. . . and it was just about this time, last year, there was a dressing room enveloped in carerra marble and accented with pretty bits of pink, here and there, and today it's a powder room, in the very same perfect combination, both of which also happen to be two very favourite things . . .
. . . bits and pieces of this home have appeared in many places, but not until happening upon the portfolio of australian interior designer, sarah davison, have there been glimpses of the place in its entirety; and even after, the living room, with its pale yellow roses and glittering amethyst, elegantly carved pillars and rich herringbone floors, is still the favourite . . .
. . . and a part of the weekend was spent in the countryside, back gardens and magnolia blossoms, and it was so very lovely to drive out of the busy-ness of the city for a while; and the week has begun in spring sunlight, cups of coffee and conversations before breakfast, and although so much has been done in the past weeks, there is still much to, and so, it's for now, more coffee and a beautiful new week . . .
happy monday! hope you had a stunning spring weekend, and that your week is off to a perfect start, — roséline xo [a few lovely links below] x
. . . despite an affinity to white and soft-hued rooms, [dusky pinks and smokey lavenders], every year, around this time, always seem to fall head over heels for more vibrant colours, wild rose and daffodil, and now, this astonishingly lovely shade of turquoise, that looks as if has been flung from far-off and tropical seas, especially when perfectly paired with a spring bouquet, bits of coral, and warm floods of light . . .
. . . while can never resist a towering pastry stand, especially one that is filled with beautifully decorated and delectable pastries, it is the tiny flower arrangements that have fallen quite in love with—little sprigs of pale pink hydrangeas placed in sterling silver egg cups—isn't it a most lovely idea? . . . and in perfect time for easter . . . previoustable for two articles:
. . . there are things we always come back to, one of which was intimated last week, and on this [romantically] overcast thursday, in a dusky café with a stack of [more] thank you cards to write, have been drawn, again and again, to this breezy, springtime-perfect room -- first published here, [like betsey johnson's pink manhattan apartment], in 2007, with the actual image, astonishingly, dating back to 2001, and yet, the clamshell-ruffle appliqué tablecloth, draped along the hardwood and shaped from a continuous two-hundred-yard-long strip of damask, is as breathtaking today, as it was so long ago . . .
. . . and while on the topic of tabletops and bouquets, very much like the thought of arranging little bouquets, whether fragrant white freesias or lilac-coloured roses or palest yellow tulips, at each place setting at springtime soirées, bouquets wrapped in lengths of satin ribbon and pinned with pretty little rhinestones or iridescent mother-of-pearl . . .
. . . and the weather was so beautiful today, it's becoming clear that it will be increasingly difficult to concentrate on work [or any matter indoors] in the days and weeks to come, and with all this brightness and buds on trees and newly unfurled petals in devastating shades of lavender and dusky violet, there comes also, the feverish need to clean and sort and organise anew, and here, when all the feverishness is over, there will be glass cases for storage & display, for everything, from towels and bottles of perfume in the powder room, folded rows and hangers of clothes in the bedroom, and most of all, for favourite pairs of shoes . . .
. . . lately have been thinking about the things we always come back to—the crashing waves of the ocean, a favourite fragrance or countryside road, a novel or restaurant; for some, there are the same colours, designers, or interiors . . .
. . . and for me, it is this manhattan apartment, belonging to fashion designer betsey johnson—a maximalist heaven of overflowing bouquets of roses and utterly breathtaking pink walls, beautiful chandeliers and yards upon yards of antique lace . . .
"Autumn arrives in early morning, but spring at the close of a winter day."
~ Elizabeth Bowen
. . . of all the beautiful things there to look forward to in spring -- longer days and the promise of evenings on terraces, pastel dresses with golden shoes and the first magnolia blossoms -- perhaps the most intoxicating, might be the change to begin again at winter's end, fresh and new and in extravagant shades of spring white . . .
. . . and it is quite amazing the difference a few extra minutes of daylight makes -- lately, have been compelled to throw open the curtains a little earlier each morning, stay outdoors a little longer each evening, and at home, thoughts of painting all the walls spring white and scattering mirrors and lucite about every room, to hold on to the early march sunlight for as long as possible . . .
. . . and in other exciting news : there will be a wonderful new extension to the {take me away} series, after many lovely requests, and the first installment of which, will appear a little later today, but first, a glimpse of what is come, in the form of a tiny 15-room boutique hotel in the seventh arrondissement, that also happens to include a michelin-starred restaurant, and the most fun mix of colours & patterns, brought together by designer india mahdavi; besides beautiful powder rooms enveloped in carerra [and with aesop bath products, at that], there is a view of la tour eiffel just outside the window . . .
. . . positively adore everything about this room -- the white walls and layered carpets, leaning artwork and velvet sofa, the soft coral settee and stunning floods of light, and most of all, the glittering flecks of gold . . .
. . . still more to come today, but laily has just sent along this glimpse of tory burch's weekend home in southhampton -- a collaboration with architect & designer daniel romualdez, [whose work you may remember here] and decorator eve hood, there is something so warm and bright, and a little romantic about it all, especially in the living room, [top], at one end of the home's former ballroom, with its coral-coloured curtains and chintz-covered sofa . . .
. . . this weekend was a few luxurious moments to catch up on a little reading, afternoons in the warm late-winter sunshine and late lunches at old favourite places; there were also renovations—[contractors and things being built, a maddeningly fine dust falling over everything]—but also, the wonderful feeling of things accomplished and being steps closer to all the projects and plans that have begun some time ago; and there dinner at a new italian restaurant, glasses of montepulciano d'abruzzo and today, so much sunlight, it feels as if spring might arrive at any moment . . .
hope you've had [are having] a perfectly lovely [long] weekend, and that it's beautiful where you are, —roséline xo
. . . the colour grey has appeared here many times, and whether amidst monograms & ruffles and chignons & chandeliers, intermingled with sequins & sunlight, or perfectly paired with petal pink, it is classic and warm, and always elegant, and there is something quite enchanting about its dusky hues, as with clouds on a bright february afternoon . . .
. . . it always seems, about this time of year, am ready to throw open the windows to the bright sunlight, in wild anticipation for springtime, and so, it is not difficult to imagine one being hopelessly drawn this perfectly romantic home, with its dusky lavender walls and pooling drapes of the same hue, its tufted linen chairs and carved settees, scalloped and gilded and mirrored accents, its florals and lucite may bring on bouts of spring fever at any moment . . .
. . . and after spending a blissfully relaxing weekend, [mostly] offline, did have a few moments to catch a quick glimpse of new things in the reader, between brunches and traipsing about at the shops and in the winter sunshine, and became engrossed in the dramatic transformation of this entryway in london . . .
. . . the place is in a bit of a topsy turvy state, as all things are before change, and this week's to-do lists are miles long, but it's lovely to be back after a beautiful weekend, and before it all begins . . .
