sandr018

I've recently been enjoying my copy of designer Timothy Corrigan 's " An Invitation to Chateau du Grand-Luce " and was thrilled to hear he'll be speaking at Hillwood next week, Tuesday, February 3 2015 at 7pm! Information on the lecture available HERE . While the pictures of the restored Chateau are the obvious reason to peruse the book, Corrigan's conversational writing is approachable and enjoyable. Not knowing much about the designer I assumed it would all sound rather pretentious; you know what I mean by 'my chateau in France' . Corrigan's approach to the restoration and decoration of the chateau is one of ease and a true country house; taking the best of French design and translating it to modern life in a very Californian sense while respecting the history of the structure. As the book is amazing you've probably already read and seen quite a lot about the book and the chateau itself online if you haven't purchased your own copy. If no...

If someone had told me before my last trip to Paris that the Museum of hunting and nature would be among the most fascinating I had ever visited in this city of museums, let alone anywhere, I would have laughed in their face.  Boy was I wrong. I visited for the architecture of course but was floored by the collections. Housed primarily in the famous Hotel de Guenegaud by Mansart, the museum added on another fascinating structure in 2007 to expand their collection, the Hotel de Mongelas . Above is the courtyard of the Hotel Guenegaud, designed and built by Francois Mansart (father of the Mansard roof) between 1651 and 1655 in the heart of the ancient Marais district. Much of the Hotel Guenegaud is sadly closed to the public however. The neighboring Hotel de Mongelas, which was extensively renovated and restored during the 2007 addition of the space to the museum, more than makes up for this closure. The entrance into the museum is through the courtyard of the Mongelas which mixes ...

After my last post HERE  I actually downloaded a few pictures I took with an actual camera and they featured details my previous post, featuring images from my cellphone, didn't capture.  As I mentioned the grounds and gardens are immaculate and stunningly beautiful. One thing we didn't need was an umbrella -not even these amazing Senz Automatic Passion Umbrellas - which you can find at thestore.com. My preference is for Passion Red!  Views of the mountains are found throughout the resort. I mentioned that Frank Capra was a long time resident of the resort; he lived in the above bungalow with his wife each summer. A plaque and garden bench commemorate them. This fun courtyard shown above surrounded by a few casitas is available for events; notice the strings of lights hanging over the space. While most of the resort is lush and green this interesting desert garden above reminds one that we are in the desert after all! I love how the fruit trees feature white painted bark ...