I’ve always been obsessed with Fabergé eggs and would even go see the small collection that would make its appearance at the Forbes Galleries whenever I was on lower Fifth. Somehow I never saw this one. Despite my affection for embarassingly lavish Russian jewels, I think the very simple Karelian Birch egg is my favorite.
From the Wikipedia entry:
The egg is made out of Karelian birch panels set in a gold frame. This departure in design from previous eggs, which were far more ornate and gilded, was due to popular discontent with the monarchy and declining fortunes as a result of World War I. Its “surprise” was a miniature mechanical elephant, which could be wound with a small jewel-encrusted key.
Amazing. Runners up below.
Kenneth Jay Lane has made some of the most amazing jewelry I’ve ever seen. His costume confections have graced women from all walks of life – from Jackie Onassis to Diana Vreeland, Elizabeth Taylor to the Dutchess of Windsor (who it is said is buried in a belt me made for her.) I did not know until recently that he was first a shoe designer for Delman and Christian Dior and he used his free time to create flashy baubles. They were such an instant success that Saks Fifth Avenue sold its entire initial inventory in one day. He was one of the persons included for “high fashion” in the Andy Warhol Screen Tests and a guest at Truman Capote‘s Black And White Ball. In 1996 he published Faking It and he continues to do his thing from his home in the Stanford White mansion in New York City. Get the whole story »
I am currently loving loving loving anything French Industrial. The perfect balance of form, functionality, and fashion was birthed, of course, by none other than Jean Prouvé.
Born in 1901, French Industrial furniture designer and architect, Jean Prouvé, is one of the most influential furniture designers of the early modern design movement. He introduced the machine age and industrial engineered modern design aesthetic to interiors in the steel, aluminum and architecture he created.
Prouvé was born into an artistic family in Nancy, France; his famous father, Victor Prouve, collaborated with the great Art Nouveau artists Emile Galle and Louis Majorelle as a ceramicist. Jean Prouvé himself was trained as a metal smith before attending engineering school in Nancy, and his intimate knowledge of metal remained the foundation of his work and career. Get the whole story »
I bought these rare vintage Hermes playing cards as “a gift” for my boyfriend recently. When I saw them I became obsessed and needed the perfect opportunity to get them into our living room. Get the whole story »
I’ve wanted to visit Savannah for as long as I can remember, so after reading a recent Domino (yes, I know) article on Georgia’s oldest city, I convinced Matt to take me to the home of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. I fell in love.
Get the whole story »
My grandmother died an untimely death in 1947. She was, among other things, a loving mother of three beautiful children, a wonderful dancer, and the ethereally exquisite reigning Miss Central America.
Get the whole story »
Matt is constantly reminding me that I have too much “stuff” in my life. He means that both figuratively and literally. While I may have to agree with him about the earlier, I love surrounding myself with seemingly pointless physical “stuff” just because I think it’s pretty. Undoubtedly, my affection for gaudy collectable china falls into this category.
In the ethnic neighborhoods of Queens that reared me, religiously themed ceramic figurines are a dining room breakfront staple. While I certainly get a warm fuzzy feeling for porcelain renditions of The Last Supper, my taste for great old lady ceramics has evolved quite a bit. My absolute favorites are the the Hungarian China house of Herend, and Spain’s famous figurine export, Lladro.
Get the whole story »
While I usually defer to Matt on all matters relating to wall hangings, I have to talk for a moment about my secret lowbrow obsession with Curtis Jere. Although the name may not jump out at you, you definitely know this stuff. It used to hang on the waiting room walls at the office of the progressive child psychologist your parents sent you to in the 80′s, above the piles of Highlights magazines. I loved to stare at his stuff then, and nothing has changed.
Get the whole story »
