Dah, dah, daaaah…ta-da! Our lustre or chandelier! Now, I’ll leave it to you design folk to call this a reveal but those of you who have been reading for any length of time will know that this has been one long, long search. Ah me, the good things are worth waiting for aren’t they. Because, truly the universe threw us a bone this time. One for me to think about when I claim with a blustery sigh that my luck is no more.
I found it on French ebay. All of the branches detach from the base and the patina is sublime. It is rusted and the wood is cracked, the real thing. We are guessing mid-1800s. Right away my alarm starting ringing so hard that I could barely sit still but I am no fool. I know that beauties like this don’t go unperceived by the professionals. Except that for some reason, it did. It is one yard by one yard, absolutely giantly gorgeous and we got it for…90€. Yeah, you read that correctly, baby! Ding, ding, ding we have a winner!!
And it arrived like the elegant lady that she is, right on time before my Sister’s arrival, just when I was hoping to spruce up les environs a little bit (although I know that Robin and I could have a great time in a tent in the wilderness, still, bah I can’t help it). I then turned towards our pair of bridge chairs (from the 50s and 30s if you are looking left to right) and finally bought some wonderful cream fabric with a slight stretch in it from my wonderful seller at the market (more of her soon) for 10€. I do not have a hand for this type of thing but between tacks, sewing and even moving tape (!), they look a fine spot better than they did with the “temporary” getup that has been in place for a year!
So one plus two equals something much more pulled together on our non-existent budget. All that remained were a few more touches…
…gathering the most winsome lavender roses to make a girl sigh…
…stocking up on regional specialities until the refrigerator door would barely close…airing the vintage linen sheets…but most importantly…
…ramping up the welcoming committee!
As I have most likely made clear by now, a lovely time was had by all and I will be sharing more of our time together soon. Robin, come back soon! I love you, Sister!
Thanks to all of you that were so appreciative of my last post about our shooting an ad for Apple in Botswana. For those of you that for some crazy reason were not glued to your computers this weekend, you can see it here. And yes, I will happily continue with our Past Adventures, including reposting the initial two for all of you wonderful new readers.
Have a fantastic week everyone!
I should have known that you would appreciate this especially Debra! Will keep my fingers crossed for your find too… 🙂
Oh David, somehow this comment got lost in the blog void and so I am just seeing it now. Titania! You certainly know how to make a girl swoon. Shakespeare was my special focus when I was acting. Imagine my red hair in curls nearly half way down my arm and even paler (pre-Africa!) skin. That was a world of words and emotions I never tired of diving in to, over and over again. Actually, I used to do one of her speeches for auditions ("These are the forgeries of jealousy" Act II, scene II) and would have loved to have played her. It is a small role but how much fun it would be to put self-righteous Oberon in his place once and for all!
As for the geegaws, I am especially delighted that the Princess curtains have found such a wonderful home and have full confidence that the rest, by hook or by crook, will also find freedom from the oppression of their competitive surroundings!
What a beautiful lustre — and what a steal! I'm still reeling from shopping for a chandelier six months ago. Your salon has so much personality, I love all the quiet, quirky touches. Enjoy your new furniture!
DEEE~~~~~VINE!
I'm screaming…you lucky, lucky girl to have gotten that gorgeous chandelier for only ninety euros! Sometimes you have to love ebay I've got my eye on a lovely thing from France too. I'm so glad you had a wonderful time with your sister and Ben looks handsome as ever. I've been away from my computer for a few days so will have to go visit about your shoot.
XX
Debra~
what a beautiful chandelier…and the colour of those roses…love… xv
Not surprisingly, Heather, there are several friends who would LOVE to have one or another of the individual fixtures from Miss Kitty's bathroom. I do have a few female friends who have sufficient irony to carry-off, so to speak, that chandelier…..and the curtains are perfect for my friends', Cyrus and Michelle, 8 year-old daughter. She's at the age when "Princess curtains" in her girly bedroom would thrill her. The bathtub, in and of itself, wouldn't be BAD….if it weren't combined with everything else, so I'll be giving it, also, to one of the three friends (all women) who seen the photograph and sincerely love it. The final fact is that everything is expensive, and nothing would seem untowardly if it were the ONLY thing of its sort in the room. As things stand, the bathroom-situation is rather like having five very-drunk folks at the same, small cocktail party, when just one would seem amusing.
Proportion and restraint are all….don't you agree?
By the way (and to be honest), I finally saw the pictures of you in Africa. For some reason, I'd imagined you as looking differently. Take it as a compliment that I took one look and thought "Oh….that's a face any director with good sense would immediately cast as Titania".
No wonder Our Remi is so smitten…..
—–david terry
How did I know in advance that the tub would be in the center of the room? But I did. I think that it was the words "hunter-green" that did it. Oh my, David this is another to add to my favorite David Terry comments of all time. Whew. Although I shouldn't be laughing as holy cannoli is this atrocity going to set you both back a pretty penny in renovations. And no need to send a photo–there is no way it could come close to the fantastically detailed picture you have already painted for me so wonderfully. I am still trying to decide which detail is my favorite.
As for Gunsmoke, you have clearly forgotten that French television planning runs about 20 years behind schedule, hence the enooormous popularity of "Murder She Wrote"…
More good karma for you Mr. Terry for making me laugh today…
xo
H
Well, that's a lovely (and just quirky enough for my tastes) chandelier, and the previous commentators were right in saying that you have one elegant, airy, very CALMING room.
Have I told you about my new chandelier des horreurs?
I'm sure I've told you that this 220 year-old house was, only about fifteen years ago, renovated and turned into an "upscale" B&B. One of the improvements (the only one which isn't completely wonderful) is the truly dreadful (plain out EMBARASSING, to be more precise) master-bathroom, which used to be the old smokehouse until it was moved to the back of the house and joined-on.
The room is only technically a "master" bathroom. Essentially,it's the least "masterly" room I've ever been in. In short?….it was designed/decorated to service "The Bridal Suite" (they used to hold a lot of fancy, foo-foo weddings here for folks who wanted their Ye Olde Colonial Experience).
Oh, Heather….I'll send you a photograph, but for now?….the room is 15' x 18' (that's a bigass bathroom by anyone's standards). The walls are painted a glossy hunter-green. the sinks and counters are glossy marble with white, curlicue enamel trim. the floor to ceiling cabinets are an equally glossy fake mahogany with fake-silver, "Victorian" fixtures. The enormous bathtub is situated in the EXACT MIDDLE of this preposterous room, and has loops of ribbons and lush red roses painted all around its base. The curtains on the two windows are hung with dainty, beaded panels of flowery lace (yes, they look like wedding veils) and suspended from their silvery rods (with rose finials) by individual ceramic rosebuds.
And directly above it ALL (this is a very high-celinged room) hangs a three-tiered, 13-branched, pale-green, metal chandelier…cast in a floral/vine motif and absolutely DRIPPING with loops of crystal, beaded gee-gaws, with extra-bonus, rose-colored crystals hung…presumably just to make sure you don't miss the effect.
We're horrified by this entire business, particularly in that it's obviously very expensive. My mother's comment (she saw a photograph) was "Well, that's certainly all the ugly that money can buy". Herve's comment was "I feel like I'm in Miss Kitty's bathroom, from 'Gunsmoke'…" (don't ask me how a Frenchman who's just turned only forty would know about "Gunsmoke", but he always does surprise me). When I was moving in, I apologized about the room and made it CLEAR that nothing about it was my idea. I asked "What's the first thing you think when you see this bathroom?". A twenty-something black guy from Durham immedaitely said "This here a bathroom to have SEX in! Ladies gone to LOVE it, man!!! You one Lucky Dude!!!"
I don't regard myself as being particularly "lucky", at least not in regard to this chandeliered chamber of decorative horrors (for which I'll very soon be obliged to cough up a lot of money in order to have the whole thing gutted…and that'll entail taking out a window to get the damned rose-bower bridal tub out of the room.
Oh well. This is lengthy, but I thought a little contrast might bolster your already-obvious appreciation of your own chandelier.
Advisedly yours as ever,
David Terry
http://www.davidterryart.com
It's so much fun to be à la recherche, and then find the perfect treasure. Your place looks lovely and gracious and the roses are a wonderful touch. (But my favorite part is the smiling dog, I must say.)