sandr018

This past weekend I attended one of my favorite kind of estate sales: a very old Washingtonian family in a very old grand house. The family bought said house during the great depression after selling their huge estate and literally never touched the house again: not paint, no adding furniture, etc.  Shabby chic would be a great term (if it wasn't already attached to something quite different). I wish I had some pictures to share with you of the house but I never thought of taking any snapshots unfortunately. Sloans and Kenyon , a local auction house, hosts the best estate sales of the oldest families here in town. If they're hosting you know you need to be there! I had a huge haul (including literal armfuls of linens which I spent all day Sunday oxy-cleaning, laundering, and ironing) and just a few of the items are shown here in this post. One item I purchased remains a bit of  a mystery. This small pitcher reminds me of belleek ware - the collectible paper-thin Irish porcelai...

It's been one of those weeks where you just need a little pretty.  Luckily I have my penpal to supply me with beautiful photographs from his travels. One gem that caught my eye is the Teatro Municipal in Rio de Janiero, Brazil (which I can never think of without humming a little Fred Astaire , I love that song of his about Rio!). The Opera house, designed by French architect Albert Guilbert, was heavily based on the Palais Garnier or Paris Opera House (See my post on that storied building HERE ) and completed in 1909. A later addition to the concert hall dates to 1934 with an adjunct being added just 20 years ago.  The grand staircase could almost be seen as an exact copy!  Is it any wonder that anyone would want to copy this great, impressive building?  The ceiling features a beautiful stained glass skylight. Just as in Paris the top of the stair holds various gathering spaces for intermissions. They are slightly less ornate but no less grand.  The similariti...

The Alhambra is a fortressed palace in southern Spain that dates back to the 9th century.  At the time this area was ruled by the Moors and it wasn't until the late 15th century that it came under Catholic rule (see previous post on the Palace of Charles V HERE ).  The Alhambra is really a warren of separate palaces built under different rulers all joined together on a hilltop as one fortress providing protection against invasion. Numerous courtyards contain different gardens and water features. Each are slightly different reflecting the tastes of each ruler and the style of the day but all followed the rule of  making a 'paradise on earth'. On this cold snowy day I could imagine spending a lot of time in Southern Spain! The striking thing about each section are the numerous patterns and decoration employed. The earliest patterns were Arabic inscriptions which morphed into geometric patterns. No interior surface was left unadorned. Imagine the crews of artisans required t...

Nestled into the ancient Alhambra is the Palace of Charles V which dates to the early 16th century Renaissance. This palace was modeled on ancient Roman architecture which was heavily influential at the time period. Later these Renaissance examples would come to rule and guide Classical architecture. Lets start outside as that's what one encounters first.  The strong rusticated base exudes strength but instead of small openings as in a fortress the palace is flooded with large windows and natural light. Fortification is not the primary goal here.  I love the ornate bronze rings that line the lower level. Notice the recent restoration to the stonework with the new stone crisp and clean leaving the weathered stone alone (the way it should be!). Once inside the gardens make a complete 180. When in Rome....or Granada in this case.....cooling water features are the focus of the gardens. The gardens were actually already in place when the palace was built having been started in the...