Trip to England

By the time you read this, I will be in London visiting with family. There are always things that you look forward to with great nostalgia, no matter how long you may have been gone from the place that was your original home. As you think about it, certain sights, sounds, and smells come to mind that together evoke the feeling that means home.

I look forward to seeing my children and grandchildren above all else, of course. But I also eagerly await visiting some of my favorite shops, like A La Mode, a clothing store in Knightsbridge and Whistles (http://www.whistles.co.uk/). Another favorite I’ll visit is Harvey Nichols, whose website and fall collection is found at this link http://www.harveynichols.com/output/Page1.asp

I’ll have dinner with my friend and prayer partner, Liza. I haven’t seen seen her for four years. My daughter will be cooking roast beef and Yorkshire pudding for a family lunch, that quintessentially British dish that I cannot wait to taste again. There’s a wonderful Jewish Deli that serves salt beef sandwiches. Salt beef is something like corned beef, only more delicious.

Another favorite place in England is the Borough Market in London, an amazing farmer’s market, which is run as a non-profit. A picture of the Borough Market is listed above, but it cannot do justice to the sight of jewel-toned fruits and vegetables displayed in every direction. Great wheels of cheese, created on dairy farms all other England abound, along with fresh fish and other specialties from my home country.

I also hope to visit the gorgeous Art-Deco Michelin building for a croissant, coffee, and a visit with an old friend. I’ll be sure to take a lot of pictures and share them when I return.

Live life beautifully,

Elaine

Howards End

The other night I watched Howard's End again. Everything that Merchant/Ivory did together was genius, of course. The cinematography was luminous and made me glad that I will be back in England on July 31.

It starred Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson, and Helena Bonham Carter. Emma Thompson won the Academy Award for her performance.

For those of you who have not seen this, one of my favorite movies, please enjoy this You Tube link below, the original movie trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbKBrY7uBhE

The Castle

I’ve started working with a new family who live in the very posh neighborhood of Norfolk, Virginia known as Ghent. They refer to their 110 year old house as, “the Castle,” an apt name in keeping with its formidable gray stone exterior.

I will be decorating the dining, living, music room, and bedrooms. These clients are a particular joy because of their love for each other and how attractive they both are. I adore working with the two of them.

My vision for this house is glamour. I want it to be sexy. It will be calm, but never boring. Really, a home should be an oasis of calm to nourish a family. This home will be beautiful to behold when it is finished; classically modern, in primarily gold, silver, wheat tones, and creams.

The pictures above show two of the fabrics which I’ll use in The Castle. The material in the first and second pictures is an embroidered silk from a supplier I use in India. This will be made in one of our workshops into draperies for the music room.

Some really exquisite fabrics are made in India, continuing a tradition going back centuries ago, when India was a Crown colony and England imported many fabrics. The green, retro-sixties material with the circles on it in the third picture is another silk from India from a personal supplier. I came across this company when attending trade shows in New York. This material will be used in the master bedroom. As you can see, I've set all the accompanying swatches for bedding and the head board on a chair in my shop. I was staging them all together to see the effect, which I thought was breathtaking.

I’ll blog more about the Castle and its royal family with more pictures as the project progresses.

White Tablecloths

White Tablecloths


I adore white tablecloths and like to set a lovely table to enhance our meals. One of my pet peeves is the use of paper plates in situations that don’t warrant them. Paper plates and plastic cutlery are just fine for picnics, but detract from the atmosphere of a gracious home.

This time of year, we eat out on our screeened in porch overlooking an enclosed garden area. Our table is glass, which I contrast with black placements and my white china on top. I add a side plate, water glasses, and a glass for wine. This is one of the small grace notes that frame my life and help me to leave my work day behind me to nurture my husband and myself in the privacy of our home.

I love white china and serving dishes. I believe that white plates make food look more attractive on the plate than when it must compete with a pattern. Fruits, vegetables, and salads all look more vibrant against a white background. I don’t like to see food crowded upon a plate. It is more aesthetically pleasing, as well as far more healthy, to avoid enormous portions. Place a smaller amount of food beautifully on a plate.

During these times, when we are all tightening our belts, what better way to save money than to mimic the niceties of a fine restaurant by cooking well-prepared, wholesome food served at table as it would be in an elegant restaurant? It isn’t difficult. Most of us already have everything we need to do so. The art of living graciously is to turn ordinary events into small celebrations.

I was fortunate to be raised in a family where beauty and color were cherished. I grew up with a nicely-set table at home in London. Unlike today, we ate together as a family always. This practice is eroding now among families and we are all the poorer for it.

It is said that our characters and personalities are formed during early childhood. All families have iconic stories which are often shared, illustrating some humorous moment or an incident which demonstrates the idiosyncrasies of a particular loved one.

My mother often shared the story of the time when I was 2 ½, when she attempted to take me to tea at the ABC Cafeteria, a modest establishment in England. As I looked into the glass front, I began crying and was nearly inconsolable. My anxious mother asked me repeatedly what the matter was. I replied, “No white tablecloths” and refused to go in. I was a decorator from birth, apparently.

Let’s all refuse to make our lives with our families inconsequential by eating at a counter, a bare table, on top of a pile of newspapers or in front of the television. Take a few minutes to lay down some placements, iron a crisp, white tablecloth or put some Queen Anne’s lace in a crystal vase. Your life will be enriched.

Live life beautifully,

Elaine

pic courtesy of Williams-Sonoma, supplier of my favorite white plates

Inspiration for the Gray Times

I feel that when things are a bit gray in life, we need to brighten them up. We don’t necessarily have the funds to go out and spend, spend, spend. But we CAN put some flowers out in colors that make us happy. Choose your favorite colors, whether you arrange sunflowers, pink roses, hyacinths, friendly daisies, or stunning cobalt blue hydrangeas.

Listen to beautiful music. I enjoy Andrea Boccelli or listening to the psalms sung in Hebrew. Read an uplifting book, go to an art gallery and look at beautiful things. This will all bring joy into your life, perhaps temporal joy, but it really helps.

I spent some time recently at the Chrysler Museum of Art in the neighboring city of Norfolk http://www.chrysler.org/.

Julia Cameron, author of The Artists’ Way, (http://www.theartistsway.com/) refers to encounters like mine as artists’ dates. Julia also believes that artistic expression is a form of spirituality, which is true for me as well. I draw my inspiration for decorating from many different media and esthetics, but art is a constant inspiration. Pictured above is a painting by Franz Kline, entitled “Zinc Yellow." I saw this during my artist's date and it filled my heart with inspiration.

When I feel down or blue, I read cook books. I plan a nice meal and shop for it. This is creative for me. I go into my garden, even in winter and just look at whatever is growing out there at the moment. I realize then that there is a point to winter, there’s a point to autumn, a point to all seasons. I know that there is a time for every purpose under heaven. After the dark periods, there is always springtime. When you look at a garden you know this…that new life will come.

Make sure that you don’t dress in black or gray all the time. Put on some lovely colors to lift your spirits. Even if I am not feeling at my best, I always wash my hair, put make up on and get dressed in something that I feel good in. It is not being vain.

Here’s a quote from my mother: "Darling, remember this. Even when you go to put the trash out, have your makeup on and have your hair done. It really does make a difference."

Live life beautifully,

Elaine