More Vintage Lady Portraits...

Just flipping through the new issue of Home Companion magazine and this vignette of lady oil portraits caught my eye. I recently posted about collecting vintage portraits and love seeing what others have done with theirs. These paintings are by Harold Gore and from the collection of Carolyn and Nikki Moore.

Photo courtesy of Home Companion Magazine June/July 2008.

Thanks!

Last night I had the pleasure of speaking with Lizzie from Design Watcher. She interviewed me about the antique "biz" and how I got started. You can read it here on her blog. It was informational for me as well. Great speaking with someone much younger than myself (yes, I'm the middle-aged sect...a Baby Boomer) and getting her opinion on trends, blogs and design. Thanks Lizzie!

Picturesque Postcards

Tiny Postcard /Business Card (above) from the Old Poodle Dog Hotel & Restaurant in San Francisco, c. 1849-1900
I love collecting antique and vintage hand-tinted postcards, especially of old hotel interiors and anything French. These Victorian linen postcards are interspersed throughout my home. One of my favorites is the "morning afternoon tea" at the Hotel Oakland with its elegant hotel silver. And as many of you know, I include vintage French postcards with purchases on my website. I just love them framed or sitting amongst a collection!

Serving Afternoon Tea at the Hotel Oakland, Calif. c. 1900


Portola-Louvre Restaurant, Powell and Market Sts., San Francisco, c. 1900
Ballroom, Fairmont Hotel, San Francisco, CA c. 1900
Picturesque Costumes, Chinatown, San Francisco, CA c. 1930

All photos courtesy of Paris Hotel Boutique Journal

1960's New York Fashion Designer's Apartments

John Moore, once a designer for Marilyn Monroe, was devoted to the cool glitter of crystal. Moore's Apartment (above) is lined with mirrors, a zebra rug and a black and white glass screen painting of a jazz band. The model wears Moore's white crepe evening dress.
Recently I was thumbing through an old 1963 Life Magazine that my friend had given me featuring fashion designer's homes. I thought I'd share these terrific photos! The three top New York designers at the time were Arnold Scaasi, Bill Blass and John Moore. Take a close look or click to enlarge the photos. Does anyone see a resemblance to today's decor?

Arnold Scaasi's living room (above) was two stories high with views overlooking Central Park. A rich melange of color and texture combining blue velvet banquettes, gilded chairs shaped like hands and an enormous wolf rug. The model in the photo has a strapless dress and stole make of a thousand silk petals.

Bill Blass's bedroom (above) is small but luxurious. Carpeted with fake ocelot fabric with a real leopard rug. The stool by the bed is covered with zebra. The pillows are a mixture of tapestry and print. On the table are owl figurines which Blass collected. There is a scenic wallpaper panel used in the place of a headboard.
Blass's living room (above) is predominantly beige to match the linen-covered sofa, and is surrounded by a terrace. He was a collector of paintings and the living room was dominated by the bold color of Andre Brasilier's paintings of jockeys, a perfect foil for the Blass-designed lime and white high-waisted evening dress worn by the model.
All photos courtesy of Life Magazine, May 24, 1963

Vignettes

Photo from parishotelboutique.com
I just love anything displayed a grouping. Vintage paintings, trophies, hotel silver, china, the list goes on and on...I had fun taking photos (below) of some of the oil paintings on my website and grouping them all together. They make so much of a statement as a vignette. What are some of your favorite vignettes?

Photo from parishotelboutique.com

Your Opinion, Please

I am in a bit of a quandary. I have had my website, Parishotelboutique.com for almost 6 years now. I am contemplating changing the background wallpaper. I have inundated my friends with e-mails to select their favorite. I thought it may be fun to do a survey

so you can select your favorite. There is the current background or two versions of solid. Any comments would be appreciated. Please vote (on the right) too!



#1 Current wallpaper - Click Here

#2 Wallpaper - Click Here

#3 Wallpaper - Click Here

Serge Roche Sconce?

The other day I posted about the work of Serge Roche and low and behold, I may have discovered a wall sconce of his! It's available here on my website and there is an identical pair on 1st Dibs. I'm hoping it's the real thing!