Under a sign named Sanders: Various Thoughtful spots

We all have special, "Thoughtful Spots," like Pooh, where we like to go...and...sit....and...think....and humm...and tiddley..  Thoughtful gardeners provide such refuges amongst their "bits of earth." As my friend, Margaret, from Envie Recipes was departing for the Midwest, I asked her to record all the "spots" she found during her garden tour. She is a wonderful photographer, a spectacular cook, not to mention--friend. So, she went on a bench stalk, instead of a heffalump hunt. Follow her footsteps through her expedition and on her blog, as well! 

If I was a little girl again, I would make a fort here. I would invite my girl friends in, and kick my 4 little brothers out! After various entreaties, I would make a grand show of letting them in, but they would have to do Everything I asked, for the rest of the day and let me watch whatever I wanted on T.V.!   This bench by John Makepeace, is a magic circle at the edge of a wonderful allee. It takes me back in time, as I regress and digress...maybe, if we sat there on the Solstice....

Following Margaret...Who is not a Wozzle or a heffalump!!

Going even farther back in time.

“Poetry and Hums aren't things which you get, they're things which get you. And all you can do is go where they can find you.” 

A. A. Milne

This sacred niche in Margaret's hunt, is far away from our mental Woozles.  A perfect spot for poetry and hums to whisper in your ear. The creation of "thoughtful spots" within and around your home is the gift of love, memories, and growth for all those who surround your family. It is not personal statement. It is more of a series of fall-our shelters and chapels.

Margaret is a moody cook--she cooks what captures her mood. Another book has tumbled out of her moody, photo essay. She has found the rusty key, and unlocked the vast forest of English literary imagination,  beyond the 100 Acre Wood--"The Secret Garden." Here is where Mary and Dickon rescue the occupants of Misselthwaite Manor.

"To speak robin to a robin is like speaking French to a Frenchman"

Frances Hodgson Burnett (The Secret Garden)

Perusing our English imaginary landscapes and shores. Margaret has taken us down this garden path, where Elizabeth Bennet tells Mr. Darcy: 

"No! No. You may only call me "Mrs. Darcy"... when you are completely, and perfectly, and incandescently happy."

-Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)

Following moody Margaret, we've discovered a willow, wattle bench, perfect for the moody Badger.

"Badger hates Society, and invitations, and dinner, and all that sort of thing."

- Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows, Ch. 3

A little hidey hole bench behind a fence is perfect for craving solitude. 

“Don't underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can't hear, and not bothering.”

-Winnie the Pooh (A. A. Milne)

Milne's rediscovery of childhood, through his son, joyfully reminded him of the imaginary, thoughtful and thoughtless world. 

"Wherever they go, and whatever happens to them on the way, in that enchanted place on the top of the forest, a little boy and his Bear will always be playing.”

-A. A. Milne

Margaret brings us back to the magic circle. We can always arrive where we began.

The peripatetic guest invites you on a walk.

I was a peripatetic guest this weekend, in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The hot summer has risen to the mountain tops, so I am sending you a meandering through my friend's gardens before they fall over. 

I have watched this garden patch evolve over the last 20 years. The beauty of this artist's style is her ability to let go. She fights the weeds, but the flowers reseed themselves, where they may, to striking effect.

Lillies and roses mingle democratically with Queen Anne's Lace and daisies.

"Gardening is civil and social, but it wants the vigor and freedom of the forest and the outlaw. " ~Henry David Thoreau

The "morning's catch" waiting to be arranged. 

Gardens are a form of autobiography.  ~Sydney Eddison, Horticulture magazine, August/September 1993

My friend's grandchildren call her bossy, but I would say her garden vibrates with her great love of beauty.   She also uses words like "behoove" and her southernisms delight me. 

A meander is good for the soul. 

"Why try to explain miracles to your kids when you can just have them plant a garden."  ~Robert Brault

My guest room opens to this tidy little space. 

While visiting gardens and my friends is good for my soul.....

I can always find a good place to shop!

Randy McManus is a floral designer extraordinaire.  His adorable little shop in a friend's old playhouse is an honor system establishment!! Visit his website to see some of his amazing floral designs and accessories. He is my favorite!

Garlic Jelly!! Who knew. Thanks for walking with me. My new blog friends have been, decidedly, a great addition to my life!

Take Fun Seriously

My friend's house in New York City is seriously fun. Color and mirrors, myriad animal paintings and figures combine with mystical Mayan rubbings to forge an environment for homebodies that love company.

East meets west in the entrance hall, with a tropical twist. Peaches, yellows, greens, and reds create the anticipation of fun. The pool room beyond is a bodacious red and the thin screen t.v. over the fireplace invites guests to roll up their sleeves and relax with sports or movies.

Adjacent to the front door, the bar is the first stop before relaxing in the seating area. This house has a clubby feel and might be my favorite in the world.

This fun toile banquette is a study in mixed metaphors--it is a feminine touch in a manly pool room and has little antique racing cars winding down curvy vistas. It is a great afternoon spot for a toes up and a good read.

Looking down from the terrace, there's a great spa pool where friends and family gather for a cool down.

All the stair halls are unified by the melon colored walls, green stair risers and red spindles along the banister. I love the oriental lanterns.

This guest room is a quieter refuge. The murphy bed folds up to expand the party space for foose ball and bowling!

3 boys!!

Oops! Its hard to stay out of the picture with all the mirrors. This Mayan rubbing adds a magical era
to this modern bright space.

Across the hall, there is room for four square, yoga, indoor ball games, and fun play dates for the children. Do you see what I mean about homebodies? With a pool, exercise rooms, billiards, games, they spend a lot of time here, inviting friends and family to share in the activity.

On the fourth floor you can sneak away for some quiet time on the hammock. The glass under the coffee  table provides natural light in the bathroom below, dividing the exercise areas.  

Or have a cat nap on the sofa. 

Four floors down on the garden level is the dining room with a continuation of the peach and green combination, using high gloss exterior paint. 

This is a fun twist on Elsie de Wolfe's dining room at the Colony. I couldn't include a full room shot, as I was struggling with the light. We have had some great meals in this room cooked for us by the kids, complete with a legendary Bananas Flambe. I wish I had that picture--plenty of flambe!!

There is nothing like ground breaking work, in any field of invention. Elsie de Wolfe was the iconic pioneer of interior design.

Has anyone mentioned the girl cave? If anyone has a girl cave, send us photos. Who actually wants to see the perfect man cave? It is deliberately ugly. Send us pictures to liz@dovecotedecor.com and we will cover your refuge!! Thanks again for stopping by, commenting, following, tweeting. You guys are the best!!

Love this Mayan entity, who ever he is!

Design Headquarters, is firmly anchored in Charlotte, North Carolina. Phoebe, aka Mrs. Howard, and Max and Company, have taken over the palatial former Charlotte Women's club.  Collaborating with her talented husband, Jim, the couple create breath taking architectural rooms in multiple styles that are timeless.  Downstairs, Max and Company has a more modern, youthful take on decor. Upstairs, Mrs. Howard dazzles us with elegant, colorful, layered rooms. Take a lesson from the Howards! I have literally sifted through all their design projects on their websites, and there isn't a: "Ho-Hum" in the bunch. The look, within any genre, is perfectly balanced. Beach houses, mid century modern, eclectic, mountain and urban rooms are executed with equal skill. If there is a more beautiful store in the world, it is probably theirs.

The first three rooms at the street entrance to the store, were kept original to maintain the historic character of the house. Jim's architectural additions to the building are seamless, and look entirely original.

This Geometric tile floor in this hall is so chic with the opulent paneling and retro chairs.

This sophisticated focal point in the hall has a stunning floor with a three dimensional effect. The symmetry is restful and interesting. As we wander from one splendid space to another, the versatility and originality knocked our socks off.

We loved how the monochromatic oriental panel creates flow between these two spaces. The relating walls in the bedroom beyond, are perfectly hand painted. 

Nail head trim is all the rage in upholstery. The designers crafted a hefty pattern on the velvet fabric walls, instantly lightening the formality with the small scale chintz fabric on the chairs, and a country table. The Yin-Yang design concept speaks to me. 

This detail, taken from Mrs. Howard's website, highlights her signature sunburst mirrors,  repeated in the nail head motif. If anybody can beat this English country dining room, send me a picture!

Here is one of the max and company rooms. Dovecote loves the egg prints!

Mirrors are like bracelets for Mrs. Howard. She stacks them! This room positively glows with elegance. The detail of the drapery fabric repeating the molding on the horizontal plane enhances the geometric pattern of the mill work, reflected in the mirror.

Clean and serene. This mountain house from the website is fresh and light. Grey really is a pastel color, blending evenly with soft blue.  A Gustavian desk doubling as a bedside table is practical and pretty.  Of course the coterie loves the egg prints. 

I couldn't resist this picture. I don't think I have ever seen a fabric I love more! The lantern on the ceiling is a trademark touch.  Browse through the Howards' design projects and let us know which rooms you love the most.

Triad Guide

Rebecca from Chow and Chatter, interviewed me for Triad Guide, a great local resource for events and businesses in Greensboro, High Point and Winston Salem, N.C.  We talked about trends and changes in furniture at High Point. Tune in: You can listen to it while you browse older posts. Google Analytics tells us everybody really gravitated towards the Carson and Co. decoupage post and our friend's beautiful mountain house, so take a peek, while you listen.

Art Hamptons Sayre Park Bridgehampton

 Art Hamptons was a welcome respite on a blistering Friday afternoon.  The 52,000 square foot, climate controlled modular museum housed over $300,000,000.00 worth of art displayed by over 95 vetted galleries from around the world.  There was an amazing array from the disturbing to the dazzling. Here are a few of the selections that I loved.

Peter Dayton's work captured us at the entrance.  It reminded me of California summers, watching surfers magically walk on water over the waves at Newport Beach. It is one of the great, free spectator sports available. I love surf movies, surf music and my cousin's "oh so gnarly" surfer speak.  After a little research, I was sorely corrected by this John McWhinnie review: "To describe it as friendly, to decorators or to anyone else, is to focus only on the works seduction and miss its subversion entirely. His intensely luscious surfaces mimic the enticements of luxury goods. The work does not just strive to be merely beautiful, but irresistible. When paired with this subject matter it demonstrates the way our culture regularly applies a marketing sheen to the most antiestablishment figures or outré subcultures, transforming them into readily saleable commodities or attitudes. This work is like a Halloween bag overflowing with candy; it is an overdose of sugar expressly designed to give the viewer a stomachache."   Ooops!  My friend reminded me that I went to summer day camp with Peter Dayton, wearing our mandatory tennis whites. I am a little smug that some subversion arose from our uniformity. When my ODF (oldest and dearest friend) and I played "Dream Date" in the 60's, our winner was always the girl who got the surf bum, not the frat boy.  

Turning the corner, Meg and I were arrested by the Gregory Scott works in the Catherine Edelman Gallery.  On a seemingly innocent looking picture was a picture, within a video, within a picture. It reminded me of the living and moving portraits in Harry Potter, or Shakespeare's  play within a play.  I've never seen anything like it, but we loved the humor and surprise of his series. 

Make sure you read the artist's own words above,  about this groundbreaking work. I think of artists and visual people as being non-verbally expressive--Rauzier has words. I ran across this blog, researching him and became their 2nd follower: Paris, Paris or Love and Other Disasters.  

Art discussions can be beyond tedious, but this writer is helpful and clear. Here is the Paris, Paris description of the technology employed in the production of this luminous montage: “No lens is able to achieve, in one single shot, the sharpness that I obtain by assembling 200 photos”, explains the artist who works on his screen as a painter on his canvas. On his digital tablet, he crops, redesigns, assembles tree trunks, branches, leaves and other objects and elements collected patiently, at the site, when something inspires a future fantastic, bizarre, or baroque scenario. Inventing tales, unfolding supernatural visions, drawing the spectator into the wanderings of his reveries - this is, in fact his objective. His challenge? Transform the world according to his fantasies, desires, interrogations, and rediscover the magic and strangeness of tales and legends using XXIst century tools. An original and inspired approach for passing from singular to universal and for conjugating the present with the timeless." If I was an art collector, I'd have one of these. 

I STOP FOR INTERIOR RENDERINGS!  That would be my spooky bumper sticker. This Francisca Ahlers drawing stopped my heart. It is 45 1/2" x 46" and is $7,500.00.  I want it. I will be posting about the Albert Hadley drawings at the Gerald Bland Gallery in NYC, where I discovered Gerald's wife's, Mita Corsini Bland's, spectacular water color sketches for the Sister Parish book: Sister Parish Design: On Decorating by Susan Bartlett Crater and Libby Cameron.  I love Mark Hampton's drawings of friend's homes in The Art of Friendship. I, of course love my daughter Liza's childhood cross-sections pictured below--tongue biting detail for a 9 year old.     

 Priceless! 

I love my little girl jumping rope in the attic, where she arrived after a thousand stair cases. 

 Still Life with Cream Jug, Sugar and Strawberry 

Oil on limewood panel

14 x 16in

£6,500

Quantum Galleries from London presented the "Hi-Def" Jessica Brown. I love the reflection of the artist in the jug. 

Still Life with Peaches and Cream Jug 

Oil on limewood panel

16 x 14 in.

£5,500.00

Self taught photographer, Michael Eastman, had strangers nodding and discussing like old friends. Young Gallery Photo has a wonderful array of his glowing photographs and describes his approach and technique:  "Eastman holds the authenticity of the image as his highest goal. He shuns the use of artificial light and uses long exposure times instead, waiting as long as it takes for the natural illumination of the room to expose his film properly." h

Blue Building Toronto

Michael Eastman

Also, for unknown reasons, Green Eggs were an art gallery pattern during my NY stalk. 

Quantum Gallery: Lincoln Seligman: Acrylic on Canvas

60"x 60"

Jade Egg $25,000.00

I normally would not have given this picture a passing glance, except that I ran into this, in the city a couple of days ago at Fleesas, for $750. 00. It looked like a bit of "Duquettery" and I thought my friend Hutton Wilkinson might like it. 

Sam I am!!