When a Girl has a Little Time on her Hands...

...after a long hard work week ... she just might in the mood for a little down time with a pal looking at pretty things in the shops. Which is how I found my way to the Johnny Was Silk Bar and could hardly tear myself away. If you are lucky enough to live near one, get over there and be transfixed by all the gorgeousness at your fingertips! 

If you are always on the lookout for something unique to dress up your basic look (who isn't?) and are ready to spoil yourself a little, you will adore the Johnny Was Silk Bar!  Here are some of the lovelies I considered, pondered over and played with. After all, at the Silk Bar you are free to play around with dozens and dozens of gorgeous 42" square tasseled silk scarves until your heart stops when you find the perfect one for you. All this seated on chic red enameled Tolix barstools with the whole countertop to artfully arrange your beautiful scarves and see just which one captures you. 

Why stop at one? the shop displayed a mannequin with four scarves tied together just so to create a languid and very sexy little silk dress!

Some of the colors and patterns are reminiscent of the beautiful things you find in Provence at Souleiado.  Can you guess which one I chose?

although these are not the exact Tolix chairs we sat on at the Johnny Was Silk Bar,
I had to post this gorgeous setting with vintage Tolix dining chairs... LOVE!!

Pretty in Provence

We are so busy here in Provence... but wanted to share with you some of the pretty sights I'm seeing as we visit the markets, brocantes and shops getting ready for the Chic Provence Design Tour next week!

Enjoy!

the tulips are in bloom!

pick your boutis!

the famous pate de fruits of Apt!

a beautiful storefront display of baby olive trees in pots!

Edith Mezard's inspired wedding decor!

the ranunculous are in bloom too!

pretty pastel vintage stemmed glasses!

18th C. mirror for madame's dressing table!

all photos taken by kit golson with iPhone

aren't these beautiful? come with us next time!

Conservatoire de la Couleur

In Provence in the Vaucluse,  there is a magical village, perched on a golden hillside, that is drunken with exuberant color, called Roussillon. The houses, the quaint shops, restaurants, and the churches are themselves finished in reds, ochres, burnt oranges, yellows, apricots, every building a different shade of sunshine. 

In Roussillon, there is a center dedicated totally and completely to color: its creation, its use in decoration and art, its history. This place celebrates, honors, teaches about and preserves color with a fervent reverence usually found at the finest conservatories of music... and it is called the Conservatoire des Ocres et de la Couleur.

There, you can take workshops in Color for Interiors, Using Natural Materials to Dye Fabrics, Making Your Own Pigments for Watercolors, How to Color Cement, How to Create a Tadelakt Finish, and many more very interesting topics for beginners, professionals, young and old alike. 

Yes, the ateliers are taught in French. So you can either learn French, or come with me on a design tour and we will interpret for you! We will be visiting Roussillon and the Conservatory this May, and can't wait to tell you all about it!

Easy on the Eyes..

...Non?

le printemps a Dinan by Jean-Haffen Yvonne

at auction in Marseilles this weekend

couleurs de l'ombre - Hiroshi Sugimoto for Hermes

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

Kit

You Know It's Fall Here When.... {includes recipe for Grey Whale Pear Custard Pie}

...as surely as the squirrels outside your window are burying acorns, 
Southern Girls everywhere in the world get a primal urge to polish the silver...

...the rains begin after 7 months of dry weather to drench the back yard...

...these things start showing up all over
the sidewalks (magnolia flower seed pods?)...

...my shadow takes on an ominously tall and otherworldly look...

...while the hydrangeas take on that coppery look..

...and Nicky begins to find skeletons in neighbor's yards...

...oak leaves settle on my lavender picnic table after the first rain...

...and Mia's gorgeous grapes fall in bunches like this little beauty...

...the heirloom tomatoes are ridiculously delicious...

...Chinese bitter melon and eggplants appear at 
the farmers' market... (it really is bitter, I tried them!)...

...the ubiquitous pumpkin kissed by nature's palette shows up everywhere...

...grapes of all varieties are harvested with 
abandon all over the area...

...while over at the beach, a lone surfer walks out of 
the sea as if to say.. "when is summer coming back?" 
while Nicky watches intently... 

...the beach already looks deserted for the winter...

...except for all the birds! ...

...you know it's autumn when Nicky burrows under the down comforter in the daybed and claims it for his own...

...you know it's autumn when Nicky burrows under the

down comforter in the daybed and claims it for his own...

...and finally, you know it's autumn when I make this 
incredibly delicious and eeeasy Pear Custard Pie (no dairy!).. circa
1987 from the Gray Whale Resto in Inverness, CA...

How's it going in your part of the world? 

Enjoy!

***

Thanks for visiting!   Kit

all photos Kit's iPhone

I am very happy for you to download and use my photos..

please give credit and link back to me when you do!

Thanks!

Guest Bedroom

Wanting to change from the somewhat inflexible queen bed format to far more nimble twin beds in a smallish guest bedroom, my client asked me to begin a search for just the right look... since these beds won't get a lot of wear and tear, we can go just a little more "special". And so off to 1stdibs for inspiration.. and look at these stunners! 18th C. French metal campaigns in the most incredible shade of green and brass. Yes, they will do just fine!

These gorgeous green twins would be stunning in softly white room including painted floorboards and glossy soft green baseboards/trim. The art.. by Glorida Vanderbilt herself, no less... would bring modern freshness to the room. And the lighting? I like the mid-century sconces, keeping it simple. And  that gorgeous Manuel Canovas fabric for bedcovers and curtains? Nice.

What do you think? Are we on the right track?

fabric: Babylone by Manuel Canovas  perfect for
window curtains and bed covers

Gathering, 2012 by Gloria Vanderbilt  perfect art for the wall

Paint Colors by Farrow & Ball

wall and glossy floor paint color

baseboard and trim paint color

Thanks for visiting.... Kit