~ Assorted Silver ~

I thought it would be fun to photograph more of the assorted silver I bought recently, as many of you enjoyed my Danish Princess post (here).

I also decided to try a watermark-logo on my photos (I need to work on this a bit). I first tried using my name in the logo:

And then I tried using Windlost as my logo:

I love this pile of assorted Danish Princess which was amongst the pieces I bought. I was so smitten with it that I just purchased a custom boxed set on eBay to complete 10 place settings!

I love all the varied patterns. They are all silver plate, but all seem quite heavy and good quality. I like both the ornate and the simple patterns:

The cake server (second from left) has a beautiful patina - I did not want to polish it too much and lose this beautiful detail:

These little tiny servers are really fun and very useful for pickles and compotes and odds and ends:

I'm also fond of this gravy ladle which has a very Art Deco vibe:

Do you like the photos?

What about the watermark? I think perhaps I need to soften/fade it a bit more...

I was going to use Windlost for my logo, but I think having my name is nice also - which do you prefer? Using Windlost would direct people to my blog if any of my photos end up on Pinterest or other websites, but using Terri Price Photography highlights my identity as a photographer in addition to writer-decorator!

Dark & Light: The Essential Mariette Himes Gomez

I have become obsessed with clean traditional rooms that feature an airy, pale background with a few striking dark elements. These rooms are by my interior design idol, Mariette Himes Gomez.

The furniture in these rooms is architectural, which adds to its beauty and impact. The dark furniture is a beautiful accent in these light-flooded rooms...

I used to think the lightest airiest rooms were full of white, but the lightness is highlighted best by the touches of darkness. It is high contrast that accentuates paleness best.

Mariette chooses important pieces and elevates them with her quiet, pared down, but carefully orchestrated interiors. She can do no wrong in my book. You have to be a master to achieve simplicity like this. This kind of simplicity is the ultimate sophistication (to misquote DaVinci!).

Her work is my inspiration as I slowly try to pare down, declutter, and distill my rooms to a purer form. I love antiques and I want to create classic rooms with beautiful things I never tire of. I am not a trend follower, but even a trend can be added to these timeless rooms without disturbing their quiet perfection.

It will be a long process for me (lacking time and this kind of budget...), but I intend to slowly create a home with just this feel...which I call pared down classic, with the interplay of light and dark.

Imagine living in quiet perfect rooms like these (her own Manhattan apartment):

Bliss!

Check out Mariette's website and her beautiful books: "Rooms", "Houses", and "Apartments". They are as wonderful to read as to look at...her philosophy on decorating resonates deeply with me. If I could do my life over again, I would study design at some great school and then in my fantasy world, beg Mariette to let me learn from her and her beautiful mind!

Enjoy.

10 Things I Love

1. I love NATURAL LIGHT:
Natural light is the most important quality in making a space beautiful. Multiple unadorned windows, pale colours, and a spare hand in decorating enhance the light in this already architecturally-stunning space.

2. I love STORAGE:

These simple and inexpensive bins are decorative and sensible too! 3. I love WHITE:
It creates the most restful spaces and gives a gallery-feel to all your special pieces...

4. I love WHITE with colour!

These white spaces with pretty splashes of whimsical candy colour make me smile all the way to my soul...

5. I love BUDGET DECORATING:

Think outside the box (or inside!)...

6. I love PINK:

I adore a dash of pink in every room. This room is a little busy for me, but the lamp steals the show. I don't know when I fell in love with this colour but it has me wrapped around its little finger!

7. I love ART:
Sophisticated, simple, naive, or exquisite...art is a glorious gift to our eyes and our minds. It doesn't have to complicated...whatever you can afford or make for yourself is fine, as long as it makes you happy and proud to display it. The choices of frame and mat shapes and styles is endless.

8. I love BLUE:

Blue has always been my favorite colour and I never tire of it, in all its hues.

9. I love FURNITURE with HISTORY...

Good quality furniture with character and simplicity doesn't need to be replaced, just loved...

10. I love that LESS is MORE...

One super-star piece is all that's required to make this hall captivating!