No words are needed explain why this new hotel in Sicily is inspiring.
For more pictures of this stunning place, please click on their website HERE:
Buon weekend!
(I’m going to dream about the bedrooms. I know it.)
I don’t even drink coffee or have an espresso maker, yet I would love to own these cups. Stylish, simple, elegant… I adore them
Designed for Alessi by Massimiliano and Doriana Mandrelli Fuksas
Photo: Amazon.uk
Speaking of Fuksas, the world renowned architects recently renovated the flagship Benetton store in Rome. I haven’t stepped into a Benetton since college but I’m very curious about this building.
Seven years ago I traveled to Rome for the second time.
The first time was a revelation and I fell hard for this crazy city. It didn’t make sense. Nobody in my family is Italian and I was not an Italophile by any stretch.
I loved London, Paris, and Amsterdam. When I was in junior high and high school I just KNEW I would live in Paris or London one day. I wasn’t thinking about Rome or Italy despite living in a town called Verona .
I thought maybe I had responded to Rome that way because of what was, or wasn’t, going on in my life at that moment. I had to find out why that one trip had unsettled me so much.
I returned the following year and took a short trip to Florence and Positano.
The view from my terrace.
It was a pain in the butt to get from Rome to Positano. First the train to Naples (not bad), then the train to Sorrento (an hour on a local train with many stops), and then finally a bus to Positano.
I walked down the steep hill, followed by a million steps, to reach my hotel. Once I stepped into the room and opened the large French doors, I saw that view. My heart skipped a beat. It was so beautiful it felt unreal, like a movie set.
There is a great hiking trail/path way up in the mountains, Sentiero degli Dei/Path of the Gods. Early one morning, I went up the mountain.
It was quiet. I saw two German tourists hiking and that was it. For the first time in years, my mind wasn’t racing a mile a minute, overwhelmed by the things I had not accomplished.
That walk changed everything.
I realized I had to make some serious changes in my life for my mental and physical health. I wasn’t sure how at that time.
Eventually, I figured it out and moved to Italy two years later.
Buon weekend!
In 2011 the Italian fashion label Miu Miu started Women’s Tales, a series of short films about women directed by female directors from all over the world.
Their most recent short was directed by Ava DuVernay. Ava won the best director award at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival.
Here is more information about Ava’s short from Miu Miu:
The Door, by Ava DuVernay, the fifth Miu Miu Women’s Tale, is a celebration of the transformative power of feminine bonds, and a symbolic story of life change. The symbolic centre of The Door is the front entrance of the protagonist’s home. As she opens it to greet a friend in the powerfully framed opening scenes, she is shrouded in an oblique sadness. “In the film, characters arrive at the door of a friend in need, bringing something of themselves,” explains director DuVernay. “Eventually, we witness our heroine ready to walk through the door on her own. The door in the film represents a pathway to who we are.” Clothing is also a symbol of renewal, each change of costume charting our heroine’s emergence from a chrysalis of sadness. In the final scenes, she takes off her ring, pulls on long, black leather gloves, and walks, transformed by the emotive power of the clothing, through the door.
Not a word was spoken, but Ava told a beautiful story. For some reason, I didn’t recognize Gabrielle Union at first!
The Door combines three things I’m passionate about, dècor, film, and fashion. Several of the pieces in the short need to be in my closet and hello, that house!
I’ve seen many films with “a glass house in L.A.” set design but this one really captured that L.A. loneliness vibe. I loved it.
In December, I attended the AWAR holiday cocktail party at Palazzo Farnese. The construction of the Palazzo started in 1515 and it has been the home of the French Embassy since 1874.
I’ve been inside the building before to vote (I have dual citizenship, American and French) and went to an exhibit they held a few years ago. However, this time there was a tour from the Ambassador himself.
I had a blast that night with my friend Gillian. AWAR raised money for charity, we saw amazing art and architecture, and we had a chance to drink Champagne.
One of the highlights for me was walking into various rooms by myself to study the interiors. I’m still shocked they let us take pictures (a big no-no at the American Embassy. You have to turn in your cellphones and cameras at security).
“The Mix” is important. It’s also difficult to do well. A room with furnishings from a mix of eras gives off a different energy than a room where every single piece of furniture, all the vignettes, art, etc. etc. are from the exact same time period and/or store. When the mix is on point, it’s so exciting.
Conference Room Palazzo Farnese.
I was surprised when I stepped into this room and saw the modern iron table and chairs.
I think a traditional table from that period with very ornate detailing and decked out with ivory would’ve been too much.
Instead this table compliments the room. You really notice the drop dead gorgeous proportions, the floors, the walls, everything. Most conference rooms are zzzzzzzz. This one is a stunner.
Buon weekend and cin cin to mixing it up.
Summers in France
Summers In France is a fabulous read.
Along with photos of gorgeous interiors, there are recipes, tips on how to be a gracious hostess and guest, and information about the amazing markets near Ms. Ireland’s summer home in the Tarn-et-Garonne region of Southwestern France.
I really appreciated the before and after photos. Ms. Ireland has taken a rundown farm house and turned it into a wonderful home.
If you’ve seen Ms. Ireland on the show “Million Dollar Decorators”, you know she has a very vivacious personality. This comes through in the book. It’s clear she loves to entertain and to make her guests feel at home.
The house is beautifully decorated but there is nothing stuffy about it. It’s not easy to pull off the combo of comfortable yet chic. I’ve flagged quite a few pages in this book.
Sigh, I cannot wait until I can have my own home in the countryside.
Victoria Hagan is one of the most respected interior designers in America. Since founding her firm 20 years ago, Ms. Hagan has built a reputation for designing classic yet modern spaces.
Victoria Hagan Interior Portraits
All photos: victoriahagan.com
I love her work and couldn’t wait to read her book.
I highly recommend it.
Ms. Hagan’s book showcases three portfolios, Waterside, City, and Country. Of course, I was drawn immediately to the Waterside chapters. Speechless.
Gorgeous living room in Nantucket
I think “Stylish Simplicity” when I study Ms. Hagan’s work. Her use of strong silhouettes and interesting textures is inspiring. I also like how she mixes pieces from different eras, yet the spaces are cohesive.
These homes look like places people actually live in, not like a showroom or a museum.
Columbus Circle, New York City.
I have to say I had a great time in Milano. I don’t think I could live there with all the fog and smog. It’s too cold during the winters (ten years in Los Angeles, has clearly thinned my blood) and too grey.
The “rivalry” between Rome and Milan is similar to the one between San Francisco and Los Angeles. I swear when I hear Milanese talk about Rome it sounds like a person from San Francisco complaining about flaky Angelenos. Meanwhile many Angelenos say San Francisco is a fake New York and needs to get over itself.
The vibe in Milan is completely different from Rome’s. As a Milanese friend said to me once, “Milan is an European city. Rome is an Italian city.”
It’s a smaller city, with Milan’s city limits population at 1.3 million compared to Rome’s 2.8 million. Milan is the business, fashion, media/advertising, and design capital of Italy and many international companies like Google and Sony base their Italian offices there.
One thing that cracked me up was that every single cab driver (I took a lot of cabs thanks to the strikes. Sigh) told me they thought Rome was beautiful but could never drive there.
When people who drive for a living tell you a place has insane drivers, one must pay heed. One cab driver said, “Look at this traffic! See how we have lanes here and it’s orderly? That doesn’t happen in Rome.” I learned to drive stick in Rome and had to agree with his observation.
I’ve often heard that the Milanese were not friendly. That wasn’t my experience at all. Maybe everyone I met was in a good mood because of the Salone?
On Saturday morning I was looking for a textile showroom located on a small side street not far from the stock exchange. I couldn’t get over how quiet it was. I felt like I was in NYC’s Financial District. At 10:30 a.m. Rome is already crowded with tour buses and huge groups of tourists following a tour guide holding an stick/flag/umbrella.
When I saw Cattelan’s (one of Italy’s most famous contemporary artists) piece, I gasped. I could not imagine a work of art like that on Wall Street, especially as the finger is being given to us, the public. I thought it was a very astute comment on the financial meltdown of 2008. When it was unveiled many business people were not pleased but the mayor stood firm. It was only supposed to be there for a month. It might remain in its current location until 2013, then moved to a museum.
Next time I go to Milan, I hope I have time to see some art. And the Prada flagship store.
Mies van der Rohe, one of the titans of modern architecture, was born 126 years ago today.
If you went on Google today, you saw their homage to Mies van der Rohe.
Known for his “less is more” style, after his death, many postmodernists blamed him for the soulless “international design” that became popular.
The thing is, simple is hard to get right. All those Mies van der Rohe knockoffs were just that, knockoffs.
I know this chair is EVERYWHERE, but I love the lines of the Barcelona chair. It’s modern design, but I’ve seen the chair work in non-contemporary settings as well
Barcelona chair, Knoll
The Guardian has a great article regarding how the reputation of Mies van der Rohe has completely changed since his death in 1986.
I didn’t know that the Barcelona chair was never intended for production. A stainless steel one will set you back $7740.
I can’t even imagine what an original version goes for.
