Not Your Grandmother's China

I confess, I have a weakness for china. And I have no business even thinking about china: my husband and I are lousy with family china from both sides, and it would be sheer insanity to acquire any more.  However, while Christmas shopping yesterday, I stopped dead when I saw this unusual pattern.  

It's Gien's Sultana.  If this were your china, I can guarantee that when they inherit it, YOUR great grandchildren will one day say, Wow, that great grandmother of ours, she was pretty hip.


Another favorite of mine is this one from Mottahedeh:

The pattern is Torquay Blue, but it's been discontinued and is only available now on eBay or through Replacements.  It also came in green.  It has to be one of the only china patterns with seaweed in it.

My all-time favorite, Royal Copenhagen's Blue Fluted, Plain really might have been your grandmother's china.  And her grandmother's grandmother's.  It's been in production since 1775, but I think it still looks totally fresh and modern.  I think it always will.  Apparently a few other people must agree, because Williams Sonoma is now selling it. 

A Few Rooms...

... that took my breath away when I first saw them.  These are some images I've torn from House Beautiful over the years and revisit frequently because they are JUST SO DARN GORGEOUS.

In Praise of Club Fenders

clubfender.com

No one's ever accused me of being a slave to trends.  I doubt there will ever be a club fender craze, but in my humble opinion, this survivor from the Edwardian era would deserve it.  What could be cozier than perching on an upholstered bench with your back to a blazing fire?  (Subtract the teddy bears above from this scenario, please).

It seems to me with some minor modifications, a club fender could look quite current.  Take a simple style like this one, which can be ordered in all kinds of finishes: 

clubfenderusa.com

If it were covered in a color that was unexpected and less staid than the traditional oxblood or hunter green, it might almost look hip.  Eggplant in a rich texture would look great.  And maybe the base in a black, wrought iron finish.  (I can't imagine polishing all that brass, anyway.)  Can't you picture it in a room full of jewel tones with a beautiful oriental rug?  How romantic!

  

Bombproof Upholstery

After enduring three dogs, one toddler, and bleaching, high-altitide sun, our sofa is looking pretty disreputable.  I've been thinking about recovering it in Sunbrella.  We have it on our outdoor daybed, and I've been impressed with how well it has held up, and how easy it is to clean.  So, in my spare time, while I'm not chasing said toddler and three dogs, I've had fun looking at Sunbrella and other outdoor fabrics online and have ordered a stack of swatches.  What's exciting to me is that so many of them don't look or feel like outdoor fabrics at all.  Take a look.  All of these are outdoor fabrics.

See what I mean?  This is Robert Allen's Arizona Way in Bluebell.  Doesn't exactly scream SAILBOAT, does it?  Now, this one isn't cheap, but I might splurge on a couple of yards for pillows.  It would look great with more pillows in:

Robert Allen's Cross Road in Bluebell.  Then maybe the sofa would be chocolate brown, like: 

Sunbrella's Heritage in Mink, which (bonus!) happens to be made of 50% recycled content.  And it's only about $16/ yard to boot.

Elsewhere, maybe on an arm chair, I could use a straw-colored fabric with a subtle patterned weave, like Kravet's Diamond Rafia in Amber, below, which would echo the diamond patterns in the pillows.  And maybe I should hunt for a rug in cream, navy blue, and chocolate brown (while I'm dreaming).  

Just Add Roaring Fire

It's nearly December in Jackson Hole, and that means evening comes around 4:30. I'm deep into Erik Larson's In the Garden of Beasts, a dark and engrossing book, and I have reading chairs on my mind. Maybe I always do. If I come across any furniture line or find myself in a furniture showroom, I usually look for chairs with just the right deep seat, high back to support my head, and arms that are right where they should be to prop up my elbows. It seems to me this might be the perfect reading chair, copied from a c. 1890 chair found in an Irish castle. The 6438 Chair from Baker:To me, this chair calls out for a mossy green velvet. And while I'm dreaming, why not do it right and add a summer slipcover in something cool like Peter Dunham's Fig Leaf, below?