The Rains Ended...

After the excesses and storms of Christmas Day, it was refreshing to wake up to a little sunshine after our rain soaked holiday. I walked out into the garden early this morning just after sunrise and reflected on the simple joys of this season!

I love this Deco vintage French carte de Noel

our naval oranges are sparkling

with raindrops in the dawn light

I couldn't resist bringing the silver Christmas bowl

outside in the early morning light!

we love our Pendleton blanket, a wedding

gift from my cousin Phillip

that is so perfect at Christmastime

simple and lovely angel and crown

we wrapped all our gifts in this pretty

paper with green ribbons

the Provence birdcage filled with

glass Christmas balls

the charm of the unmade guest bed, vacated

excitedly on Christmas morning by

our daughter Lisa!

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Christmas morning we opened presents then dressed up and headed over to the Claremont Hotel in Oakland for a lovely, three-hour Christmas brunch with family. My husband's family has been going there for fifty years!

the dehydrator gift... does Steven love it? why is

Lisa laughing so hard?

the tree ornaments witnessed our festive morning!

the "treize desserts" are now down to about "trois desserts"

(nobody really likes the dried oranges and the figs... not when

there is chocolate nearby!)

the stunning Claremont Hotel and Spa is the setting for

our Christmas Day brunch

the gingerbread house in the hotel lobby took 294 lbs of sugar to make!

our adorable nephew Blair and Aunt Lucile "a table"

***

hoping you and yours had a very...

Event Inspiration: Van Gogh & The Empress of Japan

I adore designing weddings, dinners, parties, fundraisers, celebrations of all kinds. They are exciting; they are ephemeral, they are meant to evoke a strong emotional response. They start quickly and end quickly, and usually without a plumber or electrician anywhere in sight! Done, next!

at a regal 18" tall, this Empress doll is made from fine Japanese papers

with gold trim and carved lacquered wood head and hands;

her headdress is shaped metal wire hung with glass beads; ca. 1885

For an event yesterday working with the fabulous Lisa Tomasi of Pear & Pepper Fine Catering and Events at a hip, cavernous photography studio out on Treasure Island in the middle of San Francisco Bay, I decided to feature one of my favorite vintage finds: the Empress of Japan, Meiji Era (about 1885). She is lovely, made in the countryside in Japan (when Emperor and Empress dolls were all the rage at the end of the Shogun era), of humbler materials than the exquisite dolls made in the cities from fine silks and ivory. (If she had been a city Empress I was told by an appraiser, she would be worth $15,000! she's not)

I tried to evoke a sense of warmth and glamour

in this corner of the photographer's studio to

draw people together

we chose a showstopper large succulent in pretty aqua planter

for texture and "greenth" factor

hot soup shooters and chicken salad endive were

perfect for the chilly day..note the vintage

Blenko bowls we used

the Empress drew quite a crowd to the table and lots

of admiring questions; Japanese papers were used

along with lanterns, succulents and fresh flowers; Asian

prints were fixed to the stainless steel wall

we used gorgeous Japanese paper to wrap around these

boxes and used ranunculus, tulips & greenery

She found herself, not standing out, nor next to her equally impressive husband the Emperor (he stayed behind in my attic), but blending into the scene, comfortably presiding over a table where hot soup shooters were being served to guests as an unusual and delicious appetizer. She looks quite content, doesn't she?

Almond Blossoms, Vincent Van Gogh 1990

painted when he was at the asylum outside Arles, France

Which started me thinking about Vincent Van Gogh's Japoniasme. As a painter in France in the 1880's (overlapping the Meiji Era in Japan), he loved the Japanese woodcuts with their odd perspectives, flatness and simple lines. His paintings of that time reflect his love of Japanese simplicity and purity of design and intention.

"I envy the Japanese artists for the incredible neat clarity which all their works have. It is never boring and you never get the impression that they work in a hurry. It is as simple as breathing; they draw a figure with a couple of strokes with such an unfailing easiness as if it were as easy as buttoning one's waist-coat." Van Gogh

Bridge in the Rain, Vincent Van Gogh, 1887

Van Gogh copied Japanese woodblock prints

(ukiyo-e which means"pictures of a floating world")

which he found in the gallery next door to where he

lived in Paris

Portrait of Pere Tanguy, 1888, by Vincent Van Gogh in Paris

depicts the seller of his art supplies in front

of Van Gogh's collection of Japanese prints

Which started me thinking about what I would do if I owned a Van Gogh painting: where would I put it? what furnishings would enhance it best. I decided a smaller version of this reclaimed wood sideboard from Restoration Hardware would be in perfect juxtapositon to the delicate and colorful Van Gogh. It's simple and straightforward lines remind me of the very modest life he lived in France, surrounded by rough and handhewn pieces just like this one.

rough-hewn, solid planks sideboard from reclaimed wood

although, I do like this one too, an antique Mongolian

cabinet, 1890, with delicate painting would also

be a lovely complement to a Van Gogh painting

from Horchow

Which started me thinking about Van Gogh himself. If he had lived long enough to see how fantastically popular and valuable his paintings were to become, he might have used one of these vintage 1900 French aluminum suitcases to take his brother and benefactor Theo to St. Petersburg, Russia to see the beautiful city and its art. Can't you just see the two of them, happily boarding the train for the long trip, jauntily dressed with aluminum suitcases in hand?

fabulous French designed and made aluminum suitcases from

1900 with fantasic details, quality and undeniable cache

you can see them here

Gare du Nord, Paris, ca. 1900

.........................................

in 2010, it's:

Kit Golson Design

for elegant, sustainable and pragmatic

Chic Provence Interior Design

Christmas Decorating: I'm Thinking Ruby Red Grapefruit

Every Christmas presents to me an irresistible new opportunity to create, decorate and design for all our family and friends' gatherings and celebrations. This year, keeping things simpler and slightly more recessionista-friendly, I looked around my home for inspiration from things I see in everyday life.

I see citrus: grapefruit (both the outside golden with a blush of coral, and the inside deep ruby red), oranges, the citron green of my draperies. I see silver, gold and stars. An orange tree outside (ok, I live in California).

That's it! I have my inspiration, now down to work. Ollie, thrilled to have me puttering around the house all day Sunday, keeps a watchful eye on me!

The (potted) tree is inside and ready for lights and decorations. I spent 4 hours polishing silver (I'm a Southern Girl after all!), I found my citrus-y accent pieces, votives in great ruby color, and the perfect shade of poinsettias (chez Home Depot!). I even practiced making some lemon petit fours for the holidays (that caterer-daughter of mine sets the bar pretty high)!

So we are getting there! We are excited we have near- and far-flung family coming to visit and stay with us over Christmas, and we will be seeing lots of friends we haven't seen much this year. I still have a lot of decorating, cooking, gift-wrapping and merrymaking to do...stay tuned and I will show you as the tree gets done, the decorations up, the parties created!

A la prochaine!

.............................................................

CONTACT:

Kit Golson Design

for elegant, sustainable and pragmatic

Chic Provence Interior Design

The French Laundry, Her Gardens & Environs in Yountville

You could be forgiven if you momentarily thought you were deep in the heart of France. Hills covered in vineyards, rustic stone houses, outdoor bistro seating under the arbors...we didn't awake from our reverie francaise until we spotted the Thomas Keller nonchalantly crossing Washington Street and realized we were firmly in Yountville, California....not Aix-en-Provence!

Fancy a little lunch at Bouchon? Table's ready!

Here in very close proximity to his legendary The French Laundry, Bouchon Bistro, and bistro Ad Hoc, Mr. Keller would feel quite comfortable as the owner and creator of arguably the best restaurant in this country, if not the world.

Thomas Keller, patron saint of amazing restaurants, strolling down

Washington Street in Yountville, California, one sunny morning

When my daughter Lisa Tomasi (the brilliant and talented founder of Pear & Pepper Fine Catering and Events) and I headed north to the wine country for a little exhalation recently, we had forgotten just how thoroughly this place can take your breath away. Both weary from work and in need of a break, we travelled in our favorite manner, la route du petit ecolier (the way of the little schoolboy.....wandering around as if we had all the time in the world). And if we happened to find some design inspiration, all the better.

The unassuming facade of The French Laundry

After the thrill of spotting Thomas Keller, the second lovely surprise was the potager (kitchen garden) for his restaurant, The French Laundry. If we were looking for interior inspiration, we found it outside in the impeccable and verdant gardens, exquisitely organized and productively composted. We took a stroll through.

Lisa Tomasi in the potager for The French Laundry

Inside the greenhouse for The French Laundry gardens

Is this gorgeous?

This scene makes me want to take up gardening!

That, dear friends, is how composting is done....as a wall!

The view looking across from The French Laundry restaurant

What's this...no, a bakery??

Bouchon Bakery's selection of pains (breads) make an artistic arrangement

No I couldn't possibly! well...maybe just a little bite...! Macaroons

to rival Laduree's on the Champs Elysee!

Pretty tile floor adorning Bouchon Bakery floor

We then found ourselves mysteriously walking into the front door of the Bouchon Bakery....hmmm? After une petite croissant or two and a latte (we were too early for a real meal anywhere else but the bakery...eh bien!), we wandered across the way to Bistro Jeanty and admired her charming facade.

An excellent bistro meal here!

Maybe a spin around the village?

Credentials!

{all photos taken by Kit Golson with my trusty iPhone

you may download with abandon!}

***

CONTACT:

Kit Golson Design

for elegant, sustainable and pragmatic

Chic Provence Interior Design