World of Interiors

Many magazines today are disappointing - not World of Interiors. I am always delighted with the content - even the advertising is beautiful. The December 2011 issue, which is still on the news stands, is particularly good. Worth the $9 price.

image via World of Interiors

This ad from Paris Ceramics makes my heart beat faster....

Merry Christmas!

Have a wonderful day everyone!

Amaryllis time!

It's Christmas so that means it's time for my favorite flower - amaryllis. I can never have too many!

House of the Week

Another Monument Ave, Richmond, Virginia house. This one dressed up for Christmas!

My favorite thing...

about my house at Christmas.



We hadn't put up the banister garland and bows in a couple of years - it really works well in the entrance hall. We are finally mostly decorated! Now I just have to figure out how to deal with the terrible traffic all over Atlanta.

It's beginning to look a lot/little like Christmas!

Starting to get some decorations up at my house. It's a gradual process that continues right up to Christmas...

House of the Week

On Monument Ave in Richmond, VA....

Le Jardin Francais - Boutique de Noel

Boxwood wreath by Le Jardin Francais

Hurry - don't miss these wonderful European holiday decorations made by Le Jardin Francais which are available at the Holiday Pop Up Market at White Provisions on the Westside(under Room and Board). The market will last through tomorrow, December 4 from 11am-7pm.

I bought a wonderful magnolia wreath, pinecone topiaries, and a few more goodies. Everything is stunning!! And these delightful ladies do floral arrangements for weddings and other events too. Make sure to visit their website above.

John Muir Exhibit at the Atlanta History Center - only until Dec 4

Don't miss the John Muir exhibit at the Atlanta History Center. It will be there until December 4. See the information below from the History Center's website:

October 13, 2011-December 4, 2011

John Muir was a botanist throughout his life and his fondness for the nature and beauty of plants contributed significantly to his understanding of the need to preserve wilderness. Yet this aspect of the well-known conservationist’s passions is little known. In the spirit which John Muir embraced the botanical world, the traveling exhibition Nature’s Beloved Son: Rediscovering John Muir’s Botanical Legacy traces his travels to Canada, Indiana, the American southeast, California, and Alaska, and presents vivid images and specimens of the actual plants that Muir held in his hands, carried in his pockets, and preserved for all time.

Nature’s Beloved Son includes high-resolution images of Muir’s plant specimens on large format canvas and paper prints, allowing the exploration of the structures, patterns, and anatomies of the plant world. Historic images, pages and drawings from Muir’s journals set the context for his plant collecting and a set of original plant specimens shows visitors the real thing. To further inspire, the exhibition includes several quotes from Muir about his fascination with nature and devotion to plants. A film shown in the gallery and narrated by the curator and Muir re-enactor Frank Helling, features additional plant specimens and historic images.

Peachtree and Cherokee Garden Clubs are both sponsors of this exhibit.

House of the Week

This stunning row house is in Richmond, VA on Monument Avenue. We spent Thanksgiving in Richmond and I walked up and down Monument Ave drooling and taking pictures. I adore row houses and Richmond has some of the prettiest in the country. My favorite feature of this house is the curved bow in the front.

Happy Thanksgiving!

House(s) of the Week

In Memory of Betsy Yearley, November 29, 1913- November 16, 2011



My grandmother died last week - she had long, wonderful, full life and would have been 98 on November 29. So much of what I know and love about interior design and creating a home comes from her and her talent. In memory of her, three of her houses.





I love you Gram and will miss you!!!

Versailles: A Private Invitation

If you love Versailles, you will love this book. The photographs are simply amazing and the text compelling. The authors were given unprecedented access to the chateau and you will be thrilled by these unique photographs. Would make a divine Christmas present!

Versailles: A Private Invitation
by Frances Hammond and Guillaume Picon
available here

House of the Week

I guess you can call this a "house" of the week, but perhaps "small chateau" might be a better way to describe this exquisite residence.

Le Petite Trianon





Le Petite Trianon was designed by Ange-Jacgues Gabriel for Louis XV and was built between 1762-68. It was built for Louis XV's mistress Madame de Pompadour, but she died before it's completion. When Louis XVI ascended the throne in 1774 he gave the chateau to his young wife, Marie Antoinette. She used the residence as a way to escape from the pressure of court life at Versailles.

Here is a great description:

"His (Gabriel's) best-known structure, the Petit Trianon—designed for Mme de Pompadour in 1761 and considered among the most perfect buildings in France—is one of several modest works he erected for the court. At the Petit Trianon, the handling of the order, the window frames, balustrades, and other features derive closely from the French Classical tradition. Gabriel's debt to the past is equally apparent in the building's noble aura of imperturbable dignity, its harmonious proportions, and the precision and elegance of its detailing. But the deceptively modest structure exemplifies Neoclassical taste, for it is severe in its cubic geometry, restrained in articulation, and barren of the accents of relief sculpture typical of seventeenth-century French design."

— Marvin Trachtenberg and Isabelle Hyman. Architecture: from Prehistory to Post-Modernism. p409-10.

In the warming kitchen...








The Salon




The sitting room off of Marie Antoinette's bedroom


Her bedroom




Marie Antoinette by Madame Vigee Lebrun, this portrait hangs in the billiard room at Le Petite Trianon




Another portrait by Mme Lebrun, who painted the Queen several times. This one is more informal, and one wonders if this type of simple dress is what she wore at Le Petite Trianon in her garden.