Astonishing...

Does anyone else find this room as gorgeous as I do?

it speaks to me of springtime, hope and beautiful beginnings

I could spend a lot of time here...

***

via San Francisco Magazine (print, not online)

article and photography direction by Diane Dorrans Saeks,

also of The Style Saloniste

this is the Nob Hill home of architect

Andrew Skurman and

his wife Francoise Skurman;

Andrew designed the amazing table base;

Francoise's silver adorns the table filled

with peonies she arranged;

together they collected the painting

by Cy Twombly's son

***

painting: Fall of Icarus by Alessandro Twombly

table base fabricated by Tom Dixon

Mars chairs

Provence Glassware: Diners en Ville, Paris

Empire candlesticks: Odiot, Paris

Bernardaud porcelain

Puiforcat silver flatware

Silver pieces French heirlooms

Etching: Bromphenol Blue, Damien Hirst

Photography by JD Peterson

***

thanks for visiting .. Kit

Pretty in Provence: Almond Green & Rose Pink

I have to confess I am just not an autumn colors girl. There, I said it. Black & orange, black & brown, burnt orange & brown, rust & olive. Not only do I have crunchy dark autumn to deal with, but now Halloween is upon us with its very restricted palette:)

Which brings me to this lovely respite at Campagne Francaise: could there be a lighter, lovelier, springier or more feminine interpretation of our beloved Provencal* style than this? Are you with me?

like a watercolor, this living room is ready for teatime

thanks to the Holy Trinity of Fabric Designers:

linen curtains: Pierre Frey , chairs in Manuel Canovas,

pillows: Designers' Guild

dining room bathed in sunlight; Pierre Frey linen at the windows,

table found at the flea market at l'Isle sur la Sorgue then covered

with a sheet of zinc (love it!!)

soft and intimate atmosphere created by grey tones with white

and brightened with raspberry. upholstery by Pacific Compagnie

a little theatrical vignette of a screen

and a lampshade which

evoke the spirit of Venice and the 18th C.

love this original fireplace from the 30's in chinoiserie style;

Japanese tea cloth on the wall, Asian lamps with lavender shades and raku,

and that black chair against the almond green..fabulous!

love this inviting sleeping alcove with headboard and

curtains in Manual Canovas fabrics

***

all these gorgeous photos by

Stephen Clement

* this beautiful home is on the

northern coast of France, in Honfleur

selected fabrics to love from

Pierre Frey Manuel Canovas

Designers' Guild

by Kit Golson

Chic Provence Design!

Violet Trends While France Vacations!

A lilac-drenched coffee

machine from Krups

Since tomorrow is August 1, as anyone who has ever visited, lived in or done business with France knows, forget about getting much done in the next thirty days..or until "la rentrée ", when the kids go back to school and the adults trudge back to the workplace!

For one solid month, tout le monde will be on les vacances leaving us here in the New World green with envy for all the time the French have off from work! So while they are at the mountains, by the seashore or on the islands, we here in America can take a vacation from our white-cabinets-stainless-appliances-white-tile-ebonized-floors-kitchens and check out these cuisines a la francaise in what looks to be a seriously trending color over there: le violet (or..purple!)

They made me smile; they made me think of vacation homes. They also made me wonder just a little bit about who is really brave enough to do an entire kitchen in purple?

What do you think?

A liberal use of purple makes a very strong statement

in this contemporary French kitchen!

Fabulous retro-style refrigerator comes in brilliant colors from Gorenje!

Deep aubergine cabinets and island make a rich

and sophisticated statement in this chic urban kitchen..

I do adore these cassis color cabinets by Mobalpa!

Efficient French kitchenette with violet cabinets

tucked into small space looks great!

A purple blender...fun!

Even venerable Emile Henry is in on the

trend with this Fig colored cocotte!

And just to be quite sure you get the point, here

is a very purple Brabantia dust bin!

all images Côté Maison

***

To Each His Own Summer!

from My Little Marseilles

Why I Love Kandinsky

"I applied streaks and blobs of colors onto the canvas with a

palette knife and I made them sing with all the intensity I could...."

~Wassily Kandinsky

That pretty much sums it up.

***

Get out there and apply some streaks and blobs!

Have a wonderful, colorful, creative and unihibited week!

Happy Monday!

***

Question: Would the brilliance of a

Kandinsky go a long way in breathing some life back into these

listlessly lissome and lifelessly anemic all white rooms?

What I'm saying is, couldn't these rooms use a little color?

Or are they already perfect?

What do you think?

***

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

in 2010, it's:

Kit Golson Design

for elegant, sustainable and pragmatic

Chic Provence Interior Design

Would You Rather Float Down the Nile, or Do the Spring Cleaning?

It feels like I've been buried in that necessary ritual of spring cleaning: sorting, editing, tossing, donating, painting. I'm just a little..weary of it, on the brink of the lovely days that aren't quite here yet. Maybe I'm daydreaming a bit while I pile things to donate to charity and paint the closets. How would you like a refreshing change right about now?

What if you found yourself floating gently down the Nile River, in a houseboat as luxuriously appointed as any fine hotel, but with a continually changing view outside your window or from your floating veranda? A comfortable sitting room, a balcony deck, a shower that rained gently down on your weary shoulders, melting away the stresses of the day.

floating down the Nile on the bateau Nourelnil

past palm trees, camels, birds, people going about their daily lives

images from Marie Claire Maison

What if visiting Egypt inspired you to research the ancient Egyptian motifs that Napoleon brought into style when he returned triumphantly from his conquest of Egypt, ushering in the Empire style in early 19th Century France?

portrait of Napoleon on his throne

Empire Chest ca. 1806, France

Napoleon's Egyptian Sevres dinner service, 1806

Empire tripod table with griphons

Egyptian column designs, including the Palmiform, lower left

Egyptian sailing vessels

ancient Egyptian fauteuils

Egyptian design motifs and colors

What if you looked closely at the colors the ancient Egyptians used in decorating walls, floors, art objects and furniture in their sunny climate thousands of years ago, and were surprised to realize they are the same palette found in the Art Deco/Moderne era?

from Decopix website

If you get really inspired by your trip down the Nile, you could go to this YouTube video and learn how to get the Cleopatra eyes look for yourself!

Which reminds me, it's time I got back to that spring cleaning and seriously edited the makeup drawer :)

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

in 2010, it's:

Kit Golson Design

for elegant, sustainable and pragmatic

Chic Provence Interior Design