Home as art

What an inventive living sculpture by the artist Paula Hayes.  She calls it a  "Living Room Necklace".

She makes beautiful terrariums too, check them out on her site.

realismo magico

I love these portraits by Christian Tagliavini. Maybe he found some 2.5th dimension between 2011 and the Renaissance? To me they are absolutely transcendent.

Dame di Cartone

1503

More art to add to my wish list!

summer teal

Just a little party inspiration, before I head away to a festive weekend:

(top: Natorium Undine, 1927 and bottom: Music, 1920, both by Florine Stettheimer. From Florine Stettheimer: Manhattan Fantastica)

My new favorite polish color, I'm calling it summer teal--just like the pretty greens in Florine's paintings:

summer pinks

Summer flora inspiration

This blooming succulent reminds me of something out of Hieronymus Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights

Missing Mardi Gras

I visited New Orleans for the first time this past December and fell in love with the city. We stayed only a few days, but as soon as the wheels of the plane pulled up, I felt certain I would be moving there. After watching Spike Lee's documentary "When the Levees Broke" about Hurricane Katrina (wow), I may have changed my mind...but a part of me is still pining for NOLA.

As a person who loves a good excuse for a costume, I am especially sad to be missing the Mardi Gras. Here are a few ideas I might explore if I were an Orleanian at this time of year (they are costume sketches for Ballet Royale de la Nuit, a 12-hour ballet/opera that starred King Louis XIV):

Source:

Excerpted from the book Ballet de la Nuit (Pendragon Press) featured in April 2010 issue of The World of Interiors