MY VANITY AFFAIR

Finally, I got a vanity! Lolo surprised me with one from the shop that I had been eyeing for quite awhile. I have been asking for my own space to get ready since we moved into our little cottage. 

French Louis XVI Vanity. Circa 1890's

At Home With A Few of My Favorite Things

I wanted somewhere to sit...a place for my perfume, jewelry, trinkets and make-up, of course. There's nothing more feminine than sitting at your vanity, powder puff in hand, contemplating what perfume or jewelry you might wear before going out for the evening. 

Le Bonheur du jour; ou, Les Graces à la mode, George Barbier, 1924.

Fine furnishings and accessories designed to use while primping and preparing to dress have been created throughout the centuries, but few pieces of furniture have revealed more about leisure pursuits, popular taste and changing social customs than the dressing table, or vanity. Metropolitan Vanities: The History of the Dressing Table, a decorative arts exhibit that opened December 17th at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, focuses on the history of the dressing table. The exhibition provides an overview of the origins and development of the dressing table from antiquity to the present day with some 50 related objects, paintings and drawings selected mainly from the Metropolitan’s collection.

Cosmetic Box of the Cupbearer Kemeni
Egyptian, Middle Kingdom, Dynasty 12, Reign of Amenemhat IV, Ca. 1814–1805 B.C.
Cedar, With Ebony and Ivory Veneer and Silver Mounting
Purchase, Edward S. Harkness Gift, 1926

The history of the vanity begins with a box, but the form of the vanity as we know it today began to develop in the late 17th century in Europe when European high society began commissioning luxurious specialized furniture from craftsmen and furniture makers. The poudreuse in France, and the low boy, Beau Brummel and shaving table in England served as models for the dressing table. Jean-Henri Riesener’s Mechanical Table (1780–81) is one of the finest examples of this period in the exhibition. This table, in which the top slides back as the drawer slides forward to reveal a toilette mirror flanked by two compartments, was delivered by the cabinetmaker to Queen Marie Antoinette at Versailles in January 1781.

Mechanical table, 1778
Jean-Henri Riesener (French, 1734–1806)
Oak Veneered with Bois Satiné (Bloodwood), Holly, Black Stained Holly, Amaranth, Berberis,
Stained Sycamore and Green Lacquered Wood, Gilt-Bronze Mounts;
H. 31 x W. 44 1/2 x D. 27 in. (78.7 x 113 x 68.6 cm)
Rogers Fund, 1933 (33.12)

There are many very elaborate vanities and accessories on view, reminders of a time when the very act of getting dressed was perhaps the main event of a woman’s day. 

Tiffany & Co. (American, 1837–Present) Comb Ca. 1910
Tortoiseshell, Platinum, Diamonds
Gift of Susan Dwight Bliss, 1941
 The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (41.84.16)

 While beauty rituals may change, most of us don't use Tiffany & Co., platinum and diamond combs daily, some things never change. Every girl needs a vanity. What's on your dressing table?

The exhibition is on display through April 13, 2014 and is featured on the museum's website.

Á Bientôt!

Lolo & Mimi

WEDNESDAY'S WORD OF THE WEEK: JOYEUX NOËL!

JOYEUX NOËL

joyeux noël [French zhwah-yuh noh-ehl]

                                              

                                                noun [French zhwah-yuh noh-ehl] Happy Christmas.

Origin:

 < French: nael ≪ Latin nātālis; literally, joyous nativity

This week's phrase isn't going to help you identify a piece of furniture, but it may help you spot Père Noël! We had a surprise visit from him during Christmas dinner with family and friends. For some reason, nobody could get a clear picture. This IS the most wonderful time of the year!

Père Noël (Santa Claus)

"He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,

And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.

A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,

And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.

His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!

His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!

His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,

And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow."

Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

À Bientôt!

&

Joyeux Noël!

Lolo & Mimi

WEDNESDAY'S WORD OF THE WEEK: PIED DE BICHE

PIED DE BICHE

pied-de-biche [pee-ey-duh-beesh; French pyeyduh-beesh]

noun, plural pieds-de-biche [pee-eyz-duh-beesh; French pyeyduh-beesh]

Furniture. a termination to a leg, consisting of a slight outward curve ending in the semblance of a cloven hoof.

Also called hoof foot.

Origin:
< French: literally, doe's foot

This obsession with animal parts we have may have started with antlers, but it ends with hooves. At least the feet of furniture does. Furniture based on wildlife anatomy dates back 3,000 years to the creature comforts of animal-worshiping Egyptians, whose beds stood on carved bull legs, gazelle hooves or lion feet. The hoof foot, carved to reflect the natural appearance of an animal such as a deer or horse, appeared in fine French furniture towards the end of the 17th century.

Hmmm....

 The legs of furniture were sometimes stylized representations of animal limbs, but the feet were rendered realistically. It is very common to see the hoof foot found at the base of cabriole legs.

Antique French Louis XV style walnut side table. Circa 1880s. Serpentine moulded top. The scalloped apron houses drawers on each end with iron pulls. Resting on cabriole legs ending in pieds de biche.

Antique French Country Louis XV style confiturier (jam holder) from Normandie. Circa 1870s. Handcrafted of cherrywood featuring a single paneled door with unusual full hinge above a carved apron. Raised on short cabriole feet ending in pieds de biche.

Louis XV armoire handcrafted between 1750 and 1760 in Rennes of solid wild cherrywood. Double chapeau de gendarme cornice topped with a carved urn filled with stylized plumes of feathers, blossoms, leaves and tendrils above four doors divided horizontally at the center by two drawers. Each door features a fougère (fern) patterned central panel. Scalloped apron rests on short cabriole legs ending in pieds de biche. 

The hoof foot, or deer foot, is referred to as pied(s) de biche in the trade. It appears in Régence and early Louis XV furniture designs. It was popular in stately furniture throughout the 1700s when horse hooves became popular.

Lovely Country French sofa table/console converted from an antique farm table. Circa 1870s. Cherry wood. The carved apron houses three drawers with bronze pulls. Resting on cabriole legs ending in pieds de biche. 

And my favorite is this Brittany console Lolo found. Look how realistic the feet are.

Charming antique Louis XV style Country French console in chestnut from a hunting lodge in Brittany. Circa 1880s. Beveled top with gadrooned edge above carved apron with motifs typical of artisans from the Brittany region. Raised on four stylized cabriole legs ending in pieds de biche. Single serpentine shelf. 

What do you you think about the hoof? How is it used in your home?

Á Bientôt!
&
Happy Holidays!

Lolo & Mimi

WE'RE HAVING A WHITE CHRISTMAS!

It might not be snowing in Atlanta, but we're having a white Christmas! And maybe a white Valentine's Day. There's so much "flocking" floating around here, we might just have a white Fourth of July! But, it's beautiful, and we're loving it! Here's a peek at our first flocked Christmas tree. We were told it's a wild noble fir.

YES...It's Live!

But, let me tell you, it's not easy to light these trees! And I like a lot of lights! Maybe I just don't know the secret. Lolo definitely doesn't. If anyone does, please "Let Lolo Know." He does now know that you don't use green string lights on a white flocked tree! 

Hmmm....These Lights Won't Work!

After three days and four trips to the store for more lights, we were finally ready to start decorating! With the help of my oh-so-talented friend Beth Lord, owner of the indie-pendent, we paired winter white with silver and gold to transform what was beginning to look like a Charlie Brown Christmas into our own Winter Wonterland, meant to delight and surprise...from partridges in a flocked Christmas tree to prancing reindeer to a small fraser fir nestled in a silver punch bowl.

Metal Partridge

Natural Twig Reindeer

Punch Bowl Tree

Living Room Tree in Silver Punch Bowl

We mixed live greenery (most of it from our front yard) and white plants with rustic decorations and sterling silver to keep it simple, yet elegant.

Orchids in Dining Room

Rosemary Tree in Breakfast Room

Hydrangeas and Magnolias in Wet Bar 

Rosemary and Holly in Bath

Christmas Tree in Sunroom

Living Room 

Wire Manger

Wire Angel and Cross

But everyone needs some sparkle and shine to make things Merry and Bright!

Glitter Santa Boot

What do you think? Tell us how you Deck Your Halls!

À Bientôt!
&
Merry Christmas!

Lolo & Mimi

LOLO'S BACK!

Lolo's back! After two weeks of hurrying and scurrying all over France to fill his container, he made it home in time for the opening of taste's seasonal pop-up store. We stopped by today to say hello 

and chat with owner Marcy Cowan. 

Lolo and Marcy Chatting
Venetian Chandelier Hanging Above 72" Round Table

We also wanted to see how the very fabulous and talented Beth Lord of the indie-pendent 

had magically transformed a once ugly, empty space into a very MERRY holiday shoppe 

in less than a week's time! 

Key Lime Coolers Cookies

Bleached Napoleon III Center Table

French Bottle Drying Tree Turned Christmas Tree

Cast Iron French Rooster

French Bakery Proofing Cabinet Filled With Antique Copper and Gourmet Goodies

More French Gourmet Items

Cynthia Varden Ceramics

We were overJOYed with the transformation! 

She had beautifully mixed our antiques and culinary items in with her own artisanal gifts and taste's gourmet, kitchen and tabletop items. It was a delight for the senses!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Be sure and SHOP by soon! Whether you're a chef or foodie lover, whatever your "taste," there's something for everyone...from fine French antiques, chandeliers and copper pots to local Georgia products, handmade dinnerware and unique cooking utensils. And don't forget to mention Lolo sent you to receive a 10% discount on purchases over $200.

À Bientôt!

Lolo & Mimi