823 as a soda-bottling shop. The restoration of the building took three years.

Hendy has been collecting the wares over the past decade.

A full set of Woods Beryl Ware: “A pale green tea china that would befriend a rock cake or a shortbread slice,” says Hendy.

Hendy’s Home Store is modeled on a traditional department store; selling a little bit of everything.

A vintage desk lamp along with rustic linens.

The proprietor’s experience in shop displays is evident.

A range of household objects on display in wooden bins.

The brooms and brushes range from ostrich feather dusters and goat’s-hair parquet-floor brooms to copper-wire barbecue scrubbers and horsehair cobweb brooms.

Seafood fresh-off-the-boat is available on the weekends.

The Home Store Kitchen is a new building behind Hendy’s Home Store. Hendy won over the planners of Old Town Hastings by designing a building that is sympathetic to its surroundings.

The white wall tiles are handmade and recreated from original Victorian tiles. The floor is made from reclaimed brick, which has been sealed for hygienic reasons.

The galvanized wall lights were sourced from an antiques market: Hendy frequents the international antique and collectors fairs at Newark and Ardingly.

On the weekends, when Hendy is down from London, he will cook at the end of the zinc-covered island and serve his guests around the table; seating around six. Another six guests can be accommodated in a small dining room. The fresh-off-the-boat seafood comes from the local fishermen huts at the beach.

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