Aged and Gilded (Palazzo-Interiors & Gardens)

Work or Play?

Decisions, decisions...

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Hugs and kisses to you all! Wishing you a wildly romantic and decadently delicious day!

Shabby Chic/Rachel Ashwell with Glynis Costin

Romantic Style/Selina Lake & Sara Norrman

Carolyn Quartermaine Revealed

Paris Style/Ed. Angelika Taschen

 

Monday Musings

"Who, being loved, is poor?" Oscar Wilde

Victoria

Can I Have A Cabana?

These fishermen's huts redesigned by Lisbon-based architect Manuel Aires Mateus are ultra-hip. The cabanas include state-of-the-art modernization and even feature a subfloor that keeps the sand warm and toasty in winter. You don't need much as long as it's good!

Elle Decor-Special Issue

Monday Musings: It's Monday...Again!

"When we long for life without difficulties, remind us that oaks grow strong in contrary winds and diamonds are made under pressure." Peter Marshall

French Home/Josephine Ryan

Happy Friday

Wishing you a very sweet weekend!

testkitchen.marthastewart.com

Fields of Color

Helen Frankenthaler was an artist from the Color Field movement, a variant of the Abstract Expressionists. Her color stained canvases with soft washes of color inspired by her love of the land evoked a sense of liquid tranquility. In a largely male dominated era of art, Ms. Frankenthaler found her voice and the subtle nuance of her language remained a force throughout her long and distinguished career. Her death this past week does not diminish her significant influence on contemporary art.

 

Monday Musings: Fresh Starts

"I have always been delighted at the prospect of a new day, a fresh try, one more start, with perhaps a bit of magic waiting somewhere behind the morning..."  Joseph Priestley

British Homes & Gardens

Happy New Year!!

Hope you rang in the new year with all the sparkle it deserves!

As Good as Gold

My favorite color of autumn? Saffron...

Living in Provence/Barbara & Rene Stoeltie

Campagne Decoration

British Homes & Gardens

Campagne Decoration

Provence Style of Living/Jerome Coignard

Monday Musings: 99 Percent

"I thank Thee first because I was never robbed before; second, because although they took my purse they did not take my life; third, because although they took my all, it was not much; and fourth because it was I who was robbed, and not I who robbed."  Matthew Henry

 

Essentially French/Josephine Ryan

 

Laws control the lesser man.  Right conduct controls the greater one.  Chinese Proverb

"The right to do something does not mean that doing it is right."  William Safire

"You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him."  James D. Miles

"You do not wake up one morning a bad person.  It happens by a thousand tiny surrenders of self-respect to self-interest."  Robert Brault

"Goodness is the only investment that never fails."  Henry David Thoreau

"I have found some of the best reasons I ever had for remaining at the bottom simply by looking at the men at the top."  Frank Moore Colby

"Fortune does not change men; it unmasks them." Suzanne Necker

"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."  Abraham Lincoln

"You can stand tall without standing on someone.  You can be a victor without having victims." Harriet Woods

 

Favorite Places

One of my favorite places in the world is the lovely little village of Uzes in France. I love, love, love the beautiful, buttery stone walls, colorful markets, open air cafes and the huge main square in the center of town. It is truly a visual and gastronomic delight. It was declared by UNESCO as one of the most beautiful villages of France and I heartily agree.

 

Maisons Cote Sud

Monday Musings

"Never fear shadows. They simply mean there is a light shining somewhere nearby."

The French Country House/Christiane de Nicolay-Mazery, Bernard Touillon

Monday Musings

"Books are not made for furniture, but there is nothing else that so beautifully furnishes a house." Henry Ward Beecher

  Victoria

Bardot's Beach

Bardot's birthday was a perfect segue to today's post. St.Tropez is the French Riviera's glitzy, glamorous getaway for the rich and the personal playground of the celebrated. Its notoriety is largely due to Bardot's presence in the 1950s, and though rarely seen, she is still in residence. Although, in reality, St. Tropez is anything but a "getaway." The last time I was there (which was eons ago), it was overcrowded and overpriced. The highway leading into the town stretched for miles on end with back-to-back traffic which ultimately became its own spirited gala. Additionally, the little streets and boutiques were stuffed to capacity with tourists. (Funny, how we consider everyone else a tourist, but ourselves as travelers.) I won't even begin to discuss the exorbitant cost of a meal or cocktail. Nevertheless, I imagine it to be quite a charming place in low season without the droves of sun seekers and party animals. One place that may make it well worth the visit is the Pastis Hotel St. Tropez. This contemporary boutique hotel is filled with 20th century art, paintings and photographs and relaxed, airy decor. You probably won't spot Bardot, but if you're lucky, you just may get to experience St. Tropez as the sleepy fishing village it was before it became the ostentatious haven for jetsetters it is today.