Film Interiors: Tara Road

Before The Holiday -- in which Kate Winslet owns my all-time favorite movie house -- there was Tara Road. Marilyn (Andie MacDowell) is struggling with her son's sudden death when she decides to escape her Connecticut home and swap places with Ria (Olivia Williams), a Dublin wife and mother whose husband has just left her for his pregnant girlfriend. In Connecticut (Cape Town makes a beautiful but unlikely stand-in), Ria revels in the peace of Marilyn's sprawling house and pool. The sparse modern furnishings and few bright decorator accents are a break from the messiness of her life at home. While in Ireland, Marilyn is confronted by Ria's family drama at every turn and realizes that her marriage is worth trying to save despite its new reality. Ria's house on Tara Road is a character in itself that comes under threat and helps to reveal the full extent of her husband's treachery.

The Connecticut house and pool -- very little adornment.

The Connecticut living room -- the furniture is all right angles

 with the art and accessories adding precise blasts of color.

The Connecticut kitchen continues the house's color scheme of blue, orange and yellow. Pool tile adds shimmer to the walls and the lack of upper cabinets leaves room for art. A decorator's hand seems to have guided the entire house and very little of Marilyn's personality can be seen in the space. It gives Ria room to rediscover herself and her passion for cooking.

The house on Tara Road is shot from below to highlight its importance in the characters' lives. Though it has an imposing presence, the first scene shows Ria being greeted by her kids at the door and we understand that this is a happy home for them.

I've always loved a house with a proper entryway. Here the original tile and doors are offset by modern lamps. Red is the dominant color in this house.

The living room on Tara Road -- red walls bring the focus to a gorgeous black marble fireplace. The large mirror over it makes the room seem even bigger, yet the furniture makes the space feel cozy.

The kitchen on Tara Road -- three walls of counter space and a big kitchen table. This is the heart of the house, where Ria has clearly cooked many a meal for her family. Decorative plates add detail to the walls.

Here are a few items on the market that echo the warm family vibe of the house on Tara Road.

Black Marble Fireplace Mantel from Jamb.

Gold-Leaf Mirror from Jean-Marc Fray.

Handmade Lampshade from House of Chintz.

Vintage Greek Plate from 216 Stitches.

Bench from Primitive Passions.

Farmhouse Dining Table from Hastening Antiques.

Film Images: Noel Pearson Productions.

Pink

Never one to follow the rules of the seasons very closely, my eye has lately been turning to pink interiors. Because I like to balance feminine and masculine elements in my decor, a vast swath of pink would never show up in my house. But there's no denying that pink puts a smile on my face. Whether slathered on the walls or peppered into a neutral palette via cushions and art, pink is an act of rebellion in an adult interior. From dusty to coral to shocking, the hue doesn't matter. It is undeniably girly. And sometimes a woman just wants to feel like a girl.

Images: Achados de Decoracao, Brabourne Farm, Lonny magazine, December 2010, June/July 2010, Feb/March 2010, House Beautiful magazine, March 2011, Living etc magazine, May 2011.

Library Chair

I recently caught the 1940 version of Pride and Prejudice with Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier on TCM and was both amused by the outlandish costumes and salivating over the furniture. Before the film, one of the stars shared how her love of antiques developed while on set. Because the studio had unlimited funds for set design, they had little appreciation for the history that was in their possession. In one scene where Olivier sat behind a desk, the desk was deemed too high. Instead of raising the camera, two inches were sawed off the bottom of the desk. 

In a scene where Mrs. Bennett is lamenting her daughters' lack of good suitors to Mr. Bennett, I so fell in love with a chair that was occupying Mr. Bennett that I had to rent the DVD to get a better view of it. The library chair was introduced to the U.S. in the 1700s by Benjamin Franklin after a long visit to England. The above engraving from Banana Strudel shows how it converts to a ladder just by tilting the seat back forward. The following specimen from Debenham Antiques is the sketch brought to life. Add to this a bay window and a wall full of books and I would be set.

Jewelry Walls

Over the years I've collected so much costume jewelry that I now have five or six different containers -- some of them no fancier than a cardboard box -- to house all of my trinkets. Not being a morning person, I end up reaching for one of the same two pairs of earrings each day and leaving my accessorizing at that rather than digging through my collection for something fresh to wear. For this reason, and because good jewelry really is art, I love the idea of a jewelry wall. Having my favorite pieces on display with framed prints and photos would not only add some inspiration to my morning routine, but it would also give me a rotating gallery of sparkle to dress up my walls. 

Images: Brown Dress with White Dots, DIY Ideas, Because Im Addicted, House Obsession, Fabulous on a Budget, Pinterest.

Book vs. E-Reader

For my birthday recently, I was given a Nook e-reader as a group gift from family. My initial response was surprise and delight. It was one of those things I would never have bought for myself, yet I'd been charmed by the commercials and thought having lots of books on one device was a great idea. My enthusiasm began to wane when the initial set-up process took me a couple of hours (why do wi-fi router manufacturers set a password in the factory that they don't pass on to customers?). When I finally managed to get online, I started looking into my buying options. There were lots of new releases to pick from and a few older options from my favorite authors. Magazines were also plentiful. But when I stepped away from the Nook and really thought through the consequences, it's usefulness to me became questionable. 

The truth is this: I already have a computer (at work and home) and an i-phone (curse those games!) that take up a considerable chunk of my time. In the last couple of years, I've developed frequent headaches from staring at a computer screen. Did I really want to add another one to my life? Though some books have bored me, I've never developed a headache from staring at the printed word. Besides that, shopping for new reading material would just be too easy with an e-reader. I knew that I would end up buying more books and magazines than I already do just because the result would be instantaneous. Good for Barnes & Noble, not so good for my budget. If out-of-print books were on the menu, I might have been more easily tempted. I recently discovered a copy of Yvonne de Bremond D'Ars' "In the Heart of Paris" in a box lot I won at a silent auction and have been absorbed in her engrossing tale of parceling out a house full of antiques to five very different nieces--not something I would come across on a Nook. 

Ultimately I decided to draw a line in the sand, and I drew it at the Nook. The technology wheel is going to keep turning at a breakneck pace and ever-new enticements are going to be put before us. No one will decide for us that enough is enough. It's up to us to decide which devices make our lives easier/better and which ones monopolize our time and energy at the expense of the things that matter to us in the long run. So my Nook is going back to the shop. No doubt I'll regret my decision at some point in the future--particularly when I'm travelling. But when I crack open a book at the end of the day and pick up where I left off, I won't for a minute wish I was staring at a brightly lit screen. Perhaps I'm setting back the concept of a paperless society. But when it comes to books, I can live with being a traditionalist.

Artist: David Lance Goines

A few years ago, I came across a book of posters by artist and pressman David Lance Goines in a village bookstore and ended up buying two copies -- one for my bookshelf and the other to pull out pages and frame them. What I know about graphic design could fit on the palm of my hand, but I know what I like and based on the number of books he's written and the quality of businesses who have commissioned him to design advertising for them, Goines has a knack for what turns heads. Goines likens his work to a pair of "blue jeans" that get better the more they are worn. For me, the blue jeans comparison only relates in so far as his work is timeless -- denim will never be retired from the American wardrobe. Goines' posters manage to be retro and modern at the same time and he employs a soothing color palate strong on grays and dusty pinks that asks for attention rather than shouting for it. So many years after first discovering his work, I still find myself leaning in for a better look at the prints on my wall and wishing he would put his hand to designing a poster for my own shop.

Images: Posters 1970-1994, David Lance Goines, published by Ten Speed Press, 1994. For more of David Lance Goines' work and story, click here.

Visit: Chanticleer

Every spring, when winter has breathed its last breath and everything turns green and blooms almost overnight, I put aside an afternoon to spend at Chanticleer in Wayne, PA. Termed a "pleasure garden", it has never failed to live up to the bill. Once a summer estate for the founders of Merck & Co., the gardens were opened to the public in 1993. Seven horticulturists are responsible for keeping the gardens fresh and inviting and every year the flora changes (multiple times in a season too). Often flowers are planted en masse to create a feast for the eyes. With groupings of custom-made benches and chairs dotted throughout, sitting and luxuriating in the surroundings is encouraged. Sculptures are integrated into the landscaping--stone faces hover just underneath a rectangular pool of dark water, bobbing when people touch them and delighting visitors with their creepiness. This is a garden that doesn't take itself seriously, yet offers serious relaxation and inspiration. Even the restrooms, Japanese style and always immaculate, show imagination. 

Images: Chanticleer.