Golden Globes – My Top Picks.

Designers
January 12, 2015

Good Morning Lacquered Lifers! Hope everyone enjoyed the Golden Globes last night, I know I did! I know I don’t talk about fashion here at Lacquered Life very often, but awards shows are always an exception. And while we have all seen these photos a million times this morning, I wanted to highlight two of my favorites that haven’t been popping up on all the “lists”.

First is Felicity Jones in Dior. Do I really have to say anything to accompany this photo? The color is phenomenal, the cut is so chic, and it fits her like a glove. She looks like she just stepped out of Hollywood’s golden age. I absolutely adore this dress. This is the sort of black tie gown that one could have hanging in their closet and wear it over the next 50 years and it would always look on point. Well done Felicity.

Second is Diane Kruger in Emilia Wickstead. I am really not sure whether Diane Kruger can do any wrong. She is absolutely stunning, so anything you put on her is going to look beautiful. But I love the metallic sheen in this dress, and the structure of the train. Despite looking like a princess, she also looks surprisingly comfortable being in this dress – which is probably another reason it looks so good on her. I am also a big fan of Emilia Wickstead’s designs, so it doesn’t come as a shock that I loved this one.

What were some of your favorites from the night?

Laundry with Martha

Architecture
January 8, 2015

Good Morning Lacquered Lifers. I have apparently ruined, through frequent ironing, a most beloved set of sheets that were a wedding present. When I got on the phone to order the replacements and asked the customer service representative how she would prevent this from happening again, she told me that I should remove the sheets from the drier while damp, lay them out flat and smooth them with my hands and let them air dry. Now as much as I appreciate the advice, where am I going to lay the sheets out flat? Who has room for that? A twin sheet makes my kitchen island look small!

It is funny how quickly one can go from NYC apartment living with no washer/drier and being happy just to have those in your home, to wanting a full equipped laundry room. So today, as I dream about a big space in which to air dry my sheets, or frankly just a laundry room where I can shut the door, I give you photos of the laundry room at Martha Stewart’s home in Maine, Skylands.

Skylands was built in the 1920s by Edsel Ford, son of Henry Ford, in Seal Harbor, Maine. Martha purchased the home in 1997, and along with it much of its contents, including the much of the machinery and infrastructure in the laundry room. It is not uncommon in homes of this era to have a laundry room of this scale, but it is definitely uncommon today. With her sizeable collection of antique and hand embroidered linens, Martha takes full advantage of all that the Skylands laundry room has to offer. This huge padded ironing table would make a great space to lay out my sheets … Or better yet, this linen drying cabinet. Those racks roll out from inside the cabinet, you hang the linens, and then you roll the rack right back into the cabinet for drying. This is an absolutely fantastic antique piece of machinery that still serves a great function to this day. I think I have perhaps found my new dream appliance. One day when I have a huge beautiful laundry room, I will have a drying cabinet too. Asko has started making residential drying cabinets (albeit smaller than Martha’s) for the American market here. Who’s with me? These beautiful porcelain splash sinks most likely make soaking that red wine stained napkin pleasurable instead of stressful. And not to worry, Martha still has plenty of room for conventional ironing. While we can look at these photos and dream, I don’t have, and never will have fifteen bedrooms as Martha does at Skylands, so all I will really dream about is a small sink, a fold down ironing board, and a door that I can shut when the folding doesn’t get done.

Photos via The Martha Blog

Friday Before & After: Chateau du Grand-Luce

Architecture
November 7, 2014

Good Morning Lacquered Lifers. Chateau du Grand-Luce, interior designer Timothy Corrigan’s chateau, located in France’s lush Loire Valley. Built between 1760 & 1764 by engineer Mathieu de Bayeaux, the Chateau was privately owned through World War II, when it was then turned into a military hospital and later a tuberculosis sanatorium. The Chateau was purchased by Corrigan in 2004, at which point he began a complete restoration of the vast home. Originally the chateau had twenty bedrooms and two bathrooms; not needing as many bedrooms, Corrigan sacrificed a few for bathroom space, and now each bedroom has an en-suite bath.
Chateau du Grand-Luce is a Monument Historique, a French national heritage site, not dissimilar to our own National Register of Historic Places. As a result, the Chateau falls under the jurisdiction of the Les Architectes des Bâtiments de France, and every landscaping decision, every paint color choice, had to be approved. While the bones of this architectural masterpiece are quite regal, Corrigan wanted the overall feeling to be casual. He spends over two months a year here, and it is his place of restoration and relaxation. Timothy, if you ever need someone to relax and restore with you, I’m available! The gardens at Chateau du Grand-Luce were restored by the French Government in the 1990s, and are open to the public on a limited basis … looks like I might have to pay the Chateau a visit. Happy Friday!

Photos via Architectural Digest