That’s My Jamb

jamb 9Good Morning Lacquered Lifers. This month, World of Interiors featured the latest project by Will Fisher, the founder of the famed UK-based fireplace and reproduction company, Jamb. Having been a big fan of Jamb’s products for a while, I was thrilled to see Fisher’s latest project. Located in the East End of London, this house was quite derelict when they found it – inhabited by squatters, with a vacant commercial space on the ground floor, it took a lot of vision to see the potential in this property.  jamb 1The partition between the living and dining rooms on the first floor was designed by Fisher and built on site. Although the turn-of-the century building was not under the protection of the Spitalfields Trust, unlike so many of its neighboring buildings, the Trust was extremely helpful in making recommendations – which included that of the joiner that built the glazed partition. 
jamb 4The paneling is not original to the house. Fisher had the paneling added throughout, which contributes just the right amount of character to each space. In this photo, the beauty of the original floors really stand out against the creamy paneling. 
jamb 5In an upstairs bath, the buttery color of this vintage tub is the perfect counterpoint to the gray-green of the paneled walls. Looking closely, I believe those shower fittings are Catchpole & Rye – one of my personal favorites.jamb 8In one of the bedrooms, the mantel was custom made using Peacock’s Eye marble. So incredibly chic. And looking to the right in this photo, you can catch a glimpse of the built in cabinetry that lines the small hallway to the bathroom – I so appreciate his use of furniture pulls on the drawers.

For more photos and information of this project, check out World Of Interiors January 2016 issue, or visit the Jamb Blog 

photos via Jamb Blog

More Architecture

Patience is a Virtue

Patience is a virtue. A saying long used by our elders in a vain effort to teach the younger generation that good things come to those who wait. I wonder if these sayings will continue to be used by my generation as we raise our children Wait? Why wait? Wait through the commercials to watch a whole television show? Order it on Apple TV. Wait for the newspaper? Go on Twitter. Slowly furnish a home over time to allow it to have that collected and curated look we all crave? Go online and order it all over the course of a weekend.

I know, I know, it’s hilarious that I say this as a blogger; but as a preservationist we are an inherently patient people. We respect time, and the passage of time, and the time it took for things to age and develop the patina and history that we obsess over and admire. So it has been with film director James Ivory and his c. 1805 home in NY’s Hudson Valley. IvoryThe 6,000 square foot c. 1805 home has twelve foot ceilings throughout, and was built on an octagonal plan, with two octagonal rooms on each side stacked on top of each other. Ivory purchased the home in the summer of 1975 … for $105,000.
Ivory 4Ivory 6
Ivory 5Ivory 3Ivory 2Ivory’s home, complete with stacks and stacks of books and miles of memorabilia and objets, looks as if it has been lived in, and loved, for forty years. And yet, the owner feels it is only 95% done. Patience, a virtue? In this case, I believe so. 

Photos via T Magazine

More Architecture

Southern Life, Southern Style, Southern Lifestyle

TMagNolaGood Morning Lacquered Lifers. By now you all have seen (a million times) the T Magazine piece on Sara Ruffin Costello and Paul Costello’s New Orleans Garden District home. I have seen it a million times as well, but I keep coming back to it. Obviously for the architecture – their Italianate home was built in 1868, and my Greek Revival Italianate mix built in 1873, but for the lifestyle. There is a comment in the article that Sara makes about living in New Orleans, which just about hits the nail on the head about how Mr. B and I live in Charleston. ” The other thing I love here is blending with all age groups, we hang out with a lot of older people here.” For a long time, this part of our lifestyle here in Charleston has been one of our favorite things. Age has never been a barrier to entry at a party we have been invited to, or a party we have hosted. TMagNola 5Sara also mentions what it has been like moving into a home with so much history, even history for those still living … now that we have moved to New Street, stories about our house keep coming back to us, and people have been eager to reminisce about all the wonderful times they spent here with the previous owners … who had a tenure of 52 years. TMagNola 3It seems that us northerners, Costellos and Brocks, have really lucked out with our transitions to the South, and to our homes filled with history. I look forward to getting our renovation started, and to uncovering more of the stories that the Louis Barbot house has to share. TMagNola 4 TMagNola 2 TMagNola 6

Photos via T Magazine 

More Architecture