Tag Archives: Travel

A Great Bathroom in Paris

November 10, 2011

The water closet and bidet sculpted out of the same hauteville as the rest of the suite.Slideshow

The bath pictured in this post is one I visit nearly every time I am in Paris. The renovations and additions to her newly purchased house on the very fashionable Faubourg St. Honor was designed for Madame Jeanne Lanvin in 1924 by Armand Rateau, one of the fashion assistants in her atelier. These images are part of a suite that includes not only the bathroom but also an adjacent boudoir that is on permanent display at the Musee des Arts Decoratifs. As a friend said recently, it is a bit of a hike to find this hidden gem, but well worth the effort.

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Inspiration: Mosaics in Paris

November 9, 2011

Our last day in Paris we decided to have a look at the newly restored dome of Galleries Layfayette. On the way we stepped into Au Printemps and found this wonderful encaustic mosaic in the entry. The colors are vibrant and it is a lively and welcoming floor.Slideshow

Most people go to Paris and record vistas of beautiful gardens, remarkable architectural detail and people in cafes or walking their dogs. I do that as well, some of the time. But on my most recent trip in March, I wanted to find really beautiful mosaics that were not in museums. By accident, I happened to look in an apartment vestibule and spied a really wonderful mosaic and photographed it.

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Color Everywhere

November 5, 2011

This is the charming scarecrow that guards the French Laundry garden. The ripe butternut squash and strawberries were brimming with color.Slideshow

While many of you know that white is my favorite color for the bath, I am inspired by all colors and use my photos to help me define palettes for tiles, towels and countless other objects. Colorful inspiration is all around, all the time. It is only when we take the time to record our surroundings that we begin to realize how influenced we are by our environment.

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Public Bathrooms

November 29, 2010

Reminiscent of grade school bathrooms, Cecconi's ladies room with 3 unlaquered brass fittings and a custom marble trough sink is charming and different.Slideshow

At one time or another all of us have been in a public bathroom, whether it was in a restaurant, hotel lobby, airport or museum.  I think we’re all relieved if they are clean and have toilet paper, even more so if they have hot water, hand wash and paper towels.  Their design and decoration is often secondary.  However recently I’ve begun to notice a shift in public bathroom design.

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