T.G.I.F.FUN(ky) HOTELS

   C'EST VENDREDI et...

today's fun find

DES HOTELS ETONNANTS

Ice Hotel in Jukkasjarvis, Sweden, rebuilt from scratch every year

Large industrial warehouse in Mumbai, India converted into the Blue Frog  lounge and restaurant

1960 airplane turned into a hotel suite at Teuge airport in the Netherlands

images icehotel, bluefrog, hotelsuites

alors, amusant?

au revoir.

CEMENT AND CONCRETE

LE CIMENT et LE BETON

"The difference between concrete and cement is that concrete contains cement plus sand and gravel." -wikepedia-

Though I do not own my house in the Ardèche region of France anymore, I am reminded of it as I begin to write this post about the decorative uses of cement; As I proceeded with the renovations of the 1635 house years ago, I decided an indestructible outdoor table would be great for breakfasts and al fresco dinners. My contractor cast a huge slab of concrete about 2 inches thick and one day it was brought, with a huge machine, down the driveway and deposited on 2 table-height "slices" of concrete duct 2 feet in diameter; its very rough surface was sanded, we added a large rectangular market umbrella and folding Luxembourg chairs and we had many a wonderful meal on this great piece of solid furniture.
   
Cement and concrete have been employed in very decorative ways since their first application at the Baths of Caracalla in Rome. It was used again only when the Canal du Midi, in southern France, was constructed using concrete in 1670.

cement has adorned the gardens of europe for many decades

a moss covered cement table in a secret corner of a very old garden in France

a stunning bench in a rustic stone courtyard

faux wood was a big trend in the late 1800's and the early part of the 20th century. it was sculpted by hand out of cement and decorated gardens all over Europe.

many chateaux and mansions displayed cement animals, mostly outdoors on terraces and in their parcs 

 tiles made of cement are durable, easy to maintain and come in a million colours and patterns

these are made in Morocco by a great creative company,  Emery et Cie.  

their pieces shown here in their ryad in Marrakesh

another company I love is Carocim, in the south of France

 there are many other sources for this colorful product

There is beauty in the rough cement left slightly smoothed

this table is a good example of smoothed concrete, the mixture of cement, sand and gravel

some creative individuals have come up with fun and surprising applications for  common, rough, gray concrete.

a saucer like no other

a vide-poche bowl flaunting its detective movie humour

pushpins

cement becomes spectacular when highly polished

a satin smooth very sleek double sink

a glossy cement coffee table

a polished cement ring; the absolute opposite of a diamond?

images mueller architects via apartement therapy, idees maison, loft boutik, antiquites-en-france, proantic, famillesummerbelle

   
au revoir.

THE LONDON BULLETIN

MERCREDI

Nan Mabon, 

The American owner of Antiques Resource, the enormously successful antique furniture and accessories sourcing and buying service in London for the past 17 years, is a weekly contributor to my blog; she has the most exquisite taste, she knows the London market thoroughly and will certainly dazzle us with her choices and reports from one of the most lively, most trendy cities in Europe.

For twenty-five years now I have been searching for antiques for clients and inevitably small side tables or bedside tables are on the list.  Evolving taste has pushed me towards  mid-century tables because they tend to be very practical designs that work well with antiques.  However, simply designed "chamber pot cupboards" from the 19th century with beautiful veneers and marble tops remain a practical favorite and work very well in modern interiors. Most of the tables are pieces that I have seen in recent months here in London and on a recent trip to Paris.

side tables

PART ONE: WOOD

Marble-topped cylindrical Pot night table commode; Biedermeier, 19th century

French Mid 19th century Pot bedside table

English 19th century bedside Pot cupboard that has been converted into a small chest

English 40's bedside cupboards

Pair of 60's Danish side tables

French mid-century tables with Macassar ebony shelves (dealer silver-plated formerly brass frame)

        

French 30's burlwood side table with gilt sabots

English Aesthetic Movement table circa 1900

images antiques resource

If you would like to find out the availibility of any piece or if you need further information get in touch via Nan Mabon's website:  www.antiquesresource.com

NEXT WEEK ON THE LONDON BULLETIN: 

PART TWO

Metal with glass or marble

merci beaucoup, Nan.

au revoir.

Tall Headboards

LES GRANDES TETES DE LIT

It's cold outside, and I am thinking of my bed; any bed; I find that a bed is not "finished", not cozy if it does not have a headboard; and right now, my taste leans towards BIG headboards; in fact, right now, my taste leans towards BIG almost anything (cf. my posts on big art, big coffee tables, and deep sofas). Not only does a headboard anchor the bed in a space, but when you are IN the bed, reading with a nice plush pillow behind your head or sleeping the night away, having something other than a wall behind you is like being in a comfy cocoon. I also find that a tall headboard makes a low ceiling look that much taller and a bedroom feel that much grander; and what of the decorative element? a headboard is like a painting over the bed and what is more stunning than a big painting over a large piece of furniture, like a sofa or, in fact,a bed; If you are still thinking of adding a 36" tall headboard to you bed, these images will definitely make you rethink your plan...

tufting

the rythmic pattern of perfect craftmanship

printed fabrics

the drama and warmth of a painting 

wood
the exotic appeal of an asian carving

Disney-esque simplicity and cartoon-esque size

surprising

the poetic quality of a large photo as headboard

images mialinnman, myhomeideas, designsponge colourmehappy, decorpad, louise lemaire via stylefiles, hotel anemi greece

au revoir.

MONDAY: TRANSATLANTIC PARALLEL

c'est lundi 

It's time for the game that Letitia Jett, A Femme d'un Certain Age, and I play each week on our blogs. We compare our views on our adopted countries, France for Letitia and The States for me. There are some things we really love, others not so much. Good or bad, fun or unpleasant, whatever our point of view, we bring it to you; so, please tell us what your thoughts are; agree or disagree, it's all good for this Franco-American exchange.

Today's topics are more fun than ever:

 Ice cubes:

Why, oh why, does every drink ordered here, have to come poured over 10 tons of ice cubes? I love a cold drink, especially in the summer, like everyone else; but "ICE cold"? no thank you; and on top of that, in the said summer, what do you have before you have finished savoring your drink? a completely watered down version of the original.. so, no thank you. 

By the way , DO NOT forget to ask for you beverage WITH NO ICE, thank you; sinon...oui, une tonne de glace.

 Coffee:

All right, another bone of contention; why, oh why does EVERYONE have to carry a coffee cup, or a personal coffee thermos every where? Get up a little earlier in the morning and take your time, have a nice breakfast with coffee... pas mieux? and during the day? have a nice quick lunch if necessary and take the time to drink your coffee at the table, unhurriedly. Promise, it will be much better; for you; and for the people riding the train or crossing the street who fear they might be covered in brownish liquid in a split second of (sleepy?) inadvertence...oh, and that cup of coffee? have you noticed? ALWAYS with milk; well, a little less now, thanks to George Clooney; chacun à son gout.

Bon, no more complaining. 

Handwritten letters:

 2 small confessions:

I. I love to receive des jolies lettres écrites à la main. (anyone else, PLEASE refrain from sending me mail at all.)

2. I am VERY BAD at sending them. 

Thank you notes, yes. It is the very minimum one can do after having been the object of someone's kind attentions. 

Christmas cards... well, I am not really good about sending Christmas cards. I must admit I like receiving the ones with photos and a short recap of family history; but the daunting task of finding "good" cards, and then finding something other than bland to say on each one is very very often, well, beyond me. All of you out there still waiting, please give up for this year. Thank you, et pardonnez-moi.

Invitations: I'll let le chat out of le sac; paperlesspost.com  allows you to send emails where an envelope appears; if you click, it turns around to the side to open; if you click again, it opens and up slides the pretty card with your message or invitation on it; you can choose the style of the stationary and the text etc. and they put it all together for you and you can even immediately respond; all you have to do is click again; et voila! very chic, MUCH more chic than a plain email, I find, and so convenient. à bon entendeur, salut... check it out. 

Editor's note: I must admit I do love to put a lot of creative effort into making my own invitations. That is a big part of the fun of the party for me.

Great job!:

I love the way children and young adults are encouraged throughout their youth in everything they do here. For sports there are awards and award ceremonies with all the parents, coaches and teachers in attendance; and at the end of high school or college studies, there are the multitude of graduation ceremonies that bring friends, parents and teachers again together in a big show of confidence-building speeches and diploma giving. Great job!  

Slightly more fun than the life-altering day of baccalaureat exam results, where names of the reçus are on a long list; better be on it; that's it.

Mind you, when you have known nothing else, I suppose you don't really mind. 

Still, graduations are MUCH more fun.

Alors, what do you think? Agree, disagree? et toi,Letitia? Please leave a petit commentaire below or vite, go see a femme d'un certain age 's take all of this and let us know; on which ever side of the ocean you care to leave your comment.

merci, Letitia, 

à lundi

au revoir.