The Call of the Wild

05 February 2010

Near Telluride, CO

This necktie has been irritating me all day.  It's the first thing to come off the moment I’m thru the front door.  I slip on a pair of old Redwing boots and grab the duffel bag that’s been sitting by the door.  Gus is already waiting with his leash in his mouth.  He loves these trips.  No fences, no people, no rules.  I load our things into the old Woody, and we're off.  Twenty minutes outside of Telluride, and the radio turns to static.  The only thing keeping us connected to civilization are the tire tracks in my rearview mirror.  The passenger window is cracked, allowing the smell of pine and snow to envelop the truck.  Each mile up the mountain, Gus becomes increasingly anxious.  He knows how long this trip takes, and recognizes that we should be there by now.  We come to a stop at the cabin, I open my car door, and Gus is over my lap and into the snow in a flash.  I don’t see him again for hours.  I never know where he goes, and he never offers an explanation.  A bark at the door, and this wild animal is ready to come inside to warm himself by the roaring fire.      

1.  Swiss Alps Ski Chalet, by Axel Vervoordt

2.  Photo by Paul Costello

3.  1986 Jeep Grand Wagoneer Woody

1.  Our Chocolate Lab, Gus

2.  Ice Fishing, Photo by Paul Costello

3.  Vintage Snowshoes

1.  Caribou Mount

2.  Swiss Alps Ski Chalet, by Axel Vervoordt

1.  McAlpine Booth & Ferrier

2.  Swiss Alps Ski Chalet, by Axel Vervoordt

3.  Iron Industrial Cauldron  

1.  Ralph Lauren's RRL Ranch

2.  Pair of Vintage Scottish Plaid Blanket Pillows

1.  Early 20th Century Glenwood Wood/Coal Burning Stove

2.  Amelia T. Handegan, Inc.

3.  19th Century French Copper Cookware

1.  Swiss Alps Ski Chalet, by Axel Vervoordt

2.  Wild Boar's Head Tureen by Jean Paul Gourdon

1.  Amelia T. Handegan, Inc.

2.  Loro Piana Quilted Cashmere Moccasin Slipper

1. & 2.  Amelia T. Handegan, Inc.

3.  19th Century Khotan Carpet with Pomegranate Motif


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May The Best Man Lose, Part One

14 October 1910  

Warwickshire, England

The guests began arriving in horseless carriages on Thursday morning with all of their baggage in tow.  By late Friday evening, the footmen had already started complaining of blisters on their feet, and the ladies’ maids had run out of rumors to repeat.  We all knew that this was going to be a long weekend.  Lord Stopford had invited all of his guests for one reason and one reason only; not to announce his son’s marriage to the King’s daughter, but to assert his newly acquired social status.  There would be shooting parties for the gentleman, lavish dinner parties in the evenings, an unprecedented wine tasting of the most desirable Lafite Rothschild vintages, and, as always, gossip, gossip, gossip.  

I’ve heard all of the guests’ stories before.  Lord Curtis and his steel factory meltdown, Lord Hodges and his many mistresses (female AND male), and Lady Coryton, whose maid should be knighted for the magic she performs on her ladyship’s hair and makeup each morning.  One guest, however, I was not familiar with.  He was not a fantastic individual by any means, rather, peculiar.  Perfectly dressed, despite the fact that he traveled alone; not even a boot boy to polish his shoes!  During the wine tasting, he refused the 1818 Lafite, by far the best vintage our Lordship could get his hands on.  Instead, asking for another taste of the 1876, claiming the bottle’s colored glass was “more appealing” than the other.  And when all of the gentlemen retired to the billiard room after dinner, he seemed to pay more attention to the table’s emerald green felt lining rather than sinking the balls into the pockets.  Sir Leonard Charles Clifton.  Even his name is odd, of no noble origin I can recall.

After dinner, the drinks were flowing and the guests were sparkling with conversation.  Lord Stopford asked for his company to be gathered into the drawing room for the big announcement.  Standing near Lady Stopford with a tray of 11 glasses full of champagne I noticed that there were only 10 guests in the room.  Sir Clifton was nowhere to be seen.  His oddities were beginning to wear on my patience.  Instantly a scream from upstairs, with enough intensity to shake the champagne coupes on my tray, silenced the room.  By the time I reached the source of the outburst Lady Coryton’s maid was lying lifeless on the floor.  Down the hall, Clifton's door quietly closes. 

1.  Kedleston Hall, Derbyshire, UK

2.  1910 Mercedes Phaeton

3.  Anchor Division

1.  Tru Trussardi

2.  Manor house entrance

3.  Chatsworth House, North Entrance Hall

1. & 2.  Gela Nash-Taylor and John Taylor's Estate, Wiltshire, UK

3.  18th Century Gilt Bronze Center Table Foot Detail

1.  19th Century Black Forest Hunt Trophy

2.  Bookster Tweed Carron with Cap

1.  Michael Bastian

2.  Hendrick's Gin

3.  19th Century American Empire Fire Surround with Over Mantle

1.  Axel Vervoordt

2.  "Classic Decorative Details" by Henrietta Spencer Churchill

3.  Pair of Chinese Blue and White Porcelain Vases

1. & 2.  Chatsworth House, Derbyshire, UK

3.  Château Lafite Rothschild

1.  Fox Umbrellas Nickel Walking Sticks

2.  Ralph Lauren

3.  Jacques Garcia

1.  Cariness House, Scotland, UK

2.  Jacques Garcia

3.  Cydwoq's Men's Vintage Classic Shoe

To be continued...


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I Put A Spell On You...

and now you're MINE!

1.  Killahara Castle, Dovea Village, Ireland. 

2.  Iron door knocker, Bayonne France. 

1.  Charleville Castle, Ireland

2.  Silver and enamel spider cufflinks by Deakin & Francis

3.  Ben Soleimani for Mansour Modern. 

1.  S.R. Gambrel

2.  Macbeth Witch Potion Labels, Etsy

1.  Charleville Castle, Ireland

2. Alexander McQueen

3. Danish silver mine ice bucket, c. 1970's 

1.  Douglas Little

2.  "For The Love of God", Diamond encrusted skull by Damien Hirst

3.  Skeleton hand absinthe spoon

1. Axel Vervoordt

2. Greenman wall fountain

Happy Halloween from Bubble & Squeak!


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Art for Art's Sake

Venice, 12 August 1949

Peggy paces back and forth in the salon of her newly acquired home.  “Where are those painters?”  She looks around at the curls of paint clinging for dear life to the plaster walls, taking notice of their less fortunate comrades lying on the cold stone floor below.  There is an air of neglect one would expect in a three hundred year old palazzo, but all Peggy can see is her masterpiece.  

She checks her watch again, “10 a.m.  They’re two hours late.”   She crosses the empty foyer from one corner to the other, then thru the soon-to-be dining room and finally steps onto the terrace off the back.  Fifty yards away she spots two men dressed in white overalls paddling a small boat down the busy canal.  “Finally!” she screams, knowing that they can’t hear her.

“You’re late!”, Peggy snaps.  She rushes the painters from one room to the next recounting how each is to be finished.  She is several rooms ahead of them when one of the painters whispers, “I hear she’s going to hang some ugly abstract paintings in this old place.”  Peggy pokes her head around the corner and quips, “Those ugly paintings need a beautiful place to hang, so I suggest you get started”.

1.  Photo by Tria Giovan

2.  Photo by Pieter Estersohn

1.  Thomas O'Brien's New York Apartment

2.  Kate Spade's New York apartment, design by Steven Sclaroff

1.  Axel Vervoordt

2.  Michael S. Smith

1.  Photo by Miguel Flores-Vianna

2.  St. Petersburg art studio of Kuijni, photo by Pieter Estersohn

1 & 2.  Milan residence, photos by Melanie Acevedo

1.  Donald Judd sculpture, photo by Miguel Flores-Vianna

2.  Miles Redd

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A Call To Action...

Contrary to its name, the Living Room is a rarely lived in room...and we're blaming the baby-boomer generation for this sin.  How many of us grew up in households where we were forbidden to enter into the living room, for fear of our mother's wrathful storm? During the 18th and 19th centuries, the living room (or drawing room as it was sometimes referred to) was THE social gathering space in the home where ladies spent hours embroidering and gentlemen spent hours watching the ladies embroider.  Skip ahead 100 years and our parents, albeit unknowingly, have artificially changed our communal instincts and forced us to take refuge in the kitchens, and dare we say, basements of our youth.  We, for two, will not stand by this unnatural migration.  At our cabin, we want our daily regimen to revolve around a grande "old school" living room where we lounge about sipping tea in style or entertain guests in a glamorous setting surrounded by our favorite finds without fear of mucking anything up.  So, now's the time generation X, Y, Next or whatever they're calling us these day, to stand up and take back the living quarters that were so forcibly stolen from us. It's okay...step into your living room, remove those plastic cushion covers, flop down on the sofa and take it all in...it's the civilized thing to do.  
(P.S. We still love you Mom.)

1.  Spring at the cabin

2.  The perfect cup of tea

3.  A Minneapolis penthouse by Andrew Flesher

1. J.K Hotel, Florence, Italy

2.  RL Restaurant, Chicago

3.  Vintage round bench upholstered in blue velvet, Jayson Home & Garden

1.  J.K Hotel, Florence, Italy

2.  Kotsuis and Hohhuq – Nakoaktok, Photograph by Edward Curtis, c. 1907

3.  Leather club chairs, French, c. 1930's

1.  Silver plated shoe cufflinks, Paul Smith

2.  Astor Courts, Rhinebeck, New York  (check out that fireplace!!!)

1.  Easton Square, London drawing room by Michael S. Smith

2.  Oriental Salon at Axel Vervoordt's Castle, Belgium  

3.  "Cinnabar" glazed garden stool, Pagoda Red

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How to Make An Entrance

Making an entrance is never an easy task, even for the most experienced party-goers among us.  One needs to exude confidence while appearing approachable and relaxed.  Your outfit should be thoughtful and appropriate.  Consider your hair, nails and makeup.  You should look into the eyes of others as you survey the room, and smile.  There are so many rules!  That's one reason why we want our retreat; there's nothing more honest and relaxing than walking through the door of a weekend getaway where one can sit back in a carefree setting with good company.

Just as important as first impressions are in social situations, the entry to any space is equally important. The spaces below, in their simplicity, exude a confidence and sophistication of their own. As we embark on this cabin pilgrimage, our journey starts with an entrance...and if you'll please excuse us, we need to pick out our outfits. 

1.  Entrance to an apartment in Paris, Casamidy

2.  Steven Gambrel

3.  New Hampshire settee, Jeff R. Bridgman American Antiques

1 & 4.  The Rug Company

2.  Portrait of 'Oberschützenmeister', Christophe Edwards

3.  19th century oak Elizabethan-style table, Holmes Samsel Antiques

1.  Axel Vervoordt

2.  19th century Persian Sultanabad carpet, Doris Leslie Blau

1.  McAlpine Booth & Ferrier Interiors

2.  Visconti two arm sconce, Gregorius Pineo

3.  English mahogany center table with marble top, c. 1810, Lee Stanton Antiques

4.  Bunny Williams

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