Lacquered Life • Olivia M. Brock
Saw this kitchen in this month’s issue of Country Living magazine, and I HAD to share it with you. The bricks, the tiles, the brass hardware, the windows … and of course the stove – my favorite. La Cornue, just like mine. The homeowner calls her kitchen look, “A little downstairs at Downton Abbey.” No wonder I am so taken with the space! For more information on this 1790s Old Chatham, New York farmhouse and the renovation done by the Frank family, click HERE.
Good morning everyone! Sorry for the lack of posts for the last two days, I was organizing a little garden party (pictures to come soon!) and I was running around a bit crazed. Throwing this little party got me thinking about china, and china patterns … The picture above, which most of you saw last year after my first attempt at hosting Thanksgiving dinner, features a Spode Heritage dinner plate set over a larger, more casual dinner plate from Fishs Eddy in NYC. This photo gives you an idea of how much American appetites have changed, dinner plates today are considerably larger than older plates!
This photo allows you to see the full print of the Spode Heritage dinner plate. Founded in the UK in 1776, Spode continues to manufacture China to this day. The Heritage pattern above, was in production for a short ten years, from 1962-1972. Somehow my husband ended up with twelve of these dinner plates. No other pieces, just twelve dinner plates, so I like to mix and match them with other things.
This is Herend Chinese Bouquet in rust. This is my mother’s wedding china. I absolutely adore the rust color, and was tempted to register for something in rust, but as my mother pointed out, these will be mine some day. This pattern has been extremely popular with friends of mine, but blue and green have been the popular choices. So far, my mother remains unique and chic in her choice of color/pattern combination (no surprise there mom).
This is Herend’s Fish Scale pattern in Green, which makes up a piece of my wedding china. I decided to mix and match china, because I wanted to have the ability to execute a variety of different looks with my china. I believe that green is applicable in more seasons than any other color. Christmas dinner, spring luncheon, summer party – you name it, it works. I chose Fish Scale because I liked its exotic simplicity. The scales are so unique, but the plate is still simple, and acts as the perfect canvas for whatever plate you might stack on top …
This is Meissen Ming Dragon II in green, which makes up the second piece of my wedding china. To me, it was as if the Herend Fish Scale and the Meissen Ming Dragon II were meant for each other. The Ming Dragon II has both a vintage feel and a modern edge to it. When stacked atop the Fish Scale dinner plate, the Fish Scale border coordinates wonderfully with the scales on the dragon. The placement of the dragon on the Ming Dragon II dessert plate is key, he curves along with the plate so that when there is food on the plate, it is possible to still see the dragon.
This is Herend Golden Edge. Unfortunately, the Fish Scale pattern does not come in serving pieces, and as I said I like to mix and match I thought I would add two golden edge serving pieces to the mix. So while I have a Ming Dragon gravy boat and a couple larger platters, I decided to add a couple of golden edge serving bowls. What’s wonderful about Golden Edge, especially the serving pieces, is that they coordinate nicely with more casual white china. This way you can sneak in a little sparkle at the dinner table without changing the overall casual experience of the party.
So whatever china pattern you choose, or your mother chose, or that you inherit, have fun with it! Mix and match, do something different. And use it as much as you can. There is no occasion where breaking out your best stuff is not appropriate – it’s your party!
Images courtesy of Scully & Scully, Lacquered Life, Replacements Ltd.
So as promised, I did a little more research on Philippe Xerri. Twelve years ago, Xerri, who worked in the fashion industry in Paris, went to Tunisia for a quick visit to source fabrics for a client. He fell in love with Tunisia while he was there, and never left. He became very helpful to Tunisian craftsmen in helping them get their wares to France to be sold, and two years ago started a line of furniture called “Rock the Kasbah,” which features handmade local furniture upholstered in antique kilms. These pictures are of one of two homes that Xerri owns in Tunisia, this one being in Tunis, the capital, near the city’s largest souk.
This home is quite typical of a Tunisian courtyard house, which although common in most Muslim regions, is most prevalent in North African countries, such as Tunisia, Algieria, and Morocco. The central courtyard, called wast ed dar or center of the house, was used for a variety of different things such as the preparation of food, outdoor living space, and laundry. At Xerri’s house, it seems that not much has changed!
The courtyard is surrounded by long and narrow rectangular rooms called byats. These rooms were also considered multipurpose, and each room had its own entrance into the courtyard.
Most of these courtyard houses date to the 19th century, and most are still lived in by some of the poorer families within the cities. However, looking at the restoration that Xerri performed here, it is obvious that these houses are still very adaptable to modern living, and quite chic!
In the photo above, you can see two table lamps from the “Rock the Kasbah” collection. This beautifully restored courtyard house in Tunis can also be rented! See https://www.airbnb.fr/rooms/717507 for details. For more information on Philippe Xerri, please visit pxrtk.com, and for more information on courtyard housing, I suggest Courtyard Housing: Past, Present, and Future available on Amazon.
Photos courtesy of Deco Mag UK & information courtesy of Courtyard Housing: Past Present and Future