Add: Sir John Soane’s Museum

Ahhh. This has to be one of my favourite places in London. And it’s the newest addition to the Britain’s Best Buildings series of videos on the Guardian.Sir John Soane was responsible for designing some of Britain’s most memorable buildings, so it’s only fitting that his house in Lincoln’s Inn Fields should be one of the best buildings.In this video, the narrator compares Sir John’s architecture to poetry. The Soane Museum is the personalization of all of Sir John’s theories on architecture and light. If you’ve never visited it in London, I recommend that you add it to your list, especially the candle-light tour they give on Tuesday evenings.This video, combined with an article from last weekend’s Wall Street Journal Off Duty section describing one of the rooms at the house, with more than 120 mirrors, will give you an excellent idea of what a special place this museum has in many people’s hearts.

Add Castle Howard

The Guardian has just added the baroque Castle Howard in Yorkshire, designed by English playwright and architect Sir John Vanbrugh, to their list of the most Beautiful Buildings of Britain. I must say that I have to agree with this choice! It’s really a stunning place and has been owned by the same family for many generations.  Howard says they’ve been in the house through good times and bad times and that he will stay there until he “shuffles off to his mortal coil”.  He also says they “struggle on” which was picked up by commenters, but the narrator says that the struggle is to keep it in the family, and they’ve been working on repairing the house since a fire in 1940!The house is the first country house to have a dome added to it, rather like St. Paul’s Cathedral in London with its whispering gallery. Take a look at this wonderful little Guardian video, here.

Wallis, Edward + Madonna… It’s Not Good!

Word from the Venice Film Festival is that the new Madonna-directed film, WE, is pretty ghastly. Madonna makes very liberal  use of the truth, or the truth as it’s generally accepted. In fact, as she says in an interview, that she “wasn’t interested in making a straight-forward bio-pic” and that it’s her “point of view, after digesting all of the information and doing all of the years of research…” So she uses the story of a young woman named Wally to tell the story, going back and forth in time a la Julie & Julia, because the truth is subjective.  Madonna said that she used the success of The King’s Speech as “laying the groundwork for her film”.

Somehow, this view of W+E is about the last thing I think either of them would be caught doing!

Here’s the Guardian’s hilarious take on Madonna and the film, with a link to Xan Brooks’ scathing review, including a clip of Madonna’s press conference in Venice where’s she’s dressed in an approximation of Wallis herself.

Age: 53.

Appearance: Ghost of Gaga Yet to Come.

What has she done? She's directed a hilarious new film.

What's it called? W.E.

About what? Wallis Simpson.

You mean the loud American girl in The King's Speech? That's her.

What makes her film-worthy? Well, for one thing King Edward VIII abdicated to marry her. Then there are the divorces, her notorious love of clothes, jewels and wealth and the accusations of Nazi sympathies.

I guess. She's not exactly an obvious subject for a comedy, though, is she? Oh, the film's not supposed to be funny: it's a period drama. It's just laughably bad. At least according to the critics. The first screening, at this year's Venice film festival, had the audience rolling in the aisles.

What's so funny about it? Various things, not least the fact that Simpson's story is told in parallel with the story of a woman in 1990s New York, who, in the words of our reviewer Xan Brooks, "is obsessed by the woman to a degree that struck me as deeply worrying, but which Madonna presents as evidence of impeccable good taste". Oh, and sometimes Simpson's ghost visits the woman in the 1990s.

Any stand-out scenes? So glad you asked. As it happens, yes, one scene has made a particularly lasting impression: an extended dream sequence in which Edward spikes the drinks of his royal entourage, causing an intoxicated Wallis to leap on stage and dirty dance with a Maasai tribesman.

Did that actually happen? Almost definitely not, and if it had, they certainly wouldn't have danced, as they do in the film, to the Sex Pistols' hit Pretty Vacant. Which, while admittedly an anachronistic choice, does sum up just about every review the film's received.

Do say: "It's the film The King's Speech could have been."

Don't say: "Like a virgin, touching a camera for the very first time."As the Guardian also says, “It is certainly a slightly revisionist take on the story, with Edward coming across as a frustrated social reformer demanding better housing for the poor before sipping another gin martini.” Said the Guardian’s film critic of Madonna’s last directorial effort, film-goers were “in a state of clinical shock, deathly pale and mewing like maltreated kittens" after watching it.

However, I do understand that the costuming is spectacular, and from what I saw in the most recent Vanity Fair spread about the film, the clothes and sets are wonderful.

So That’s Why!

I get a ton of press releases each and every day, all asking that I promote their item, or asking if they can guest post on the virtues of something that I am not the least bit interested in, or wanting to trade links with me, so I can put a link to their Chinese Photoshop sweatshop, or some such nonsense. And most of them don’t even bother to address me by name… I even get some e-mail from complete strangers, mostly PR chicks, who use the salutation, “hey…”.

So when I got some random press release today, I glanced through it, and saw that the real reason that Prince William had married Kate Middleton was because of “the Royal Couple's determination to bolster the UK's economy”.

Wow. And all of this time I thought it was because he wanted to refresh the gene pool!

Most of the dolls I’ve seen are so insane looking – if that poor girl’s head was the size of her torso, she’d topple right over. And I know she’s thin, but her arms and legs wouldn’t support the weight of her head.  The purple potato chip on her head isn’t doing her any favours! And in this scary iteration, she looks like her head would snap off from the size, and dear Wills looks like he’s gone insane. Apparently, “William and Kate gave English entrepreneurs free rein to develop products that memorialize their wedding”, but I am sure that this isn’t what they had in mind.

I wonder if Will and Kate just sit around and laugh their heads off (ha) at these pieces?

Thoughts?

I’ll Take This… Pashley Bike

When I saw this item in the auction catalogue at Alex Cooper, I thought I’d look hilarious pedaling around my new neighbourhood with Connor nestled in the basket. But then I remembered that I live at the bottom of a valley, and am surrounded by hills, and that Connor weighs in at about 65 lbs. But I am sure that he’d be quite cozy in the basket.This is a bike by the venerable English firm of Pashley, which was founded in 1926 and is located in the Bard’s hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon. This bike looks to be their “Delibike” style. Maybe I could take it to the Farmers’ Market on Sundays and fill it with fresh fruits and veg. What do you think?

Treasure Hunt

I love treasure hunts, and the great possibility of finding something so amazing, that you gasp. I rediscovered a great treasure that I thought I’d share with you. It’s called Treasure Hunt, and it’s the blog of the British National Trust.  It’s written by Emile de Bruijn, the NT staffer whose job it is to co-ordinate acquisitions of works of art and other historic chattels that have left the UK’s historic houses in the past, and return them to their proper place. Each post is a little treasure, explaining the story of a room at one of the Trust’s houses, or how a particular work of art was re-acquired. There are stories that take you behind the scenes at some of the most beautiful houses and descriptions of how renovations were accomplished. Reading through Treasure Hunt  is like taking a mini-art history course, with fabulous images and the insider scoop on how things came to the Trust. One of the fun features is seeing the “downstairs” parts of these magnificent houses, like this linen room above, or the dairy with its stunning table with the hilarious legs. Incredible! So I hope you will go Treasure Hunting and see all of the fascinating posts that Emile has written about some of the most amazing houses.

Thanks to pal ~JCB~ for introducing me to this treasure chest!

Knock, Knock…

Who’s there?

Oh, this fun moose {or elk} door knocker! I have a non-functioning door-bell at the new house, and I just put great brushed nickel numbers on the front door, which I want to paint. But maybe this is what I need for the front door. It’s cheap… £19.99 from Rockett St. George in the UK.

Next question… the house is a pale yellow, and I want to paint the front door a fun colour. Suggestions?

London Falling

Politics aside, it’s shocking what’s happening in London right now. I have a number of very good friends there, and hope that all of them are safe. The loss of property in the fires in London is going to be enormous, both in terms of what people are losing, and in historic buildings that are now lost. I was in Paris during the riots a few years ago, and the scariest thing is the complete randomness of the violence. And now, areas of London which I know well – Notting Hill, Kilburn, Portobello Road, Bethnal Green – are all reporting fires, riots and looting.

This is breaking my heart.

Like a Bowl Full of Jelly

I was reading blog and personal favourite, House of Beauty & Culture the other day and he wrote about a summer specialty, jelly. Specifically, jellied champagne with raspberries. What could be more refreshing on a hot summer day than this!As I was reading the post, I remembered a company in London which specializes in sculptural and architectural jellies, which are most amazing. The company, Bompas & Parr, was started by two Oxbridge grads after their final year at university, just as a summer lark. Their work caught on and soon became in demand for the most elegant of events. For the Royal Wedding in April, they created a mould of Buckingham Palace and made a huge copy of it.

Royalty has always celebrated with jelly, as you can imagine with Queen Victoria and the Victorians and their chefs who worked to make more and more imaginative dishes for the royal banquets. You can still find elaborate jelly moulds in antique stores, and it’s lots of fun to make your own creations with them. Or you can do something as simple as oranges and cream in jelly. Don’t you think this is fun!

More Literary Homes for Sale

A few weeks ago, I wrote about J.K. Rowlings’ childhood home being for sale. Well, that has sold already, but there are two more literary homes on offer.

Daphne DuMaurier’s cottage in Cornwall, with the amazing name of Readymoney, is on the market. This is the house where she lived after she wrote  Rebecca and Frenchman’s Creek. The cottage was originally built as a coach house and stables for the nearby waterfront Italianate mansion, Point Neptune.From there, duMaurier moved to Menabilly, a grander house she had known for years and which is reputedly one of the inspirations for Manderley, the atmospheric but doom-laden house and estate in Rebecca.

The home where Charles Dickens summered for more than 22 years is also on the market. Originally named Fort House, after he stopped going there the house was re-named as Bleak House, after his famous story. This house is where he completed David Copperfield, and it was where the idea of Bleak House came to him.  The residence is located at the top of a cliff with stunning views of the English Channel, where Dickens could watch the maritime trade passing by. Both houses are for sale in the vicinity of £2 million.

{Sorry for my absence the past day or two. I’ve been struggling with a bout of vertigo, but seem to be feeling much better now, thanks!}

Sotheby’s at Sudeley, The Second Year

Last year, I wrote about a selling exhibition at Sudeley Castle hosted by Sotheby’s. Well, I guess it must have been a success because it’s happening again this year.

The exhibition brings together cutting-edge, one-off and limited edition works in strikingly different materials by 11 artists and designers, including Tord Boontje, Amanda Levete, David Adjaye, Ingo Maurer and Paul Fryer. Set amongst the romantic ruins of Sudeley and its award-winning gardens, the works will challenge the boundaries of Design, Art and Craft.

Here are some of the pieces that are scattered around Sudeley’s gorgeous grounds and in the historic ruins.

Bee No. One, BOKJA TEXTILE & DESIGN

19's, OMER ARBEL

LED Table, INGO MAURER 
J. B. Schmetterling (Butterfly), INGO MAURER 
Form of Intrigue, LAURA ELLEN BACON 
Rain Tables and Rain Chairs, TORD BOONTJE 

Mazzolin di Fiori, ANDREA SALVETTI
The exhibition will remain at Sudeley until the end of September.

Stemmer House: A Rare Sale

For nearly 40 years, an old family friend has lived on an extraordinary property just outside of Baltimore – Stemmer House  – but now it’s time for it to be sold. Both the woman and the property are quite amazing. The house was originally built in the 1700’s, twenty-five or more miles from where it’s located today. In the 1930’s, the house was dissembled and each brick was numbered so when the house was rebuilt, everything would be in its proper place. The owners who had moved the house never lived in it, and it was given to their daughter, who sold it to our friend almost 40 years ago. During that time, the owner has created the most incredible gardens – everything from water lily and swan ponds to shade gardens to Asian gardens to formal gardens. She’s done most of the work herself, working in the heat of summer and the cold of winter to achieve her vision. The grounds are populated with swans and peacocks, as well as horses. The house’s interiors are a testament to the owner’s love of travel and her range of interests – including gourmet cooking of the highest order! The kitchen includes some fabulous antiques, as well as a massive Aga cooker. The living rooms are a mix of pieces that she’s collected on her travels, as well as artwork spanning several centuries. The wall-covering in the center hallway looks like it could be DeGournay, Zuber or Gracie. It’s stunning. The peacock feathers in the Chinoiserie urn are from the peacocks on the property. My mother has some of the feathers from these birds, too. And the paper in the upper hallway is subtle, yet striking and modern. The bedrooms are charming and cozy with fireplaces to warm them on a chilly night.This family’s previous house was an old church, and they have the steeple from that property as a garden folly at this estate. This amazing house and the surrounding grounds will be auctioned on Wednesday, August 2nd. Details are here. I have such admiration for the owner of this house and how she’s transformed the gardens into a showplace for herself and her friends and family. I know how difficult the decision to let this property go must have been for her. Isn’t this place amazing?