VT (for all of my design-obsessed peeps)

photocourtesykikette-interiorsblog Peeps, It has been a somewhat difficult weekend; the weather channel had predicted thunder-storms and showers yesterday, and only a brief sprinkle was in our favor.   Today, the anticipation and expectation of rain kept me on edge; I weeded and re-potted right after breakfast, and briefly considered getting out the water-hose for the front garden, yet the promise of abundant showers at noon or late afternoon delayed any action on my part.   Sure we’re not parched as in parts of Texas where my friend Andy lamented that Houston has not received any rainfall but once in three months, nevertheless our small lawn had recently began turning brown.   Yet I prefer not to run the sprinkler, especially when I think about parched countries where water is precious and scarcely sufficient for growing crops or raising animals.   The idea of 13 million persons at risk of starvation in the Horn of Africa is sufficient to make me pause, ...

photocourtesykikette-interiors.blogspot Peeps, The Paris loft of Frederic Mechiche is undeniably a cult favorite among the design obsessed.  The historic interior has been reduced to essentially a shell for the display of art, objects, furniture, lamps, and assorted ephemera.  Against white walls and upon bare floors, this talented interior and furniture designer has skillfully conjured his highly personal and idiosyncratic version of a design palimpsest.  Spanning periods and styles, Frederic has collected photography by Mapplethorpe and Serrano; sculpture by Beuys and Dubuffet; chairs, tables, and lighting by mid-century icons;  carved and beaded creations from Africa, Oceania, and the Americas; and artifacts ranging from Roman helmets to Chinese temple guardians.  Limited to a palette of greys, whites, blacks, chrome, metallics, and antique mirror, this apartment tantalizes us with allusions of a rain-swept Paris afternoon, exploring a place probably u...