Tile File

Mosaic tile backsplash that provides a glamorous shimmer;
I also love the chandelier and Hollywood regency cabinetry
(decorpad.com)

Below is an old piece of tile displayed in my kitchen came from my Dutch relatives in Rotterdam.  My grandfather on my dad's side was first generation American and his family is from this major shipping city in The Netherlands.  My aunt brought the tile back for me when she visited our relatives and I cherish it as a reminder of my heritage. I'd like to use the white and blue colors as inspiration for my first kitchen.

I plan to write more about tile and the process of tiling when we move into our new house and hopefully have a chance to role up our sleeves, source some tiles, and tackle a DIY project.  Until then, I find myself tear-sheeting different types of tiles for my inspiration book.  From kitchen backsplashes to fireplace frames to bathroom floors, I have begun to educate myself about the various types of tiles and how they can truly transform a space.  I'm drawn to both symmetrical graphics (mainly for bathrooms) and intricate mosaics (most often for outside spaces such as lining a walkway or for an outdoor bar or terrace).  Here are a few that in my binder for future reference.

(elementsofstyle)

Ann Sacks blue mosaic
(cococozy)

(housebeautiful.com)

(housebeautiful.com)

Tiles by Ann Sacks

(white haven interiors)

engraved terra cotta; I love this for outdoor flooring
(thisnext.com)

Coco Couture

Catching up on the highlights from Europe's fashion weeks in Sunday's New York Times, I came across this ad for Chanel.  Wicker has never looked so chic, nor have I seen the classic Chanel camellia as a male accessory.  The black and white 2.55 purse may be worth breaking my shopping rule of no more Chanels in this shape.  Coco had such a vision in the early 1900s, and now with the mysterious and unbelievably talented Karl Lagerfeld at the helm, the French fashion house continues to demonstrate how black, white, and beige are simple, elegant, and glamorous combinations.  Here are some black and white interiors I like and for more, you must visit one of my favorite UK sites for color contrasting furnishings Black Orchid Interiors.  Most of their items are very affordable and they have a big inventory.  I love their black cashmere bar stools and their art deco mirrored bedside tables.  I will definitely be purchasing a few of their pieces once we are settled into our first house.

black and white rug meet black and white dog
(freshome.com)

simply decorated but the color contrast above and below the
chair railing gives it the wow factor; I also love
the pattern on the door's frosted window
(skonahem.com)

I like this circular mirror in an unexpected place
but don't you know it's rude to put your feet (foot) on the coffee table?
(jaquelinezinn.com)

  

glamorous bathroom,
the geometric tiling are balanced with the curved sink
(Elle Decor)

Mary McDonald interior, for more visit her site



Fleur-de-Lis Fanatic

Fleur-de-lis New Orleans style (fleurdelistees.com)

Mardi Gras is just around the corner and whenever I think of New Orleans, I think of the fleur-de-lis. The French word translated is "lily flower" or "lotus flower" and it's origins are traced to the 12th century French monarchy of King Louis VII.  In 1967 the New Orlean's NFL team The Saints adopted the symbol at the inception of their franchise and in 2008 New Orleans governor Bobby Jindal made the fleur-de-lis the official symbol of the state of Louisiana.  You can find the fleur-de-lis in so many places.

The Ouerbach House, Louisville KY built in the mid 19th cen.
(brokensidewalk.com)

I love the colors of this painted wood block
(ebay)

A concrete motif on the side of an LA apartment
(apartmenttherapy.com)

When my sister and I first moved to New York in 2003, we jointly decorated our two-bedroom Upper East Side apartment.  We were eager to make the place our own and thus had to find common ground with our interior decorating taste.  At first my love of Moroccan textiles and wooden stools from Africa couldn't see eye-to-eye with her passion for Scalamadre window treatments.  What we could agree on was our shared enthusiasm for French country, engrained in us very early in life by our mother.

Thus we became regulars at Pierre Deux's Third Avenue shop, carrying home golden toile seat cushions, le Cordon Bleu silver napkin rings, and fleur-de-lis print pillows.  I now admit in retrospect we went a little overboard, but my mother was the one who really fed the Francophile fire shipping us fleur-de-lis tiles for the kitchen and-- what still remains one of my favorite pieces--a blue ceramic fleur-de-lis tile mirror.  That was over seven years ago and since my husband and I moved in together, we've (read: he) have been phasing out some of our French country decor.  However, I'm still holding onto some of the pieces.  Here they are in our apartment in Charlottesville.

I'm trying to source more of these;
my mother gave me three but I'd like a dozen or more

This piece is definitely coming with me to Norfolk
I'd like to hang it in a big bathroom or prop it above a mantle

Pierre Deux toile seat cushions

In my bathroom is  a fleur-de-lis hook to hang my ooh-la-las

So that is my fleur-de-lis French influences currently, and here are some stunning French Country living spaces I aspire to someday...

French Country Kitchen (interiorcontemporarydesign.com)

Parisian Living Room (homedecoratinginfo.com)

 

French Dining Room (mczelda flikr)