I saw this home belonging to Greek collector Alketas Pazis on Yatzer and HAD to share. If I was fortunate enough to set foot in this home you'd very likely have to pick me up off the floor because I would have passed out from SHEER JOY AND BLISS. And then a couple of hours later after I had examined every single inch of this space you'd have to drag me out kicking and screaming. FAB U LOUS.
I only managed to fit in a few shops when I was in Sydney just over a week ago. Don't ask ... after all your marvelous suggestions I threw my back out and could barely walk. One shop I HAD to visit was Sibella Court's The Society Inc. Amazing! This wunderkammer of a shop is a must see on your Sydney travels. Two tiny rooms in a bijou Paddington terrace. Two tiny rooms packed to the rafters with the unusual, the quirky, the weird and the beautiful. Like a bowerbird's nest. Like an old hardware store. Like a step back in time. Like a dream. Only Sibella could pull it all together and make it work. On a wet, miserable day I was giddy with excitement. (Apologies again for my point and click pics. One day I'll buy a decent camera. Have promised myself a fabulous rug first :P)
Back in April I blogged about Evan Drew Harrison's dilemma on what he should do about the decor in his fabulous LA loft. He sent an email promising to send update photos as soon as he finishes up (he mentionned vintage Knoll, Swedish stuff, kilims and other ethnic touches....all of which had me totally intrigued), but the real reason he emailed was to share the former home of his dear friend, Maxime de la Falaise. Maxime passed away of natural causes in April in her Provence home, and she was quite a character. "Maxime made Cruella Deville seem like a pussy cat" Evan told me. She was a "celebrated fashion model and artists’ muse of the mid-20th century who was later a designer, food writer and the matriarch of a three-generation clan of international couture models" said her obituary in the New York Times. At one point during her career she also designed furniture and rugs. Evan loved Maxime's New York loft she sold in the early 90's and thought we would love it as well. Her loft is exactly how I imagine my home to be when I reach that age - filled with treasures and textures from years of collecting.
Call it serendipity but just as I'm ready to write today's post I receive an email from Jonathan Adler's PR Director Deb Willis letting us in on Jonathan's latest addition to his website, his monthly musings. This month he waxes lyrical on his Neo-Neo-Classicism range and mentions the Grand Tour. Grand tour! Here's the serendipity....
Today's post is an OMG gobstopper. Look at this outrageous one bedroom (yes one bedroom!) London apartment. Well-to-do young men of the 18th and 19th century travelled Europe improving their classical education and bringing home a few well chosen (dare I say pilfered) souvenirs. Think Elgin Marbles. What I'd really like to know is if this is the owner's collection or if they inherited it from their Europe trotting ancestor? My goodness I hope they have a cleaning lady! Although I could not live like this I secretly envy them this amazing collection and the passion needed to live with it. Perhaps I'll take just a soupçon of Jonathan Adler's pieces instead!
Tue, 7 Feb 2012
