Snowflakes in May and secret lives untold

Pigtown*Design recently had a very thought provoking post called Look Up. She said that her Dad used to teach them to look up at buildings - what was going on above street level - as that was the way to see what a building used to be. I loved that post. Such a simple reminder to us to keep our eyes open and be willing to look beyond what's right in front of us. The beauty in form comes from many perspectives - not just the obvious one.

During my week here at Trianon Antiques (which ends today), I've been sitting among some of the most beautiful French and European antiques and wondering whose lives have they touched and whose fingers have run over the same woods and stones? Who sat at the 18th C Italian marble topped writing table that I am currently using a laptop on while sipping an iced coffee and eating apple wedges? Was it a genteel lady writing to her paramour with feather pen and a cup of cafe at hand? Perhaps she too was eating an apple. Or was it the paramour reading her thoughts while sipping a cognac? What have these antiques seen over the years? Whose lives have the chandeliers and sconces lit and what secrets do they hold? Have you ever sat and really pondered that? Does it make you feel connected to those lives untold?

I've always loved taking photos from unusual anlges. Anyone can get a photo of the Eiffel Tower straight on - heck, just buy a post card or download an image. My photos from my first time there were of the angles of the legs and from the dead center middle looking up - the underbelly as it were. Again - whose lives have trod those many steps or ridden the elevators that move at an angle?

We've all seen gorgeous chandeliers - in magazines and in stores. Have you ever just "looked up"?

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Oh, How the Met Sparkles!

Have you ever been to The Met? Or, like Cher in Moonstruck, do you need to ask "Where's the Met?" Whether you're an opera fan or not, anyone who is interested in interiors would thrill to the sight of the iconic crystal chandeliers at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York and how they rise up to the rafters as the lights dim. I attended a production of La Boheme on a school trip in the seventh grade, and I recall gawking, mouth agape, as these amazing crystal sculptures started moving. It's not a sight, or feeling, that ever goes away! Did you see the movie Moonstruck? (I actually saw it this weekend for the first time in a long time). When Cher and Nicolas Cage attend La Boheme (they really do other works as well!), the movie totally captures the feeling I had in the seventh grade. The grandure is unbelievable.

What I didn't know, is that the chandeliers, designed by Hans Harald Rath of distinguished chandelier manufacturer J&L Lobmeyr in Vienna, were installed in 1966 as a gift from Austria as a thank you for US aid in the aftermath of WW2.

This summer, eleven of the chandeliers were returned to their birthplace – the Lobmeyr factory – for refurbishment. Funded entirely by Swarovski, each chandelier has undergone a painstaking renovation process, including the replacement of around 50,000 beautiful Swarovski crystals custom-made for the Metropolitan Opera.









Tonight is the Opening Night Gala at The Met, featuring Renee Fleming performing three of her most famous roles. The question is... who will shine brighter?

It may not be over till the fat lady sings (Renee is NOT fat, but you know what I mean), but it doesn't start till the chandeliers rise up!

Events: Residential Design & Construction, Boston

I attended this years Residental Design & Construction show in Boston this week. Unfortunately, I had about 1 hour to run through the show, which was too bad as there were several very interesting looking booths I would have liked to stop by. But, at least I got to visit my IFDA colleagues at our New England chapter booth.

Pictured here are:Eleanor Samuels, Linda Stimson, Kris Shaffer, Susan Tata-Fitzgerald & Karl Ivester
The booth was decorated by: Kris and Susan, with furnishings donated by several showrooms at the Boston Design Center.

I also stopped by the New England Home Magazine booth to visit with my friends Katie Dammann and Melissa Copeland.

And finally, I was just drawn into the Italian Design booth by these fantastic pieces and had a nice chat with lighting designer Alfredo Perez.

The Aqua Creations collection is just so cool. Very otherworldly, this piece also gave off a beautiful glow that would work in so many setting from home to retail to museum.


I want this piece, Fil de Fer by Catellan & Smith! I'm not sure where I'd put it in my tiny condo front yard, but oh, so pretty!!


So, that's as far as I got in my 60 minute trot through Residential Design & Construction, 2008. Hopefully, next year I'll have more time.

And the Winner Is...

Congratulations goes to Modernemama! She wrote about her living room:

"It's almost impossible for me to pick a favorite room in my house but I think if I have to choose (and that lamp is a good enough reason to do it) I'd pick the great room, also known as the living room for several reasons. Firstly its shape, a trapezoid, that in itself is totally cool and the size -it's double height, but it doesn't feel grand or imposing. The architect designed a balcony above so that visitors could watch dancing or card games below. Then there's the ceiling, redwood with exposed beams and four pendant lamps made from umbrella stands. The floor is walnut and oak parquet, perfect for dancing or sliding competitions. There's stamped sandstone on one wall and much of the furniture came with the house vintage 1968/70. The most surprising thing about the room is the sound quality, providing great acoustics for all kinds of music. It's an awesome room, warm but modern, it can accommodate a whole group of friends or just the family enjoying a cosy night by the fire. And it's accessible to almost every other room in the house. We're exceptionally lucky to be able to enjoy this great room every day."

For posting her comment about her favorite room, Modernemama has won this lovely Jonathan Adler lamp!


Modernemama was among three other entrants who were brave enough to send in photos of their favorite rooms. (Although it wasn't necessary to win!)


This from Lolo: I've had lots of favorite rooms and spaces throughout my life, but one I'm loving nowadays is our bedroom down on St. John, US Virgin Islands. I love being down there in the Caribbean! We work on the house and projects for half a day, then usually go hiking or to the beach for the last part of the day. We almost always bring guests with us, so the days are very full of activities, tasks, projects, running around. But when we retreat to this downstairs bedroom, it means the end of another event-filled day. It means being alone with my wonderful honey, my husband, Doug. It means lying in bed with warm breezes caressing our skin. The only sounds we hear are tree frogs and the waves gently breaking on the beach below. It means the best sleep of your life... very deep, lots of dreams. It means rolling over a bit and seeing a spectacular sunrise, coming right up out of the ocean. It means waking up to another day in paradise."



And Eric3000 wrote of this small lav: The room I love the most is also the room that gave me the most heartache: The powder room. It was the most awful space I've seen outside of pictures of flood-damaged New Orleans. It was covered in hideous red-flocked wallpaper, including ceiling and door, there was a picture of Venus on the toilet seat, and other horrors I can't even describe. It looked like a whore-house threw up in there. It took a week of tag-team scraping to get the wallpaper down and I almost lost my mind. That room was dead to me. I seriously considered covering the entire room in a new layer of drywall. But it was so satisfying to finish it that I love it now! Here's a quote from my blog, where I wrote about the experience: "After the room was painted and the wood floor, new sink, and toilet were put in, it suddenly became my favorite room in the whole house! I'm sure it was just because it was the biggest challenge."

VR said... "My favorite room is my home office, because here the world is my oyster. I can write, search the internet, make unlimited domestic phone calls for a flat monthly fee, talk to my husband on the intercom (his office is downstairs) and spend time with my twin girls, Katiya and Dushka, 1 1/2-year old Nebelungs (breed of cat). The boy kitties (Nikita and Misha) are not allowed in my office because they play with wires and chase the mouse. The girls are perfect ladies; they come here to get away from the rough-and-tumble boys and to spend some quality time with me. Katiya sleeps on the chair next to mine; Dushka sleeps under my chair. Both get daily massages on the bookcase."


And since others were brave enough to share, I will too:

My favorite room in my house is my bedroom. Not only because I love the colors and that it's filled with family memories (Grandma's dresser set, other Grandma's rocker, Mom's Whiting & Davis silver mesh bag) but also because it's the only room in my house that is actually finished! I love bedrooms, love decorating them and love being in them. So, anywhere I've lived, my bedroom is always pretty much the only completely finished room.


I'd like to thank everyone for entering the contest and sharing your stories. I loved hearing all the different reasons why we love our spaces, from family bonding to places of rest or entertainment, or even just the feeling of a job well done!

I'd also like to thank my wonderful and generous sponsor Croft & Little for offering such a great prize. Please visit their website and also the websites of their sister companies Ylighting and Zwello.com.

And stay tuned as I am currently working with some other folks to be able to offer more contests in the future!

::Surroundings:: Spring Contest - What's Your Favorite Room?

CLICK HERE FOR OUR MAY 2008 CONTEST!!

As I announced earlier this week, the lovely folks at Croft & Little Lighting have offered to award this fantastic Carlyle Beaded Lamp designed by Jonathan Adler, to a lucky ::Surroundings:: reader!




The contest is very simple. In the comments box, please share with us what your favorite room in your house is (or the one you grew up in) and why. That's it, pretty simple! I'll put all your names in a hat (literally or figuratively) and draw a winner. Speaking of names, please do not post as Anonymous! You must post with an identifiable name so that I can announce you as the winner. When you post, also please send me an email at linda.m.merrill (at) gmail.com and let me know the name you used for your comment and your real name, so I can notify you that you're the winner!

The contest starts today, March 26th and ends at midnight on April 1st. I will draw and announce the winner on April 2nd. The winner will need to be willing to provide their real name, address, phone number and email address and all that good stuff so that Croft & Little can send you your prize!

Please note, C&L can only ship to the continental US, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Canada. So, international readers, I'd love to include you, but I just can't. However, we'd love for you to share your favorite room story with us just the same.

For added fun, if you'd like to share a photo of your favorite space, email it to me at linda.m.merrill (at) gmail.com and I'll post it! Not necessary to win, but fun never-the-less.

So, tell us about YOUR Favorite room! And Good Luck everyone!

And, don't forget to visit our prize sponsor Croft and Little and sister sites YLighting and Zwello.com for great options in lighting, furniture and more!