Recently a favorite blogger- House of Beauty and Culture- stopped curating his almost daily postings. A favorite, an inspiration. It seems much like a favorite book- reading through and when finished- You don't want it to end- You don't- but it does. You remember it, quote it- it leaves a lasting impression. now playing
What Books are on your Summer reading list?
Downcast Eyes: The Denigration of Vision in Twentieth-Century French Thought by Martin Jay
BrightYoung People: The Rise and Fall of a Generation 1918-1940 by D.J. Taylor
Rougues' Gallery by Michael Gross
Iris Origo by Caroline Moorehead
Maeve Brennan: Homesick at the New Yorker by Angela Bourke
Little Me by Patrick Dennis
Diary of a Drag Queen by Daniel Harris
Madeleine Castaing by Jean-Noel Liaut
Geoffrey Beene by Kim Hastreiter
Is there one book you honestly don’t expect to get to? Why?
Don't think I will finish the Castaing book. Only because it is in French and requires a greater degree of attention.
Where do you read and When? Does the genre you are reading dictate the place you read- in other words, Do you take just any old book to bed?
I read on the sofa, better known here as the raft of the Medusa, in the living room. The book and time depends entirely on the mood. Which works well as there are usually three on the go.
What is you all time Favorite Book for its sense of place?
What is your most recent purchase in this category?
why?
I find creative people interesting.
What is your Security Blanket Book?
What about Books you are reading for a second or third time? Why? Any disappointments on second reading?
Don't reread per say, I dip back into for favourite passages.
Latest Obsession Author, Designer, Photographer?
Going out on a limb here –define LIBRARY in the nontraditional sense?
Anything (whether it be fabric samples, images, or music) that is referenced and serves as an inspiration.
...this answer I adore. It says what I could not quite put into words. Indeed, that is what the Blog -House of Beauty of Culture was for Me- and likely other of its readers,
How do you define A Library? a beautiful book waits for your answer-What does a Library look like at your house? music, textiles, children's books, photo albums? I'd love to hear about it-the book HOME awaits you- HOME by STAFFORD CLIFF (pb) "5o Tastemakers describe what it is, Where it is, What it means."
Golden the light on the book on her knee, Finger marked pages of Rackham's Hans Anderson, Time for the children to come down to tea." John Betjeman
My Book Covers! I absolutely Love, Megan Wilson's blog- because of course I love books! I am mad about them- I am such a visual person-a good thing- because I am a horror at names, dates and math! I do judge books by covers- they can sell a book quicker than a good review. When I go book shopping for specific titles and have options- the cover art on a book will put IT over the top- the other left on the dusty shelf-figuratively speaking. Megan designs and selects book covers! Her Book Picks will fill you in.
(One of My recent Megan Wilson designed Book Cover acquisitions, how could I resist Twiggy & Cecil Beaton?)
Some of My Favorite Vintage Book Covers from My Library
Megan's other blog is Ancient Industries- equally alluring and all Visual. You must go see it.
Megan~ What Books are on your Summer reading list?
Because I design book covers, a lot of my summer reading has been decided for me. Actually not strictly true: it was my suggestion that we publish the first 4 Fitzgerald books which are freshly out of copyright.
the Fitzgerald Covers
Vintage Classics.
Painting by J. C. Leyendecker
Vintage Classics.
Painting from the Illustrated London News
So I'll be obliged to re-read The Beautiful and Damned and Tales of the Jazz Age, boo Hoo. For pleasure I want to immerse myself in John Betjeman, with whom I am carrying on a posthumous love affair.Is there one book you honestly don¹t expect to get to? Why?
I honestly don't expect to get to any bestsellers this summer because I cannot read something that everybody else is reading.
Book Stacks (Megan's Library)
Where do you read and When? Does the genre you are reading dictate the place you read- in other words, Do you take just any old book to bed?
I wish I could say that I only read Trollop in the conservatory and Austen in a hammock slung across the corner of the ballroom, but I read in bed, almost always. The most indulgent time for me to read in bed is after breakfast, with more fortifying tea.
What does your nightstand look like? or your side of the bed, floor, chair!
Megan says "I did not choose these books by their colour--just a coincidence.I've started all of them; finished none."
What is your all time Favorite Book for its sense of place?
It might have to be Brideshead--whether in Venice or Oxford or Charles' father's house in London or Brideshead, or the war later on--it's all so deeply THERE.
another Brideshead pick, (see Mrs. Blandings book picks)
What is your Security Blanket Book?
Anything by PG Wodehouse or any given Mitford sister.
Vintage Books. Photograph by Cecil Beaton
one of My favorites of Megan's Book Covers
Here have Nancy Mitford and Cecil Beaton- Another irresistible cover- I have this copy. Again- the Mitfords, a Mrs. Blandings obsession and one of my own Summer Books- The Letters of the Mitford Sisters.
What is your favorite Genre and Why?
Fiction written between the wars, because it was a very ripe time on both sides of the Atlantic.
What is your most recent purchase in this category?
I'm afraid I can't remember the last book I bought because of my job, and because I live with a book maniac, who does all the purchasing. This enables me to just nip into the library at home and pick up something I fancy, usually in an a lovely old edition.
What about Books you are reading for a second or third time?Any disappointments on second reading?
I just re-read the whole of JD Salinger, which of course made a tremendous impact during adolescence. I was a bit disappointed I'm afraid--his obsession with the Glass family is maniacal and dull. The non-Glass stories are still tremendous though. I would love to re-read The New Confessions by William Boyd, one of our greatest living authors. It is a perfect epic novel from start to finish; I enjoy knowing that it it there waiting for me.
What is the seminal book in your field or your passion that you would recommend to young would be(s) of the same?
A Designer's Art, by Paul Rand.
Latest Obsession Author, Designer, Photographer?
In order: John Betjeman, David Gentleman (an illustrator with a strong sense of design), the photographs from Lady Ottoline Morrell's photo albums at the National Portrait Gallery, London.
I don't have to tell you, Book covers can be art- Do you have a favorite cover in your stacks?
I am very fond of artists as book cover designers, when the type and image are hand rendered by the artist. For example: Vanessa Bell, William Nicholson , Edward Gorey, the young Andy Warhol, Ben Shahn, Christopher Silas Neal (contemporary).
the Very Thing- Books Covers Megan loves from Her Library
What is on Your Book List? Your favorite Genre? Security Blanket Book? Your latest Obsession? Or what do you like from MW's list? I'd love to hear from you-and I will pick a winner from the comments and you will have YOUR PICK from The Summer Reading BOOK LIST posted on the 16th-june YOUR PICK!
it is serious...in my little town-so, Don't Be A Pig.
"to the editor On the weekend of June 13, you ordered a pig to cook for your birthday celebration. You needed a grill to cook the pig on. My husband was nice enough to let you borrow his BBQ grill. He also got two tanks of gas filled. You paid for one of them and he let you take the other one in case you needed it. He did not charge you anything to use the grill. He did expect you to be honest and return his grill before now. He worked hard to make that grill and has enjoyed using it many times. It has also been used by a lot of other folks. They have always been good to return it within a couple of days. It has been almost two weeks and you have not returned it or even called That does not show that you even appreciated him letting you use the grill. Would you like for somebody to do you this way? He tried to be nice and help you out. We need the grill back to cook some BBQ for ourselves. Please, please return our BBQ grill and gas tanks. You know what you have done and the Lord knows, too. Please return the grill as soon as possible."
high on the hog or hog heaven
the QUOTABLE BOAR
“The Pig, if I am not mistaken, Gives us ham and pork and Bacon. Let others think his heart is big, I think it stupid of the Pig.”
ogden nash
"Why, this fellow don't know any more about politics than a pig knows about Sunday."
harry Truman
“These are bagpipes. I understand the inventor of the bagpipes was inspired when he saw a man carrying an indignant, asthmatic pig under his arm. Unfortunately, the man-made sound never equalled the purity of song achieved by the pig."
" I had a long afternoon with Baxter and the carpets-The green carpet is lovely and will do beautifully for the library. In your room Nathan Laski's carpet, in mine, blue bedroom carpet from Bolton Street (just enough). I tried hard to make the red carpet do for the dining room, but it is really too shabby- The edges of stairs have made ridges along it- & there are awful stains (not my dog this time!)... Green sickly looking carpet out of Jack's bedroom in Bolton Street does Puppy Kitten* rooms- Another bit does the Cook's room- A big rug from dining room in Bolton Street? does my little sitting room, the edges done with blue polished linoleum continued out of hall. The whole house is now carpeted except one big servant's room (which can be done with cheap linoleum for about 2 pounds) and the Dining Room for which will have to be got- I have written to the people making the blue stair carpet to ask what it will cost to cover dining room with the blue..." Clemmie Kat (quote from Winston and Clementine) This letter was written 1 year after their marriage. * the baby to be
Clementine Churchill 1915 (7 years after her marriage)
The house- 33 Eccleston Square, London
Baxter- Mr. Baxter from Maples of London, an upscale retailer. Lady Randolph dispatched Mr. Baxter to select the front door color, Winston's wallpaper , along with other details. Clementine's own bedroom decoration -of her own selection- was done up in oranges and green, and the walls were appliqued with a design of an orange tree.
Winston added a new Dining Room and the old one became his Library. A passion for books, Churchill was building his library of English literature and History at this time- books and bills were constantly flowing into the residence.
The Entrance Hall was relaid in black and white marble.
Winston Churchill 1904 (4 years before his marriage)
post materials from Winston and Clementine: The Personal Letters of the Churchills ,edited by their daughter Mary SoamesChurchill and Chartwell by Stefan Buczacki
The novel Eric Hodgins wrote "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House," was published in 1946 and quickly became a huge bestseller.
I've been reading Mrs. Blandings for some time now- and I honestly can't quite imagine anyone else building that house! Our Mrs B. built the house- decorates it, faux finishes it- and then writes about it. You name it. Mrs. Blandings can do it. How could she possibly have time to read?
But, of course She does.
As a reader, and since this is a Summer Reading List-what better time to say:
I Love Reading this Blog, & amazed by all the talents of the blogger.
mrs blandings.
A Scene from the Book
"a soft green, not as blue-green as a robin's egg but not as yellow-green as daffodils...", "if you'll send one of your workmen to the grocer for a pound of their best butter, and match that yellow exactly...", "as you can see, it's practically an apple red, somewhere between a healthy winesap and an unripened Johnny..."
~mrs Blandings (as applied to the painting of the perfect yellow for her house)
What Books are on your Summer reading list?
William Faulkner, The Sound and the Fury
Ian McEwan, Enduring Love
Amsterdam, James Ellroy I am anticipating the fall release of Blood’s a River by going back to some of his earlier books. I’ve read the Black Dahlia and loved it. There is a Kansas City connection as Ellroy lived here for a short time a few years ago.Chances are good I will get to most of them read.
The Sound and the Fury may take more fortitude, but I’m determined to read it. I’m ashamed to say I’ve never read Faulkner.
in the stacks at Mrs. Blandings' house
Where do you read and When? Does the genre you are reading dictate the place you read- in other words, Do you take just any old book to bed?
I read in bed, in the office, in the carpool line and I’ll read anything from magazines to books old or new nearly anywhere.
Mrs. Blanding's Rosie resting
What is you all time Favorite Book for its sense of place?
Both Brideshead Revisited and Tender is the Night
What is your Security Blanket Book?
Both the aforementioned. I also have a weakness for Winnie-the-Pooh.
I think I actually see a correlation here-golden honey colors, honey, bears, Boys ?
What is your favorite Genre? Why? What is your most recent purchase in this category?
I really don’t have a most favorite, but I definitely have a least favorite. I loathe historical fiction.
What about Books you are reading for a second or third time? Why? Any disappointments on second reading?
There are several books I’ve gone back to re-read. I’m seldom disappointed as it’s usually the language that draws me back in.
Latest Obsession Author, Designer, Photographer?
I do think I’ve nearly exhausted my Mitford sisters obsession, but it had a long run.
I will pick up your Mitford mantle, I have their letters to read- It's on my list.
Are you building a Summer Reading List? or even a Library- the books? the shelves?- or the house to put the Library in? Tell Mrs. Blandings all about it- after you do, You will feel so much better and for something for the shelves- HOW TO HEPBURN: Lessons on Living from Kate the Great- KATHERINE HEPBURN by Karen Karbo- a Mrs. Blandings sort of gal.
It is ever more inspiring to give readers- A Room to Aspire To- Better Not having the LOOK of the Moment-only to find that LOOK is no longer. Give readers a room that sends them to an antique store in search of treasures that will move with them from their first home to last.
Simon Upton photograph WI Cover of Carolina Irving's home
A room that will inspire for years- the aesthetic of Pauline de Rothschild is the bar.
a Pauline de Rothschild Sanctuary-Paris, photographed by Horst
My mother scrapbooked rooms our family home for years; A large den with paneled walls, dark wood floors, classic oriental carpet, grand oversize wing chairs upholstered in a classic blue woven- slightly sampler style fabric, and a wide beamed 10' red ceiling. By the time my parents achieved this room the tear sheet was dog eared, a little tattered and etched into all of our minds. My father painted the entire house-that ceiling required according to my father 10 coats of paint to achieve the perfect effect. Our floor finisher moved before the job was complete and a new crew was brought in; our family of five- I was 9 years old. The floors turned out just like the ceiling- It was perfect. The room continued to evolve over the years.
de Rothschild's London flat
The recent buzz of chic bloggers and their readers has been the inspired posts of MRS. BLANDINGS. Her Enduring Style Series got me to thinking-
de Rothschild- London, photographed by Derry Moore
Here are some stellar examples of my NEW RULES via MRS BLANDINGS Enduring Style Series:
"There are those who spend lifetimes in houses that have nothing to do with who they really are. They may be perfectly designed, yet if they fail to reflect the personalities of the people who live in them, the very essence of intimacy is missing and this absence is disturbingly visible."
-Rose Tarlow
The All Knowing HOUSE OF BEAUTY AND CULTURE said "if one had to choose a legendary decorator I would choose Miles Redd-Given the right clients, he will be his generation's equivalent of Parish Hadley. Bloggers-Style Court and the Peak Of Chic dubbed Miles Redd too as the one to watch.
Miles Redd
I love this room!
photographs Simon Upton, ED 2009
Miles Redd said to Mrs. B on the subject of- Enduring Spaces "Pretty much everything the de la Rentas touch is masterful in its room arrangement, color palette and collection of objects and furniture."
the De la Rentas image from Vogue
The prevailing pick from most of MRS BLANDINGS' Enduring Style- was Miles Redd. Miles Redd in turn cited Oscar and Annette de la Renta as one of his own enduring style picks, while Emily Evans Eerdman tapped the de la Rentas as one of her picks.
A Trend? Let Us Hope. Genuinely beautiful classically appointed rooms.
I fall in line with these experts and for your preponderance suggest two designers and one "style-setter*"-editor-textile-clothing designer-who for me-are make the list.
Thomas Jayne
photgraphs from T&C, & Francois Dischinger, & Elle Decor
Classic Americana rooms that evoke the past, livable rooms with good eclectic pieces (a much overworked-misused word in design-used to describe a mixed miss. Eclectic-It is what Thomas Jayne does-and does well.
Nicholas Haslam
photographs from Haslam's Sheer Opulence and Southern Accents 2001
I have always loved the rooms Nicky Haslam does- they have that monied Colefax and Fowler look. I savor his book Sheer Opulence and covet all his published work. Other than the overdressed windows in some of the rooms- He would be my personal decorator- great fun and glorious rooms.
&
Carolina Irving
photographs Simon Upton(WI)
The Carolina Irving home is what Rose Tarlow calls "the essence of intimacy." It is a space that exudes that certain intimacy that I admire and aspire to. We will be watching this room reappear over and over again in years to come. More about Carolina Irving in a future post.
*look for little augury's next book post on Friday* Mrs. Blandings builds a Summer Reading List*
janet~jcb on a jaunt to Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest
"The human mind is not capable of grasping the Universe. We are like a little child entering a huge library. The walls are covered to the ceilings with books in many different tongues. The child knows that someone must have written these books. It does not know who or how. It does not understand the languages in which they are written. But the child notes a definite plan in the arrangement of books--a mysterious order which it does not comprehend, but only dimly suspects."
albert einstein
What Books are on your Summer reading list?
The Seamstress by Frances De Pontes Peebles
Shanghai Girls by Lisa See
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
The Brother Gardeners: Botany, Empire and the Birth of an Obsession by Andrea Wulf
a page from Linneaus
…and finish reading Bess of Hardwick: Empire Builder by Mary Lovell
Is there one book you honestly don’t expect to get to? Why?
hmmm…I am going for gold! I have high expectations.
Where do you read and when? Does the genre you are reading dictate the place you read- in other words, Do you take just any old book to bed?
I read a lot when I travel, which is frequently. But, of course the best place to read is in bed because it always feels like such a luxury…especially with a hardcover book.
What does your nightstand look like? or your side of the bed, floor, chair!
jcb's book stack
I usually have at least three or four books on my nightstand, or various chairs around the apartment.
What is you all time Favorite Book for its sense of place?
Oh, hands down: The Far Pavilions by M.M. Kaye. Really, who can resist a sweeping epic novel set in colonial India?
What is your favorite Genre? Why? What is your most recent purchase in this category?
I love fiction, especially mysteries. But, I am also addicted to art books and cook books. My most recent purchases in the latter two categories include the exhibition catalogue, Pompeii and the Roman Villa, and the cookbook, Jamie Oliver at Home (in fact, they just arrived in the same box!)
bookcase order JCB
What about Books you are reading for a second or third time? Why? Any disappointments on second reading?
Until recently, I would have said I rarely reread books (the exceptions being Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, and Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier). However, I have lately rediscovered some other old favorites (thanks in part to Heather over at The Overdecorated Bookcase This includes A.S. Byatt, whose prose is so beautiful, you can read it again and again and discover something new each time—and Mary Stewart, whose mysteries I devoured as a teenager. Upon second reading, I am surprised at how wonderfully sophisticated Stewart’s stories and heroines are.
REBECCA! makes its fourth appearance in the Summer Reading Series. Architect Design is a Rebecca lover as is An Aesthete's Lament (from the comment made), and of course it is a wonderful read- a wonderful Movie- I would classify it as my favorite -certainly my Vintage favorite. I have checked the Overdecorated Bookcase and it is a wonderful source for readers.
Book covers can be art- Do you have a favorite cover in your stacks?
The book is my latest acquisition: A 1932 reprint of "The Formal Garden In England," by Reginald Blomfield (1892) with illustrations by F. Inigo Thomas.
This is an absolutely gorgeous book cover- I love the old ones too.
When it comes to books I consider to be art, I am a purist—a sucker for classic design, thick quality paper, and old-fashioned book construction (i.e. letterpress, sewn bindings, cloth covers). I like there to be both a visual and tactile quality to a book.
Going out on a limb here –define LIBRARY in the nontraditional sense?
Call me a Luddite, but when it comes to libraries, I am a traditionalist at heart. The word library comes from the Latin librārium, meaning “bookcase”—and I just can’t get away from that! While I am a huge fan of the internet and digital technology, a true library is a place where you can lose yourself in the stacks.
IS YOUR library or stack OUT of ORDER? Find rhyme and reason this Summer- tell us How you sort your books at home? Get HELP from a NEAT Book Notes Journal- pages to fill with recommended reads, reading notes, favorite quotes, and books you have borrowed or lent- Fill us in...and help is on the way.
We all take our books seriously- stacks here, everywhere, there aren't enough bookcases to house them. I've heard so many confessions recently-" I've tried to stop collecting, buying, I'm tapering off "- which usually means there isn't anything alluring enough to tempt.
The recent Enduring Style Series from Mrs Blandings dubbed Miles Redd the one to watch. Here he is:
Over at the PEAK of CHIC its curator even boasts a second blog called BIBLIO STYLE. To say the least- I wished I'd thought of that. I suspect hordes of Peak of Chic wannabes say the same as they read her fresh, oh so Chic- posts. Ms. Chic , Jennifer Boles, writes almost daily and with gusto.
“Churchill’s Bunker: The Secret Headquarters at the Heart of Britain’s Victory” by Richard Holmes (What can I say? I was a history major.)
“Rogue’s Gallery: The Secret History of the Moguls and the Money that Made the MetropolitanMuseum” by Michael Gross
Where do you read and When? Does the genre you are reading dictate the place you read- in other words, Do you take just any old book to bed?
My coffee table design books must be read on the sofa or in a chair- too heavy to read in bed.I take my biographies and history books to bed.
"Reading in Bed"
James Whistler
What does your nightstand look like? or your side of the bed, floor, chair?
On my vintage nightstand, I have a small stack of books, fresh flowers, and my radio alarm clock (I’m still a big fan of these radio alarm clocks.)Oh, and of course my glasses so that I can see what I’m reading.
What is you all time Favorite Book for its sense of place?
(dorothy draper room with Empire portrait over mantle)
What is your Security Blanket Book?
Dorothy Draper’s “Decorating is Fun!”
the chic Jennifer Boles of the Peak of Chic
Dorothy Draper strikes a pose
What is your favorite Genre? Why? What is your most recent purchase in this category?
I would have to say that my favorite genre is design because the books are not just informative, they also provide so much inspiration too.Biographies and non-fiction history come in a close second.
& from DOROTHY:
"good showmanship is the answer. the colour of your front door announces your personality to the world"DD
"too much of anything is the beginning of a mess."DD (Never a truer word said- Unless of course it would too MANY BOOKS!)
What is the seminal book in your field or your passion that you would recommend to young would be(s) of the same?
Same as my security blanket book: Dorothy Draper’s “Decorating is Fun!” While interior design is a serious career, Dorothy put it in perspective.It should be fun and it should enrich one’s life.
Miles Redd.We need to have a book of his work published.Mario Buatta deserves this as well.
Miles Redd channeling Draper's Palette & her STRIPES
I went through many of the Peak's posts and she has 34 posts about Mrs. Draper and Mr. Redd. She knows where her passions live.
Book covers can be art- Do you have a favorite cover in your stacks?
Almost all of Cecil Beaton’s books have wonderful cover art.
Going out on a limb here –define LIBRARY in the nontraditional sense?
A library should be a room where books that are actually read reside.It should be a place where you really live, where you read, where you might even take drinks or meals.It should be a room where you go to broaden your horizons.This might sound traditional, but I think we’ve gotten away from the real meaning of a library.
What is Your most CHIC reading material?
Mine would have to be a true indulgence read- I actually got it on Friday- and placed it before all others-meaning I have already violated the code of order in my Summer Reading list- GYPSET Style a fusion of Gypsy and Jetsetter- well- Yes, a bit of a frivolity- but I needed a bit.
As a reward for being a Chic Reader or just A Bit Frivolous- and confiding!- reap the rewards of the BOOK- A PERFECT RED, by Amy Butler Grenfield. it's yours, but you have to tell.
though I had lost grandparents, a boyfriend and a best friend to Death- None touched all the vulnerabilities I walk with until His Loss. I find his presence forever with me; In my own actions, my choices, and still my vulnerabilities. I am my father's daughter.
in moments of frustration- I find myself wandering to the green carpet of nature to strengthen my connection with Daddie.
many days after he had surveyed land from morning to eve- he would drive in and go from field ,truck , maps- his long day's work right to the yard- often just to pull the weeds that had crossed the line into the green carpet he nurtured, a carpet worked to serve as a moat of sorts for the house he built.
His family was his all.
His work was his prayer.
my Mother says "Your father played hard until we married, " a real athlete, like a kid- shooting marbles the afternoon of his wedding and then he took his vow to work for his family: Giving All.
"ALL THAT MANKIND HAS DONE, THOUGHT, GAINED OR BEEN, IS LYING AS IN MAGICAL PRESERVATION IN THE PAGES OF BOOKS." Thomas Carlyle
...the gentleman weighs in. I am tickled to say the least to have an esteemed group of friends sharing their Summer Book Reads. today ARCHITECT DESIGN: prolific, entertaining, astute- and He tells it like it is!
What Books are on your SUMMER READING LIST?
Versailles, a biography of a palace Tony Spawforth
Life in the French country house Mark Girouard
Mlinaric on Decorating Mirabel Cecil & David Mlinaric ( I need to do more than just look at the pretty pictures on this one!)
Ashcombe, the story of a 15 yr lease Cecil Beaton
The way we lived then Dominick Dunne
Last of the DandiesThe Scandalous Life and Escapades of Count D'Orsay: Nick Foulkes
Rupert Everett autobiography (something has to be fun and gossipy!)
Gosh! this looks great, especially the title Last of the Dandies and of course I know the Rupert Everett book will be a page turner. The Cecil Beaton Ashcombe book is on my list too. I would love to read the Dandies book and the Rubert Everett book. And therein lies a trend with all the esteemed that we talked with- Too many: books and the list keeps growing.
Is there one book you honestly don’t expect to get to? Why?
"Probably the books I buy this summer, I like to read things in order. It’s an addiction, I have piles all over my apartment of unread books!"
Architect Design A Foyer with Books & more Books
Where do you read and When? Does the genre you are reading dictate the place you read- in other words, Do you take just any old book to bed?
"I typically read magazines (vanity fair, vogue, house beautiful) on the bus ride to work –except for World of Interiors which I save and are sacred –they get read in bed so they don’t get torn or bent! I read novels / biographies on my lunch break outside and before bed. I read the heavier big designy type books at my table or on my sofa. there is just so much out there to read, life is too short! I constantly refer to my design books to look at the pretty pictures for inspiration or to waste time."
the Stacks-Architect Design
What does your nightstand look like? or your side of the bed, floor,chair!
"piles of books –is this my home or a bookstore?"
AD's nightstand- serving up books
Architect Design, another Dandy spot for Books
What is your Security Blanket Book? "Rebecca! Or Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy -"
I love Rebecca! too-Daphne du Maurier. Not to mention the classic movie with Olivier and de Haviland- Rebecca!
What is your Favorite Genre?
"I love design books and historical biographies of eccentric characters. Ever since childhood I’ve also read the biographies of old time movie stars –my grandma got me started on that and I have a large collection of them from her. Still working my way through them!"
Book covers can be Art- Do you have a favorite cover in your stacks?
"I LOVE the Michael S. Smith elements of style cover, one of my all-time favorites. Also love the Tony Duquette book cover and the new Vogue Living for it’s elegance –they’re all prominently displayed and constantly referred to. You can judge a book by its cover!!
What Libraries do you use?
I’ve recently discovered my public library –which is really fabulous. It saves me much money and space! I’ve been spending a lot of time there in the past year, surprisingly. My work office has a really great design library too that I like to browse at lunch. My home collection is really inspiring to me –I think it probably is very telling about myself to others –I only keep the ones I love.
& now The GREAT Give Away.
ARCHITECT DESIGN tells me the new Jaime Drake book is wonderful. I've checked it out and I agree-it's full of glamour, color, luxury and bursting with creative design energy. Drake's NEW AMERICAN GLAMOURis Yours- Tell Architect Design and Me what you are reading this Summer. We want to know. Are You delving into biographies, a design tome, OR a juicey tell all?
Pigtown Design has a bevy of beauties making appearances at ASCOT. I can't help but see Audrey Hepburn as Eliza DooLittle in My Fair Lady. Beauty. Youth.
"She is too fond of books and it has addled her brain."Louisa May Alcott
BOOKS, I loved them as a child-neglectfully coloring in the pages-practicing writing(scribble)- playing school(this may have been my problem-I wanted to play school Not -Go to School.)
I received books as gifts when growing up- My first special book was the Louisa May Alcott book Little Women. Whether it is for this reason or many others- It is still (helplessly, humbly, and very unsophisticatedly)- one of my favorites.
I admit it might sound prettier to say so If I had a house full of girls to read and reread it too, But No- I never had a child. Just A lovely niece that upon our second night of reading LW aloud to her- She took a shot to the heart with these simple words, "Meg is bo-wing (boring.)" Crushed as I was, I didn't cry, only sighed and left her to her bubble bath.
I just purchased a new copy of LITTLE W to add to a collection of them. It is a Penguin Classic with cover design by Julie Docet(click). I admit the cover grabbed me- I think it might even appeal to me niece now- Birthday present? HUMMM? She might not like the story but could never deny the cover.
Julie Docet's cover
Here is the list ofQUESTIONS(in royal purple) posed to fellow bloggers and friends, along withThis is what I had to say:
What books are on your Summer Reading List? Is there one book you honestly don't expect to get to? Why?
my picks
art
Hexenlust und Sundenfall (Witches Lust and the Fall of Man): Die Seltsamen Phantasien des Hans Baldung Grien ( the Stange Fanstasies of Hans Baldung Grien) by Bodo Brinkman/HBG(1484-1545) drawings and etchings depicting the behaviour of witches
more will certainly pop up here
biographies/memoir/autobiography:
FAVORITE GENRE? this is mine.
Maeve Brennan Homesick at the New Yorker Angela Bourke
Caresse Crosby Anne Conover& Tears Before Bedtime and Weep No More Barbara Skelton ( these 2 I added at the suggestion of fellow blogger An Aesthete's Lament-to my already -Undoable list)
AshcombeThe Story of a Fifty Year Lease Cecil Beaton
The Loveliest Woman in America Bibi Gaston
Beverly Nichols: A Life Bryan Connon & along with this Rhapsody in Green The Garden Wit and Wisdom of Beverley Nichols edited by Roy C. Dicks
Built of Books How Reading Defined the Life of Oscar Wilde Thomas Wright
Brian Howard Portrait of a Failure Marie-Jaqueline Lancaster
My Darling Heriott Jane Brown-THIS IS A BOOK I WILL BE GIVING AWAY- bio of Lady Luxborough
The Little Girls , The Hotel , & A World of Love( read this but will read it again Elizabeth Bowen( one of my favorite writers of the moment)
I want to start re-reading E.F.Bensen's Mapp & Lucia Books
The Elegance of the HedgeHog Muriel Barbary- reading Now
The Time Traveler's Wife Audrey Niffenegger - reading Now
Yes, Yes- too heavy on the BIOS etc. However they will likely go down easy- I devour them. The Oscar Wilde Book I will read to get the gist of his bookcases- but from some reviews the author's conclusion about how Wilde's reading habits shaped his sexual preferences- I may beg off- I don't hardly see how books could do such a thing to OW, But that's another story.
L M Alcott
What is your security blanket book?
Can you guess? With no apologies- Little Women (see my remarks above) I will add, Everytime I have read this book, except for the few times as a child and teen- I was in crisis. Reading LW always reinforced what matters to me and I hope always will. A deceptively simple tale with a deep well of family, loyalty, duty, faith and leaving and returning home.
Elizabeth Bowen photographed by Slim Aarons
Latest Obsession Author, Designer, Photographer?
This question has three answers-I have obsessions in all three areas- You would know. As for an Author- would I be too obvious- to say Elizabeth Bowen(click to read more). I have read a number of her books along with Afterthought and the tome Bowen's Court- tracing EB's ancestors and their lives at Bowen's Court in Ireland beginning in 1649. Her attachment to Bowen's Court meanders throughout the book, making it a favorite.
from Wikipedia:
"Elizabeth Bowen was greatly interested in ‘life with the lid on’ and what happened when the lid came off. Her work deals with innocence and betrayal and the secrets that lie beneath the veneer of respectability."
"It is a wary business, walking about a strange house you are to know well. Only cats and dogs with their more expressive bodies enact the tension we share with them at such times. The you inside you gathers up defensively: something is stealing upon you every moment; you will never be quite the same again. These new unsmiling lights, reflections and objects are to become your memories, riveted to you closer than friends or lovers, going with you, even, into the grave: worse, they may become dear and fasten like so many leeches on your heart." Elizabeth Bowen
Seven Winters: Memories of a Dublin Childhood (1942)
English Novelists (1942)
Anthony Trollope: A New Judgement (1946)
Why Do I Write: An Exchange of Views between Elizabeth Bowen, Graham Greene and V.S. Pritchett (1948)
Collected Impressions (1950)
The Shelbourne (1951)
A Time in Rome (1960)
Afterthought: Pieces About Writing (1962)
Pictures and Conversations (1975)
The Mulberry Tree (1999).
Have you read any of the Books on My List ? Stop me- if You have-& didn't like it (break the news gently) but do Tell me the Truth.
or
Does something Look promising? Tell Me What is on Your Book List? Your favorite Genre? Security Blanket Book? Your latest Obsession? I will wait to hear from you- and then choose Someone to Receive YOUR PICK from The BOOK LIST posted on the 16th- YOUR PICK!
Remember the SUMMER READING PROGRAMS at the Public Library? Over the next month little augury will make reading essential.
Reading is like water to me- I can't live without it.
from my collection
I've asked the brilliant bloggers-the house of beauty and culture, An Aesthete's Lament, Mrs. Blandings, and the peak of chic to join me in the Library. architect design and Porter Hovey have signed on too. As a designer- I think I could love working with architect-ad and Porter Hovey's Polaroid Project is a must see for me. JCB,le style et la matiere in Paris, and Ancient Industries/ my book covers drop in as well- all with a unique twist on BOOKS. Rose C'est La Vie rounds out the list. Rose is a newcomer to blogging like me and we feel somewhat like blog sisters. In all cases- this assemblage inspires me daily.
I've asked some of my friends to participate as well- Why? because they are DOING things, whether is is writing, farming, mothering, cooking- they have a lot to say too. Wait and see.
I have some of the best books out there to share with readers too.
little augury
the SUMMER READING SERIES BOOKS to BESTOW on READERS A SHAMELESS SELF PROMOTION
POST IS UPDATED EACH TIME A BOOK BELOW IS WON
Sister: The Life of Legendary Interior Decorator Sister Paris Serve It Forth MK Fisher &The Sex Life of Food- a pair of books together Dwellings the home Sills & Hunniford The 20th-Century Art Book in miniature-A book to be given away with a porterhovey summer reads list A Perfect Red Architect Design won this BOOK! Jaime Drake Pigtown won this BOOK!
~
A Book Notes Journal Home: 50 Tastemakers Describe their own homes Revisiting the Painted House-balsamfir won this book.
How to Hepburn- 1 now available How to Hepburn: Lessons on Living Hill Country House won this book! My Darling Heriott/ JEZEBEL WON THIS BOOK!
Paths of Desire by Dominque Browning Book Notes Journal ELIZABETH FLOYD WON THIS BOOK!
Fleur Cowles Flower Arranging The Paris Review Interviews Vol. I-giveaway with le style blog post The Paris Review Interviews Vol. II-giveaway with le style blogpost
I either own a copy of these or purchased one for myself too.
Is there a book here you would love to have? OR that You already have and can recommend? Let us know and you might be the winner of one of your picks. Good Luck.
She can rock a pair of Ugg boots or slip around in Tory Burch- My Bohemian Preppy Chic Client.
We've exchanged gifts- She loved her butterfly wings at Halloween- even changed into a more appropriate ensemble that worked with them. She debuted in the Nutcracker Ballet during the 2008 Christmas season- I sent a Nutcrackery looking pink beaded ornament for Good Luck: the ornament very much resembling the lighting in her boudoir. She gave me her autograph, (I'm holding on to it) and a beautiful drawing of a red and yellow design (bet you thought it was one of these new hip fabrics that are out everywhere.)
She's had her portrait painted.
She's a very creative recycler. Sandcastles-no less: She spends her summers at the beach.
She said- I LOVE PINK! She LOVES PINK- I LOVE PINK! THINK PINK!
& She & her agent(mom) were a dream to work with.
WAKE UP! GOOD DAY SUNSHINE!*
THINKing PINK.
Pink Leopard needlepoint rug-along with feathered headress
The curtain fabric reminds me of Lily Pulitzer, Vera & Marimeko.
Pink walls, Pink Schumacher linen print fabric * "Good Day Sunshine" in flamingo,with pink ticking linings, ball fringes, an antique spool bed.
Dolls, Guitars, Caps & LOTS of Bows
My Very Chic Bohemian Preppy client is very pleased. So is her agent. So is her Decorator.
A room to grow into- to dream dreams- to travel far and return to -
to remember fondly... when she is a BIG Hollywood picture star- I'll be the first to answer her call. Hello Sunshine!
MORE FLEUR shared by fellow blogger ULLA. Ulla left a Daily Mail link about FLEUR in comments about my yesterday's post- a homage to FLEUR COWLES.
ULLA has a fashionable blog MODEL'S OWN that I follow. A model- Ulla features gorgeous photographs of fashion first hand, along with her musings about fashion-past, present-future and the fashionable world of design and art. Her blog came to my attention- when AnAesthete's Lament -my absolute FAVORITE blog around, (and I know I won't be stepping on any toes-as I suspect there are many bloggers out & about that would say the same thing) wrote about designer extraordinaire Nicky Haslam. I fantasize about having NH decorate for me- IF only I could -I would. But more about NH another day, another post.
When the Aesthete wrote about HASLAM- Ulla commented that she was an intern for the fabulous Nicky Haslam when she lived in London. She said "He was a delight to work for and I learned so much, he really is one of the best and always in a great mood. Thank you Nicky!" - I immediately thought- this is a girl I can learn from and have enjoyed her blog ever since!
"I decided [the wing of a bird] would be the symbol of Flair because it's flight of fancy, which is what we need if we live an interesting and imaginative life. A flair for something--I don't care what it is, but whatever it is, have elegance in it, even if it's shining shoes. And knowledge--whatever you do, learn more about what you're doing." F.C.
FIRST in FLAIR February 1950
all FLAIR ONE YEAR assemblage from the blog pages of Brilliant Asylum
50-cent for a peak at high society, art, literature, and fashion, Flair lived & breathed for 12 issues, from February 1950 to January 1951. FLAIR was said to have cost over a Dollar.26 to run each copy. FLAIR was way beyond its time with die-cut overlays, varied paper stocks, and accordion inserts. W.H. Auden, Eleanor Roosevelt,Tennessee Williams, Gypsy Rose Lee, Simone de Beauvoir, Salvador Dalí, and Jean Cocteau all eagerly contributed. Time magazine reported, "there is an accordion-style pull-out on interior decoration, a pocket-sized book insert, a swatch of cotton fabric, even a page written in invisible ink that can be read when it is heated by a lighted match."
FLEUR lives on today- as FLAIR, blogged about, revisited and oggled over.
Fleur Cowles photographed by Robert Trachtenberg 2003
Fleur wears BALENCIAGA , made for Queen Elizabeth's coronation 1953
Most probably one of the last articles written about Fleur Cowles was in 2003, by Heather Smith MacIssac for the New York Times magazine and photographed by Robert Trachtenberg. Fleur was interviewed in London at her home at Albany, once Lord Melbourne's Georgian manse. Fleur Cowles died June 5 of 2009, making her- it is believed 101.
by FLEUR
It appears she adhered to her FLAIR raison detre: "Live an interesting and imaginative life." My own GranMa lived to be 107 and at the age of 100- I asked her what she attributed her longevity to: She replied with much the same answer-" You must be curious, You must find life interesting and be creative." It would appear that this is sound sage advice.
Of her Albany drawing room- once the Albany ballroom designed by Sir William Chambers, c.1780:
''I believe it's the most beautiful drawing room in London.'' FC
In the original article- clipped from the 2003 Magazine- The bookcase lower shelf is dotted with multiple petite vases each holding a single pale yellow rose- perhaps the FLEUR COWLES ROSE.
Fleur Cowles a Pale Yellow Floribunda very fragrant spice, blooms in flushes throughout the season bred 1972 by Walter Gregory
A Second Drawing Room with panels gold leaf and exotic pots and flowers by Federico Pallavicini resides over the built in baquette-well worn in pink.
A 1954 sculpture by Sydney Harpley has a very haunting presence at the fireplace in the Second Drawing Room, above it a- Fleur Cowles painting. In this photograph one gets a sense of the grand proportions of this room.
Portrait of Fleur & her signature FLAIR Specs by Rene Gruau
painter, writer, and founder of the short-lived but legendary magazine FLAIR
as we imagine her-with FLAIR. Fleur Cowles and Cecil Beaton (photograph from An Aesthete's Lament)
Fleur in her office amongst, books, family photographs, her paintings, rifts on her name, decoupage plates. Throughout the apartment FLAIR is ever present. What do you have a FLAIR for and What keeps you young?
"The world is a magazine to me, Everything has potential." FC
in Chanel's apartment- a rock crystal cross dating to the 17th century- evidence of the Chanel Religious Symbols Obsession photograph by Francios Halard
we- here in nc- are experiencing showers everyday. yes, everyday- it seems for the last two weeks, with this week promising to be the same.
my brother kct and his partner jrg have the most amazing roses.
they also have an amazing 1940's Greek Revival style house here in town.
they come in most weekends-the last not so. heading off to NYC for a bit, leaving some roses that needed cutting, and Me, being my sweet self, happily making the sacrifice.
of course I would have to bring some roses home & dead head the little beautys.
it rained roses.
I felt like I was harvesting, not to mention the bud and blooms that had gotten heavenly-ish over watered, to say the least.
what started as a bouquet - became a crop.
heartbreakingly, many went by the wayside (that would be the trashcan)
my house is FULL of roses today.
it's raining roses inside today.
in the living room
in the den
turquoise hobnail vase- one of my mothers wedding gifts- c. 1950
chartreuse opaline vase
in the hallway
a mercury glass cylinder- once held a slatkin candle
the dining room
in a pair of little trophy cups
I love this container- once a candle by cz guest
should I wish for downpours this week?
the rose guys will be here this weekend- oh sigh- I've missed them so.
THOMAS PHEASANT* makes some beautiful furniture for Baker- It is his McGuire CHAISE that I love right now. Reminiscent of early wicker styles , the chaise somehow has a very modern look- The very reason why it is likely to become a McGuire Classic. I love the double X-stretcher design- No one but McGuire would make such a design detail- No one would design it but Thomas Pheasant.
It's MOST appealing in the Pearl resin finish with Seashell White frame.
The Chaise comes "BUILT for TWO"- a Double Chaise (click to see) The single Chaise measures 80 inches wide x 30 inches deep, and 16 inches high.
"Rose Cumming was well known for using candlelight to illuminate her shop. A customer stopped in and insisted on seeing a particular fabric in the sunlight. Rose consented but proceeded to roll the entire bolt of fabric across Madison Avenue so that the customer could get a clear view . She then refused to make the sale, offended by the customer's audacity." from the Dessin Fournir- Rose Cumming files
the Scene
(Rose Cumming-Dessin Fournir archive)
I can see Rose Cumming- lavender hair - casting a bolt of one of her famous chintzes like DELPHINIUM across Madison Avenue with tender care - her potential buyer in wanton shock as she is flattered and frightened-both at once.
(I envision DELPHINIUM- one of her own and still made in the 46" wide fashion of yesterday,when last I checked. )
Wouldn't it be perfect on a little bench? I wonder if it will fade? Would it be too much? I think I may only need a yard or so? But will there be a seam? etc. etc.
Absolutely Not! Never on JUST a bench. These glazed cotton chintz masters were made to fill a room with, just as one might fill the room with fresh bouquets.
Rose Cumming DELPHINIUM this could have been the one
ROSE's Delphinium accompanied by LACE in blue, and CABBAGE ROSE
LACE is a Not to be Beat old fashioned print that I used in a guest room- curtains at the down cushioned window seat, a pair of little french beds with LACE spreads and old lace pillows.
a ROSE by any other name is not This Rose
from Dessin Fournir
Could a room resplendent in DELPHINIUM cotton glazed chintz be in your future?
Are you brave enough in today's world of sanitized sleeping quarters, Kelly Werstler kitsch cribs, ethereal white fluff fantasy suites-to break out of the mold and go CHINTZ?
Chanel's Drawing Room - Givenchy placed the crystal in the frog's mouth when it fell from the chandelier- it was never removed. photograph Francois Halard
In looking at Marianne North's beautiful works of art, true labors of love- I am overwhelmed by the volume of work and the love. Marianne North waited until she was 40 to start fulfilling the work of painting some 900 botanical specimens. North was independently wealthy- having been sole heir of her family's estate-something necessary for such an undertaking especially for a middle aged Victorian woman.
(all photographs from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kewunless noted) See all the paintings at this link
why not your own North Gallery- Finnis Style?
Wall Flowers the inspiration of horticulturist Valerie Finnis.
photograph by Jan Baldwin
A hall enlivened by horticultural photographs cut out of magazines in the Nottinghamshire home of the late Valerie Finnis. Pale Blue Muscari (grape hyacinth) and the silver-grey Artemisia bear her name. Valerie Finnis created gardens, specifically-after teaching at the Waterperry Horticultural School for Women for 30 years- Her own. Still- lifes by Finnis, more 55,000 transparencies survive, along with photographs of her gardener friends. To see Valerie Finnis' photographs (click)to read this wonderful post by Each Little World:Dressing for the Garden.
Room with a View II
photograph by Jan Baldwin
Valerie Finnis Pale Blue Muscari
Valerie Finnis Artemisia
Valerie Finnisamongst her work
photograph by Jan Baldwin
North and Finnis created their own worlds - abroad, at home: Both leaving their own lasting impressions on us. Think about a Finnis wall in your own world.
RESOURCES- the Telegraph UK , Marianne North: The Flower Huntress by Kathryn Hughes World of Interiors January 2008,Female of the Species, by Frances Spalding www.kew.org, Restore a Painting, Save Our Heritage World of Interiors, April 2009,Snug with a Pug and a Trug, by Amicia de Moubray
Little Augury is truly eclectic. It may be interior design- my life long career-style, architecture, design history, or a discussion of what links them all. It is History repeating Itself.
bust from the estate of YSL
What Books are on your Summer reading list? 
why?
