Dare to Dream: Jacques Adnet

About my apartment are scattered humble odes to Jacques Adnet: dark leather, gold trimmings, leggy tables, faux bamboo. His designs, however, are beyond my imitation. Gracefully functional and classically handsome, these are pieces I dare to dream about...

All Images Courtesy of 1st Dibs: 1 - Bottle Carrier, 2 - Side Table, 3 - Coat Stand, 4 - Daybed, 5 - Leather Tray Table, 6 - Magazine Rack, 7 - Magazine Table, 8 - Cabinet

Happy Easter Weekend

It's Easter, and Adam couldn't resist a well-priced (and downright enormous) hunk of ham. What the heck, let's host a luncheon. Last year I did the pastel garden party thing- pretty, but predictable. I've invited over some thoroughly modern friends, so I thought I'd put together a tablescape to match. 

The mod runner is a fabric remnant that plays well with my caned chairs. Keeping the palette black and white lets me feature rabbits and fanciful details without getting too frou-frou. My tiny pedestal dishes add some height to each place setting, and if I get truly motivated tomorrow, they'll each hold a colorfully dyed Easter egg. Perhaps as place cards, like so?

So that's what I'm up to this weekend- tidying up the place and cooking a ham I can barely lift! What are your plans for Easter?

Until Monday,

Elizabeth

Dare to Dream: Modern Gothic

It's not often that idly clicking through Apartment Therapy brings me to a house that flawlessly combines raw brick and linear modernity with elegant mouldings and Victorian frill. And then there's the twisted, skeletal staircase. Courtney & Trevor, I await my invite. Also, let's be best friends.

The owner describes her style as "disturbed traditionalism," a phrase I wish I'd coined myself. I wasn't sure why AT had termed this practically colorless house "playful" until I locked eyes with the DIY coffee table. Oho, now I get it.

Images from Courtney & Trevor's Playfully Sophisticated House Tour by Apartment Therapy

This is a look that requires good bones- good architectural bones, that is. I'd do terrible things to have a space like this, with room to make an aesthetic statement (instead of just leaving little hints everywhere). I'll always be firmly against white paint for a shoebox apartment, but these crisp white walls with such height and natural lighting... this is an art gallery, and one that can elevate curious shapes like paper snowflakes and wire hangers to Dada-esque distinction.

If I hung a wire hanger on my wall, people would merely assume I'd run out of closet space. Which, incidentally, is true. Ah, dare to dream.

The Best Spoons (and the Best Mom!)

If you're a House Beautiful reader, you probably delighted in this spread of Sabre frosted acrylic spoons in the November issue.

We spotted them at Maison d'Etre in Oakland and my Mom surprised me with a little burgundy spoon! (Did you think I was kidding about my Goodies from Mom theme this week?)

It's cheeky, but I think it will play nicely with my more formal white dishes.

There's a color to please everyone (22, to be exact), and the salad server sets would be an excellent hostess gift... definitely an idea to tuck away for the holidays!

Darkly Romantic

As I prepare for my grand opening I've been utterly immersed in the haunting and beautiful garden of Dr. Rappaccini. Perhaps that explains my obsession with vibrant flowers against inky black...

Photograph from Martha Stewart Living Magazine, Scanned by Shock the Bourgeois

There's something transformative about the combination. 

Modern interiors get moody.

Home of Abigail Turin & Jon Gans Photographed by David Duncan Livingston, Scanned by Shock the Bourgeois

Pale peonies show a sultry side.

Photograph by Bonnie Tsang via Snippet & Ink, Floral Design by Flowerwild

And even the simplest dresses seem to mimic works of art.

Never a Wallflower Dress from ModCloth, Still Life Painting by Antoine Berjon

Oh, so romantic! Makes me want to transform myself- maybe with a box of black hair dye and one of these.

Girl Around Town: Art & Muse

This afternoon I went adventuring to Queen Anne to see a family friend's art displayed at Muse Coffee.

For a better look at Anita's work, check out her Etsy store. 

I'm dying to have a copy of her Architect's Alphabet...

I fell in love with Muse and its chic loft aesthetic. If only I had splurged on the converted factory loft apartment in Berkeley... then I too could have a wooden moose head, a pair of scribbly-note chandeliers, ornate hanging divider panels, and perhaps even a chair swinging from the rafters. Oh, for high ceilings and exposed brick!

Anyway, if you live on Queen Anne and your apartment sucks, I highly recommend that you indulge in the supremely rich espresso and equally flavorful decor at Muse!