Tag Archives: Product

Sanssouci

May 22, 2008UncategorizedProductMrs. Blandings

1st dibs has a nice little feature on Chinoiseries, the stunning book by Bernd Dams and Andrew Zega.

It reminded me of the story I pulled from a vintage House & Garden, December 1988 on Frederick the Great’s country retreat. Not having the budget of Louis XIV, Sanssouci is on a much smaller scale and is modeled on Grand Trianon and not Versailles.

These images are of the tea house. Life sized gilded figures surround the palm tree columns. I’m completely enchanted by the tassels hanging from the roof line.

A hearty figure crowns the building, carefully shielded from the elements by his smart parasol.

The library in the main house is a circular, domed room outfitted with built-in bookcases.

The bas-relief monkey adorns the walls of “Voltaire’s room” where the philosopher lived for three years. Martin Filler, the article’s author, notes that Voltaire might have been, “the king’s most important French acquisition.” His quarters certainly capture the spirit of his homestead’s name, which translates as “without care.” The entire room was decorated with carved and painted flora and fauna. Too bad writers are no longer considered collectable. This wouldn’t be a bad spot to be a resident blogger.

Photographs, Erich Lessing.

Holy Grail

May 16, 2008UncategorizedProductMrs. Blandings

My pulse always jumps a bit when I see the email from Dessin Fournir with that optimistic subject line “New Releases.”

I’ve always marveled at the creative process. Artists of every kind astound me. Musicians particularly because I am so decidedly unmusical, the thought of being able to string notes together to make a happy noise seems mystifying. Then the thought of different happy noises, different than anyone has created, well, that is the kind of thing that can make me take to my bed.

These kinds of mental puzzles often make me call Mr. Blandings in the middle of the day and announce things right after he has answered like, “I’m not sure I’m a Christian.” I can picture him at his desk, phone in hand, lines blinking while he replies in a moderated tone, “Really? Hey, honey, can we talk about this when I get home?”

I mean, I’m a creative sort myself, but much more a copy cat than an innovative mind.

But I can appreciate that gift when I see it. The “Oh!” that escapes at the wonder of the new.

Many of Dessin Fournir’s pieces make me feel that way and I don’t care how many times I see that perfect dining room table in one layout or another, I will always think of it as mine.

But Chuck Comeau, the company’s founder, is an innovator of another kind as well. Do check Cottage Living this month to see their profile of what he is doing in Hays and Plainville, Kansas. There is also a video on their web site. He’s my kind of savior.

Just One Word

May 6, 2008UncategorizedProductMrs. Blandings

Kansas City is the kind of place that has more like two degrees of separation than six. As I was working out yesterday and recounting the antics of the weekend nearly every woman there was saying, “Who? Oh, right, his sister was in my class.” or “His mother is a good friend of mine.” or “I think she’s listing a house on our street.” Like that.

Today, I’m introducing something terrific from Mr. Blanding’s boyhood neighbor’s nephew’s wife. Got it?

Lara Shelton, originally from Indianapolis, married a nice boy from “our town.” She has two little boys, and to create an escape from the trucks and sippy cups she has started her own line of melamine plates.

I adore melamine for it’s smoothness and the slightly matte finish and the fact that it is nearly indestructable. Lara has dreamed up some jazzy designs for La Plates and I think the monograms and personalizing are so great because they are so BIG. Nothing says fabulous to me like a big, oversized anything.

Check out her site. The plates are customizable by pattern, color, type style, nearly anything. Mrs. Blanding’s readers will receive a 10% discount through June 1st by entering the code laplates10. Summer’s right around the corner. These are just the thing for beach, pool or lake – or pbj’s while you’re running through the sprinkler.

Let’s Dish

May 1, 2008UncategorizedProductMrs. Blandings

Certainly, only good things could come from a room like this. The sunlight alone would fill you with joy and happily serve as muse each and every day. This is the studio of Mae Mougin, a ceramist who lives in Southampton, New York.

Mougin is featured in the current issue of domino, but that is not where I first saw her work. One of the shops that represents her is Bloom, in Sag Harbor. Bloom is spare and clean like a Helmut Lang dress. It’s the kind of place you walk in and think, “Hmm… awkward, there are, like, three things in here.” Then it all comes into focus.

Mougin’s ceramics are among the treasures. Obviously, each is handmade, you can see that, but the pieces can be personalized as well.

My big city friend has dishes with his house number stamped on the rim. Delicious.

Have your hot dogs and burgers on these, the polar opposite of paper with all of the charm of the easy, outdoor living icon.

It would be so easy, would it not, to put all your eggs in this charming basket?

Visit Mougin’s site for retail locations. You won’t be surprised that there are only seven.

Countdown

April 30, 2008Uncategorizedneedlepoint, ProductMrs. Blandings

Sometimes there is a sort of harmonic convergence to blogging. One thing leads to the next and your realize the time is now. I am going to Las Vegas on Friday and I have been mentally counting the days, if not scratching them into the wall of my cell. Then a reader asked yesterday about the Bunny Williams room and I pulled it out to look at it again and thought, “I must take my stitching on the plane.” It has languished in the bag too long. Then I remembered an email Jennifer had sent me almost a year ago.

Fine Cell Work is a not-for-profit organization in England that provides prisoners with an opportunity to do needlework to pass time and make money. (And they have a boxer on their home page. Rosie sits under one of our leather chairs like this sometimes.)

If you have ever needlepointed you know that it is a time-intensive process. I have stitched monogram pillows for many of my friends’ daughters (and there was a bit of a run on them for a while.) One of my friends, upon receiving her third such pillow remarked, “You should not give these to people who have never stitched; they won’t get it.”

Generally, I don’t buy needlepoint because it is usually so inexpensive. It makes me squirm a bit to know some woman has created a piece for pennies. (Which, by the way, does not occur to me when I am buying t-shirts by the truckload at Target. Apparently, I’m subjectively free trade.)

But these pillows, excuse me, “cushions,” are lovely. If you can’t have a Walton Ford on your wall, you could have one of these on your sofa.

Not all needlepoint, the inmates create pieces with quilting, embroidery and cross-stitch as well. The one above would bring a little Gee’s Bend to the boys’ rooms.

Of course, they’ve done celebrity deals as well. Allegra Hicks designed the pillow above.

Nina Campbell, in three colors, with embroidery.

Kits are also available if you are a DIYer, as I am. Sometimes things that seem like they don’t go together work out just fine. Prisoners and needlepoint. Needlepoint and Las Vegas. Las Vegas and me. Mrs. Blandings in Sin City has a bit of a ring to it, don’t you think?