Christmas Details

When one has an old fashion living room, one lives in it. The 20th century addition of the den morphing into the family room does not exist in homes built in the 19th century. By homes, I mean modest family homes, made for the middle working class.
So when Christmas rolls around, finding a place for the tree among all the living that goes on in this one particular room of our 100 + year old home, is a fun challenge.
I have already shown you this year's Christmas decorations HERE
In this post I'd love to show you some of the details. I enjoy intimate vignettes. It's the layering of things that make a room a delightful exploration.
In this corner, I brought in the Ghost Chair. I love how it sparkles with the little Saarinen table. and the antique French settee.
I "gift wrapped" silk pillows by tying polka dot gross grain ribbon around them.
I try to include the things that are always in the room in the the holiday scheme. Here I simply added a mini turquoise tinsel tree in a silver mint julep cup to the objects already displayed: an old wood bracket, a tray of shells, white candlesticks (with mini silver julep cups for the holidays), and the caged glass lamp.
The opposite end of the nine foot long Baker credenza has the Holly Goes Lightly tree nestled into the corner. The Fornasetti print remains in its usual place.
The Tiffany boxes are festooned with the same ribbon I used on the silk pillows. The ornaments are a mix of vintage and new. The pearls are are Carnival trinkets thrown from Mardi Gras floats in New Orleans. We like to say they're "caught not bought."
Of course the furniture gets rearranged, and the white leather couch was moved from under the shutters. I never wanted to place the couch in front of the windows, because I love the old floor to ceiling glass, and never wanted to obstruct it. But I think it looks fine, and I can still enjoy looking out the window whilst lounging.
I placed a table from another room behind the sofa, as I like to float furniture even in a small room. This provided a console table effect where I could display a vintage wreath trimmed with wide wired ribbon, a silver penguin, and a silver candle holder with the word "peace" on it. The brown transferware plate is antique.
The new arrangement eliminated the chaise lounge which was replaced with a velvet French style chair. The etagere completed this corner (and Cholo is the perfect finishing touch!).
The etagere holds books and white objects, and the shell is a perfect vessel for a few more ornaments, bringing a little holiday color to this side of the room.
The big clock hanging on the shutters provided a perfect opportunity for some gold leaf garland. Some of you have asked me about this garland. I purchased it last year online from Wal Mart. A square wreath and one garland came together for around $17. (on sale). I purchased two sets. I love the way the burnished gold leaves look against the distressed finish on the shutters.
The French settee was moved to the spot where the couch was. I think it looks grand under the clock!
I changed out the two small tables for the super glam Hollywood Regency gilded wheat sheaf (with a large square glass top) coffee table. The two small tables are now revamped in the guest room HERE.
I used the same wide ribbon on the wreaths on the door, as I used on the wreath on the console table behind the couch.
A large Lucite shell holds mini ornaments, and a black reindeer with silver antlers adds whimsy.
These wedding favors were the perfect thing for the Nativity vignette.
I used vintage Brayton Laguna Blackamoors as the three wisemen. Mary, Joseph, and Baby are also vintage. The old art school painting is always displayed on this table.
Later I added a little black glittery fawn to the scene. It's hard to find black ornaments, and last year I spray painted ornaments and used old black bead necklaces as garland. This year the new Borders (yes the book store) on St. Charles Avenue (here in New Orleans) had black ornaments, garland, and the little deer. I was very happy to find them and add a few to the mix.
This little vignette is a close up of the things displayed on the table at the entry near the front door. This table used to live between the windows in the living room. I have two of the transferware plates (they were a hostess gift from my great friend, the interior designer Michael Pelkey). I nestled some mini ornaments among the shells, and added a second mini tree, this time contained in an aqua Blenko glass vase.
More gold leaf garland festoons the old mirror on the rusty cart. The Della Robbia plaster base lamp came from Ballard Designs over 15 years ago. The black shade is lined with silver, and adds a spiffy accent.
So there you have the little details. Keep in mind is that all the colors don't have to be an exact match. All the aquas, turquoises, and teals work together. Mixing metals is fine too, silvers and gold (bronzes and coppers). The green ornaments play off the green drapes, and the green on the front of the credenza doors, and the tattered green paint on the cart by the front door. The black and white stripe rug is the perfect foil for the accents of black ornaments and ribbons.
I spy a little drawing of Cholo hanging over the etagere.
It came beautifully wrapped from Patricia van Essche of PVE Designs, and it's one of my most cherished possessions.
I hope you all are having fun decorating for the holidays.
For me, it's the best gift to give and to get.

Holly Goes Lightly For Christmas In New Orleans

Come on into my living room and see this year's Christmas decorations. We're peeking through a set of double doors from the dance parlor. The square gold leaf wreaths set the tone for what's inside.
Now you can see more. I rearranged the furniture to accommodate the tree.
This is the room with the doors closed. When they are open the hand painted stripes show off in the dance parlor, and when they're closed they are part of the living room decor.
Here's the tree! It's a vintage "steel" tree from the 1950's. I purchased it from eBay three years ago, and it had never been used and was in its original box. It's six feet tall, but I elevate it, since we have such high ceilings. It has a super smart design, basically a pole (a Festivus Pole?!) with holes in it, and several dozen silver tinsel branches. The branches are all the same size, and it is magical to see them form a perfect tree shape. I love the space between the branches - it reminds me of a feather tree.
Of course the color scheme takes its cue from the collection of Tiffany boxes I have. I got them from Craigslist a few years ago. I was perusing the For Free listings, and came across these. A lovely woman had recently been married, and these were her wedding gift boxes. They were taking up too much room, so she decided to give them away. She could not have found a more appreciative taker. When I got them, I knew I would build my Christmas decor around them.
So the colors are aquas, and lime greens, silver, white and black. Most of the ornaments are vintage, but I also use new ones if they have a vintage look and fit the color scheme.
Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly inspired the black accents - her little black dress; the silver tree - her tiara; and the pearl garlands - her necklace.
This is the dance parlor with a view into the living room. These are double parlors, as this is a double shotgun house. We keep the one parlor free of furniture as we use it for private tango lessons.
I recently changed the curtains in here. I found some panels on sale at Lowes ($9.99 each). They have the feeling of silk taffeta. Of course they were not long enough, so I cut one panel in half, and added a half to each of the 84 inch long panels. I also chopped up another panel to make a valence for the transom over the front door, and short curtains for the front door window. There's a third pair I used "as is" for the window in the dance parlor. I wanted to keep the length at the window sill, so we wouldn't trip over them.

Fabric swatch of new curtains in the dance parlor

Just to show you how much things change! These were the window treatments in the dance parlor. I made curtains out of red lining material, trying to fake a silk look. There are French lace panels from my old French country style beach house (that was sold years ago). And check out the original fabric on the settee!!! As you know it was recovered in faux white leather.

Dance parlor curtains 'before"

I moved the rusty drinks cart (another Ruby Beets treasure) from the living room.
I festooned the old tattered mirror with gold leaf garland (the same leaf that's used on the wreaths), added a small aqua tinsel tree in a Blenko glass vase. The little urns with shells got some aqua mini ornaments. You can see in the reflection in the mirror, an antique chandelier with a mistletoe ball (a kissing ball), and some of the framed vintage tango sheet music covers.
So that's a peek into the living room today. Cholo asks that you please come and visit us again, and we'll show you some of the details.

A Tiffany Christmas

Here's a nice old book for you, something you might find in Baltimore at The Book Thing.
A Tiffany Christmas, by John Loring was published in 1996. Though not that old, it has become a collectible. This is a collection of over 165 color images of vignettes created in the store, or on location at someone's home. It is an OTT, Over The Top, type of styling a photo, using every bit of Tiffany's merchandise in the shot as possible. It proscribes the go-go 1980's era of conspicuous consumer acquisition, that lasted well into the 1990's as a way of having style. More was definitely more.
The above photo is one of my favorites entitled "A Splendid Dinner." The table is centered around a Tiffany "Pagoda" silver Chinoiserie centerpiece. The flatware is the pattern "Hampton" in gold vermeil, and the dinnerware is "Palmier d'Or" porcelain.
This setting is called "The Glorious Tree." The Charles X rosewood table is set with Tiffany gold and flower spotted "Halcyon" bone china. The flat silver is "English King." The silver service is 19th century Tiffany silver. There is a decanter of rum to spike the tea, and Tiffany sterling silver monkey candleholders.
I chose this selection for its title: "Santa Baby," and these divine chartreuse satin chaises. This is supposed to be the apartment of Eartha Kitt. She and Santa Baby will dine off gadroon-edged Tiffany sterling silver trays set with "American Garden" flat silver and Tiffany "Black Shoulder" handpainted French porcelain.
Here is a theatrical setting worthy of the legendary Mrs. Diana Vreeland, famous for her red Park Avenue apartment. There are not one, but two Christmas trees festooned with Tiffany silver ornaments and red bows. Two giant Tiffany "Christmas Tree" Venetian glass candlesticks stand in for altar candles on the mantel. A Tiffany Chinoiserie urn "Corail" holds red, white, and pink roses.
On pages 36 and 37 Tiffany "English King" flat silver and "Corinthian Column" candlesticks, along with a topiary tree of dried roses by New York designer Valorie Hart and the regal porcelain swan, all suggest that the gift in the blue box will be as glorious as was in Santa's power to buy.
Yes Virginia, I did some styling work for the great John Loring at Tiffany's. While the Tiffany in-house designer John Funt did the brunt of the work, occasionally Mr. Loring called on me to help out.
I can't tell you how fabulous it was to have carte blanche in the stock room, to pick and choose the china and silver and crystal and jewels and knick knacks. The title of this table was: "A Not So Frugal Christmas Eve Repast."
The topiary I made was 36 inches tall. I still have a scar on my hand from a hot glue gun burn I got while doing this. Tiffany's sent over the amazing silver bowl to my studio, with the instructions to fill it with something long lasting and monumental. When I delivered it to the store, I was taken to the stock room, to gather the things for the photo shoot. This table, and several others remained on display in the Fifth Avenue store throughout the holiday season.
The photos in "A Tiffany Christmas" have a vintage feeling and were done by Billy Cunningham, Sal Corbo, and Peter Margonelli. The above photo was taken in my studio by Juris Mardwig before the topiary was delivered.