A Collector's Devotion

I recently had a great visual outing at the home of a collector of spiritual objects. It reminded me of the beautiful homes in the book The Divine Home by Peter Vitale. I have long been fascinated by decor using devotional objects HERE, so this home was a real treat for me.




This is a modest home in size in a lovely part of New Orleans called Old Metairie which is known for gracious living and grand tree lined streets. This house has been remodeled to contain an incredible collection of antiques, providing an aged looking backdrop.

A modest home in Old Metairie

Ordinary front doors have been replaced by a pair of French antique doors. The owners collect old architectural elements and retrofit them into newer spaces. In fact they have a business doing this for many homes in New Orleans.

An angel stands guard at the antique doors from France

The house does not have a large foot print, yet it feels expansive. Tricks like using flat fold Roman shades in linen in lieu of the more traditional silk drapes used in homes in New Orleans, keep the space feeling open.

The living room

Expert layering of objects and furniture is evident here. You feel interested but not overwhelmed.

Vignette in the living room

There are devotional objects come from Spain, France, and Italy. The home owners have lovingly collected them for years.

The angel head in the fireplace is gorgeous!

I snapped these photos on the fly. The house is unstyled as the owners really live it. The light is the natural light only. It deserves a much better magazine worthy photo shoot.

The simple Roman shades in the dining room

I just love getting these special secret glimpses into private homes, and I especially love sharing them with all of you. New Orleans has so many beautiful places behind closed doors and shutters, and walled courtyard patios.

Lovely French antique chandelier

A room used for an office
Fragment of antique fabric used for a valance

Antique angels flank the stove hood in the kitchen

Antique doors retrofitted over modern appliances

Old shutters are used as the pantry doors

A major altar piece from Spain in the wet bar

Butlers table

The family room - old beams were added by the owners

Lovely little soldier stands guard in the family room

Wonderful styling on the bookshelves

Nice trumeau flanked by chunky candle sconces

Gallery wall on stairway to the upstairs bedroom

There is only one bedroom in the house!

An antique bed from a convent

There is only one bedroom in the house. The kids' rooms were in what is now the pool house.

Shelf above the bed

There is a lovely pool and patio and garden. It is a small lot, but every inch of space is ingeniously used.

Antique doors lead to the garden

Lots of plants

Chess board patio - gravel has been removed and pavers will be added

Side yard leading to the street

Back of the house and pool

Loving all this! I hope you have too!

Hanukkah/Chanukah 2009 - Some Different Menorahs

Someone recently saw this Italian tole candelabra hanging over the fireplace in my kitchen, and commented "nice menorah!" And I thought, yeah, it would be a beautiful menorah to celebrate Hanukkah!

An Italian tole candelabra styling itself as a menorah!

The first post Thanksgiving holiday coming up is Hanukkah, falling at sunset on December 11, and going until sunset December 19.
Once upon a time I was married to a nice Jewish boy. Though he was not religious, we had a menorah and a Christmas tree. Well not a proper menorah. After all I was a shiksa - I lined up nine candle holders in a menorah-like grouping.

Nine in a row - hand forged recycled iron menorah from ABC Home

You may already have a menorah, but sometimes it's fun to change things and maybe use things you already have. I chose these for Joni from Cote de Texas last year HERE


If you have nine candlesticks or candle holders, just gather them up for a menorah grouping. Any nine candles are allowed as explained at InterfaithFamily.com
So nine votive candles in their holders grouped in line like a menorah would work.
I love these votive holders by Alvar Aalto which you can get HERE. They come in several beautiful colors, and I don''t know if I would choose all the colors, or perhaps nine of the beautiful blue one called blueberry,


I also love this bronze sculpture with nine glass candle holders. I think it would make a striking and lovely menorah. The organic vine and leaf motif is so pretty. Get it HERE



Or use a kicky new style like the pink menorah from ABC Home.
It also comes in red and black - I love the bling!


You can also go shopping with nice Jewish boy Jonathan Adler HERE
He has a great menorah roundup.


I also saw this precious flower mezuzah HERE, which would make a wonderful Hanukkah gift.
Looking forward to seeing how you all celebrate and decorate for Hanukkah!

Guest Room Revamp For The Holidays

Our guest room had a very New Orleans flair. I used vintage teaching charts with life size skeletons (purchased in a Lisbon flea market) as a screen to hide a connecting door, and hung a huge cross collection as "wallpaper".
We're having very special guests arriving on Monday: Alberto's grandson who is two years old, along with his parents (Alberto's son and daughter-in-law).
Last year I posted these pictures on Rate My Space and got a pretty bad reaction. Funnily, every B & B guest we have had stay here, loves this room. But now with a two year old coming, I decided to take down the skeletons and crosses.
I rearranged the furniture so a baby crib can fit in the room. And I draped fabric on two walls to hide (and sound proof) the connecting doors of this typical shotgun house.

The dresser is a vintage fake French thing from the 1970's and I painted a faux bois finish on the top. I kept just a couple of crosses. The one on the bottom was made by our friend Gail's father, and it has little trinket drawers. The platter is by Philip Maberry. The TV is vintage too.
There is a third door that is used for the entrance to the room.
I put some of my favorite things in the room: The Cowhide rug, a little Lucite table, and the pair of Hollywood Regency tables (transformed into benches!) from the living room.
I also contributed my new Ikat pillows from Perch. The little vanity and mirror are from Ruby Beets, and the vanity doubles as a night table. The sunburst clock and Saarinen stool are vintage. The eggplant form lamps were purchased at Wal Mart.

The new bedding is very Jonathan Adler, but I got it at Target. I opted for softer shades of browns and greens even though it also comes with a brown and orange color way. I got coordinating bedding designed by Dwell Studio for the baby (which he can take home with him).
With the little accents of orange, via another fab Philip Maberry platter, the orange tassel given to me by my friend Jessica, and an Andy Warhol butterfly plate from Sabina, I was feeling like I needed some more orange.
I also wanted to add some holiday cheer. So I added the orange pillows from the living room, and an orange throw. The retro tinsel wreath is just the perfect touch.
You might be wondering what's left in the living room. Not to worry! It's been revamped for Christmas, which I'll be posting soon.
It's so nice to have family coming to stay with us!

Divine in San Francisco

No, it's not a story about Divine of Pink Flamingos and Hairspray fame (God rest his ever lovin' soul). I have been wasting the day reading all my favorite blogs. Hey shut up, it's my birthday!
Anyhoo I found this beautiful little santo at More Ways To Waste Time (run don't dilly dally if you haven't read this blog). I thought I'd post it to follow the thread of an earlier post HERE
It's worth your time to look at the rest of the photos and see how the uber real live HERE