If you are sensitive to beautiful furniture and taspestries make sure to visit the Galerie des Gobelins a fairly unknown but magical museum devoted to the collections of Mobilier National. This unit of the French state, was created by Louis XIVth and keeps approximately 100 000 pieces of furniture, paintings, carpets, linen, china which can be borrowed by ambassadors and … Read More
Camille Claudel and the Marquise de Maillé
It was a short drive from the beautiful village of St Loup de Naud where I slept in Violet Trefusis‘s house (now owned by a close friend), and we arrived at Château de la Motte-Tilly promptly for the 10.30 am tour. This house which used to be Louis XV th treasurer Abbé Terray’s, was built in 1754 by architect Francois … Read More
Champagne at Gabrielle Chanel’s apartment
When she died on January 10, 1971, Mademoiselle Chanel left an apartment on the second floor of the House of Chanel, 31 rue Cambon. Its singularity was that it only had a dining room, a living room and an office but no bedroom… She used to sleep across the street at the Ritz. The apartment has been kept intact with … Read More
Maastricht’s magic operates again
The intense excitement started at 8 am at Gare du Nord. The whole quay was filled with dealers, collectors and journalists who were all anticipating walking into the 30 the Maastricht art fair with the happy few who are invited to the preview at 11 am exactly. After having travelled by train to Liège and taxied to Maastricht, in the … Read More
High Life in Miami
Little did I know two years ago, when I met the extravagant Mitchell Wolfson Jr, (Micky to his friends) in Paris, that I would end up being so impressed by his museum, the Wolfsonian, in Miami Beach. I was there last week to visit the current show, « Modern Dutch design » curated by Silvia Barisione and could not leave the place, … Read More
Julio Villani enchants Hermès
I was quietly riding the 84 bus on my way to the Latin quarter when suddenly, I had an urge to get off and look from close up the ravishing windows of Hermès, rue de Sèvres. Something very intriguing was hanging upfront and I was irresistibly attracted to little wooden and aluminum birds made by Brazilian artist Julio Villani.
Let new lights enter your life
Winter is a good time to renew your lighting around the flat and I found four sorts of lights to indulge in. Kartell, one of my favorite shops in Paris, has new lights all the time and the Planet lamp, which comes in three colors, is really chic.
Turmoil in London’s museums
The Victoria and Albert museum is a permanent showcase of exhuberance and diversity and I was once again happily surprised by the three shows I saw last week end in London. Not only has the 19 th century decorative arts museum hired a new director, the 42 year old historian Tristram Hunt, who, angry at Brexit, left his labour … Read More