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BLOm StONED




extraordinary British garden designer Jinny BLOM has a new line of garden furniture- "SPORE"



"Available as a set of three, SPORE stools are the first in a new range of indoor and outdoor furniture made of a unique eco friendly mouldable stone. They were a commissioned design for a permanent installation at London’s Design Centre Chelsea Harbour, which recently won a prestigious BALI Landscape Award."

in fields of clover

at the Chelsea Harbour Design Centre


Chelsea Flower Show 2007 - Gold Medal Winner -The Laurent Perrier Garden
Jinny BLOM

Scottish Highland Estate~ a Jinny BLOM Design

...a bit gritty

" I believe I will dip my pink and white body in yon Roman tub. I feel a bit gritty after the affairs of the day." W.C. Fields

One requires a fine linen bathing dress, the same in a lace trimmed sheet to line yon bath for keeping the heat in, and Finally a hot toddy...

the lady blushes.

Juene Femoral au Bain, from the French School, beginning eighteenth century, Musee de Parfumerie Fragonard-Paris.


The infamous "La Pavia," Polish Therese Lachmann, once a Parisian courtesan-elevated to Marquise upon marriage, introduced Moorish flamboyance to the city with her inlaid onyx floors, marble and turquoise tile, agate-lined walls, solid onyx tub with gold trim and opal and sapphire encrusted taps. The tub had three taps-one said to be designed for flowing champagne. The bath was crowned with a ceiling and cornice of glass stalactites. Her amorous exploits are legend and La was considered to be one of the most exotic, fashionable and sought after "hostesses" in Paris. Her bedroom was something otherworldly...

oh! to be "La" in Paris.

La Pavia's salle de bain ( photo Ivan Terestchenko)


on to Marie Caroline of Austria's bathroom at the Reggia of Caserta. Marie Caroline-Marie Antoinette's sister, became Queen of Naples in 1769. Apparently this is the first bathroom suite as we know it today. Private and separate compartments were maintained for the bath tub and from there a door led into an area with two basins and a commode with flushing system invented in the 16th century. Marble floors, raised gilt decorations and a painting of the Three Graces decorate the bath niche. The carved marble tub with lion's heads, swagged drapery and elaborate egg and dart moldings is lined in gold-plated silver and the taps are gilt brass.

... like her sister,the ill fated Queen of France, Queen Marie Caroline's daughter, Marie Amalia, became Queen consort of France. Another daughter of QMC, Marie Terese, was mother to the second wife of Napoleon, Marie Louise. ...

"dear Marie."


the Bath Niche of The Queen of Naples

Jeanne Lanvin's Bedroom, Boudoir and Bath are considered to be so influential to French fashion and the decorative arts that the Musee des Arts Decoratifs has installed three of her rooms in their Twentieth Century Wing. Lanvin and designer Armand Rateau created the suite of rooms together. The color we now know as "Lanvin Blue" dominated the bedroom and her very personal collections were used to embellish the boudoir. Madame Lanvin, it is said, never felt nor wished to be a part of the clientele she dressed and felt comfortable only at home or in her atelier. One can thank Madame for the creating the colors Velasquez green and Polignac pink. Her rooms are the epitomy of femininity and sensuality...

"to one's own self be true."

Madame Lanvin's tub, Paul Plumet Art Deco Fresco


Legendary Elsie de Wolfe created a bath at her showplace residence The Villa Trianon that was larger than her bedroom. The Bath as well as the house with its period French Louis furniture was stamped with the ELSIE touch. She lived with her antiques- She bathed with antiques. Elsie adored receiving while in the bath, submerged in her huge tub and surely with her delicate curls wrapped in silk turban. I can see it now. The bath housed a Louis XV chaise percee, a painted marble tub, and a coveted collection of Chinese mirror paintings. Oh so modern carpets, wall to wall , laid over with rugs and a crackling fire kept Lady Mendel toasty...

"viva Lady Something Elsie."


Lady Something Elsie Mendel's Bath

Madeleine Castaing's family home near Leves could bring near tears to her eyes when reminiscing. "It was my grandparents home... A ravishing house...it has a certain mystery about it." According to this legend, she "seduced" clients with the "poetry I'm able to integrate into a house, the intimacy, the warmth, the tenderness." The rue de Bonaparte Castaing's last home,"just above her shop" carried the same mystery for her and the few granted admittance who visited her there. Her pink bathroom, very large, served as bath and Living Room; Madame watched TV here and felt it to be "extraordinary, but so badly put to use." The classically dressed bath with strong bronze appointments accentuate the pinkness of the room, along with the marble tub adorned by a black and white cameo, in the Pompeii style. The Charles X sofa in pink, of course, served to watch the television, basking in the filtering glow of pink...

the "Castaing Style" lives on.

Madame Castaing's lounge

"WW" Wallis Windsor. Much has been written and I have been smitten. I poured over the auction catalogs of the style icon years ago and marvelled at the objects she and her once Prince, once King amassed. Nothing could possibly replace what the two lost and elevated her to Duchess and he became the Duke. She was the titan, she-the leader, the best turned out. I think WW knew when to pour it on and when to go tripping lightly. Her bath, decorated to look like a tented pavilion, was created by Russian stage designer, Dmitri Bouchene. The bath is whimsy in the extreme- full of tendrils of lavender and the like with butterflys fluttering amongst the vines and flowers. Over WW's simple tub, a mirror and a sketch by Cecil Beaton done in 1936 hang. The colorful gouaches and prints on the walls surrounding the tub- from Bouchene, are New Year cards framed by the Duchess in simple gold leaf. Last but not least on striking lavender towels, etc. in script..

"WW."


WW's tubby
(photograph by Fritz von der Schulenburg)


Our leading man, Fields may have been heading in this direction. Basically, One only requires soap.

Gal in distress - an original photograph, movie still


( partial bibliography. Diane Von Furstenberg, The Bath. Mary- Sargeant Ladd, The French Woman's Bedroom. Phillipe Daverio, Porcelains and The Industrious Aristocracy of the Eighteenth Century. Hugo Vickers, "A Wash with Elegance," World of Interiors. )

days of mars



delia gonzalez and gavin russom - days of mars

one of the more artistically singular and intense releases that DFA ever put out - miles from their trademark edgy dance-rock. Gonzalez & Russom put together four long-form expansive futuristic epics, heralding pagan rituals of tomorrow. Aleister Crowley soundtracked by Tangerine Dream. Lucifer with a synthesizer, symphony for the Harmonic Convergence, performed by robot demons of the New Age.

the House of Beauty and Culture- thank you

thanks for the hook up... you're always Welcome at Our House

(the Muppets and Marisa Berenson sing...)

Merci New Concept Store in Paris

Front Window Merci
Flowers Christian Tortu Merci

Flowers Christian Tortu Merci
Flowers Christian Tortu Merci

Flowers Christian Tortu Merci

Ground Floor Merci

Library Cafe Merci
Library Cafe Merci

Library Cafe Merci
Books Merci

Interiors Merci

Interiors Merci

From First Floor Merci

Ground Floor Merci

Fashion Merci

Children's Wear

Photo Corner Merci

Detail Photos Merci

Annick Goutal Perfume Lab Merci

Cute bags Merci

Flynn Corbett getting his teeth into the furniture
Flynn Corbett working the crowd

Flynn Corbett blowing bubbles in the window

Flynn Corbett still in the window

Flynn Corbett encore
We Love Merci, Flyn Corbett getting up close and personal at Merci


Merci, merci and encore Merci to the wonderful people that have designed and opened Paris's newest, most beautiful store with profits going to a childrens charity in Madagascar. This gem is on the edge of the Marais (super handy for me) and is a more accesible concept store than Collette (you don't feel as you though you will be kicked out because you don't have big black Michael Caine glasses). Merci is pure joy, it has the feel of a warehouse crossed between a private home. Christian Tortu is the Florist in residence, Annick Goutal has the perfume lab, there is a wonderful bookstore cafe with used books that cost as little as 2 Euro! Downstairs is a fab low key restaurant with affordable prices that looks out onto a herb garden. On the ground level is fashion and bed linen on the second floor is interiors with a little photography corner and glam kidswear, fabrics and wool. I met my darling friends the Corbett's there today, Shay is my glam friend from the Lido cabaret, Bryce is the author of A Town like Paris and you will see by the last photos that their son Flynn was just as thrilled to be at Merci as we were. He was stopping traffic on Boulevard Beaumarchais and had a crowd gathered loving his antics, not sure whether he was just another cool installation.

Merci
111 boulevard Beaumarchais
75003 Paris
tel +33 1 42 770033

Marcello Mastroianni



I love Marcello Mastroianni. Slowly Francesco and I are working our way through the Marcello files! There are plenty of them. Marcello was discovered by the famous Italian director Luchino Visconti and went on to make 120 films. Thats a lot of films.
Marcello was handsome, charming and never let fame go to his head. Federico Fellini literally fell in love with Marcello and cast him in La Dolce Vita in 1960 and they made numerous films together including 8 and a half and the touching Ginger and Red. Marcello and Sophia Loren starred together in Matrimonio all'italian, divorzio all'italiana, ieri, oggi e domani.
The beautiful Marcello who gave so much to the Italian film industry and was nominated three times for an oscar died of cancer in 1996. He is famous for saying the following...

I don't understand why these Americans have to suffer so much to identify with their characters. Me, I just get up there and act. It's great fun. There's no suffering in it.

(When asked what keeps him going in his theatrical endeavors) In front of a camera, I feel solid, satisfied. Away from it I am empty, confused.

They come for you in the morning in a limousine; they take you to the studio; they stick a pretty girl in your arms... They call that a profession? Come on!
I only exist when I am working on a film.