Vizcaya: Galleon guest suite

The main guest suite at Vizcaya is in the opposite corner of Mr. Deerings offering views of both Viscayne Bay and the Formal Gardens. Occupying the physical corner is the sitting room named Galleon after the shipping vessels which inspired the house.

The wood walls are painted to imitate marble and display a collection of 18th century Italian landscape paintings. As throughout the rest of the house, the diverse decorations include 18th century Italian and English furniture with a French Savonnerie carpet.

This extravagant suite seems like an amazing place to stay for Deering's guest of honor -wouldn't you say?

Chimneys

The holiday season is upon us once again and nothing says home for the holidays quite like a chimney: hearth and home afterall, right? I'll be posting some of my favorite fireplaces and chimneys in the upcoming month and thought I'd start with this unusual double chimney here in the Kalorama neighborhood of DC. Notice the plaque as well as the different brick treatments: such great detail! I wonder if the right hand chimney is decorative or houses a mechanical flue of some kind as it doesn't have the same chimney cap as the left hand one? Also notice the unusual dormer tucked deep into the roofline.

Ca' d'Oro

The Palazzo Santa Sofia, commonly known as the Ca' d'Oro or golden house, is a 15th century palazzo along the Grand Canal in Venice. You probably recognize it from myriad postcards or the backdrop to movies, I know I do!The building is known as the golden house because its exterior used to be decorated with gilt and polychrome but now is natural stone; Old habits die hard I suppose! Built for the Contarini family by sculptor/ architect Giovanni Bon and his son, Bartolomeo Bon, in gothic style, it was a more decorative version of the style prefered by the Venetians which the Bon's made famous throughout Venice.

One arrives off the Grand Canal to the boat launch behind a screened loggia.Which gives entry to the courtyard.The loggias surrounding the courtyard have gorgeous inlaid marble floors and byzantine capitals topping the columns.How many different types of marble can you count here?The loggias upstairs off the main compartments offer breathtaking views of the Grand Canal.Since 1922 the house has been owned by the state and operates as a museum.In the collection is this bronze winged lion. The winged lion is representative of St. Mark the Evangelist who is the patron saint of the city and stands as the symbol of the city. Photos courtesy of the Australian.

Palazzo Cavalli Franchetti

Located along the Grand Canal in Venice is the Palazzo Cavalli Franchetti. Now housing the Venetian Institute of science, letters and arts, the palace started life in 1565 with many renovations since.

Like many of the palaces facing the Grand Canal, the main rooms are on the upper floors facing the canal providing beautiful views, seen in the room above. Notice the Venetian glass chandelier.

The palace is most known for is grand stairway built for Baron Franchetti in the 1880s by architect Camillo Boito. Boito was one of the preeminent architectural historians and restorationists of the day, chartering the modern historic restoration movement.While the Australian (who was kind enough to share these pictures) was in Venice, the Bienalli was taking place and the palace housed the glass exhibition, seen in part in the stairway above.

Designed in rich Venetian Gothic style, the house is characteristically rather over the top and ornamental: what we expect most in Venetian style.

As in all Venetian Palazzo's, the house fronts the canal with a courtyard or garden behind. I love this ornamental grille work.The palace has a rare side garden facing the canal which during the Bienalli housed a strange house called the Narrow House.Designed by Austrian artist Erwin Wurm as a reconstruction of his childhood house but squished to scale to only 1 meter wide to reflect the crowded conditions in Venice and the tricks our mind plays on our memory.

And I'm showing this because it's just amazing the detail that Wurm went to, but I promise you it's the only toilet you will ever see on ArchitectDesign!

Top photo of the Palazzo from Wikipedia, all others from the Australian.

Balsam Hill

This past weekend I cohosted a Holiday Party and Balsam Hill was kind enough to supply me with 2 pre-lit topiaries.

The 2 artificial baby cypress trees came pre-lit and in fabulous classical urns. While I normally prefer real trees (naturally) these were great as they're low maintenance and great for temporary use like a party.They provided a welcome entrance to the party and literally marked the occasion! Thanks to Balsam Hill!

Painted Mantel

For the next installment in the "Hearth and Home" holiday series, I bring you this pretty painted mantelpiece from the decorative arts collection at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The chimneypiece was painted by George Brookshaw (also known as G. Brown) in 1793 in the neo-classical style. Originally created for Piercefield House in Wales being remodeled at the time by Sir John Soane (of the eponymous museum), the mantel was later sold from the house when it was stripped and left to ruins in 1926. Wood plaster and painted copper panels; not all grand mantels need to be of stone!

Ally Coulter for the Holiday House

I wasn't able to attend this year's Holiday House in NYC (open until December 11!), but my friend Todd from Ralph Lauren Home sent me some great photos of the Living Room designed by Ally Coulter, which featured some of RL's furniture line.

Beautiful Ally is seen seated above in front of her room wearing a Ralph Lauren Collection dress, naturally. The Modern Penthouse Sectional is upholstered in a creamy taupe while the room shimmers in shades of white with a lot of glass for sparkle, like the Carlysle Cocktail table.

Ally used the RL Luxe Console as a bar set in the corner beneath the RL Conservatory Garden Wall Sconce. Isn't that Venetian mirror just so incredibly beautiful!

The RL "Runway Chandelier" fits right in with the architecture of the room; check out this gorgeous door surround with Corinthian columns and a broken pediment.

Not only does the furniture have prominence, the band you see playing is none other than Chris Gillespie from Bemelman’s Bar! It looks like I missed a fantastic party!

The wall paneling has beautiful lilac applique details, which is why Ally also refered to the room as the Mother's Day Room. Beautiful all year round!

Be sure to visit the Holiday House soon before it closes until next year!

Sheffield Park House

Located in Sheffield Park, the grounds famously designed by Capability Brown in the 18th century, is an extraordinary gothic house simply named Sheffield Park House. Isn't this right out of a spooky 19th century novel? Fantastic! The house is privately owned but the gardens are open to the public - information HERE.

The Red House

My Australian 'penpal' has been traveling again and has sent me loads of photos from fascinating places around the world! I had to share 'Red House' with you, the home of Arts & Crafts artist William Morris.

The house was designed by his friend, architect Philip Webb in 1859. Morris wanted his home to be a "Palace of Art" and the Red House surely is. The gardens were designed to be a part of the house as a series of rooms: a very modern idea.While most known for its courtyard side (top 2 photos) the entry side is shown above; partly neo-gothic don't you think?

Sadly, Morris was forced to sell the house for financial reasons in 1865. The house remained in the same family for 150 years afterwards, a testament to its lovliness. It now is a part of the National Trust and is available for tours.

This 2nd story bay window has a really interesting stepped footing -almost like a chimney.

The little round windows on the courtyard side line a hallway, seen below.

The stained glass in the house was all done by Morris's friend, noted artist Edward Burne-Jones.The work that went into the house is really incredible. I love the woodwork in this sitting room below.

And no surface was forgotten; this tiled ceiling is amazing!
Update: Many thanks to my friend Richard for supplying me with a copy of the floor plans!

Dupont Carillon

Alfred Dupont loved his estate, Nemours, so much, that despite spending his last years in Florida chose to rest there eternally after his death in 1935.The 210 foot tall Carillon tower stands off the main mansion museum grounds (now) but within the original surrounding walls on the grounds of the adjacent children's hospital. Designed by his architect son through his firm Massena and du Pont, the carillon is still in working order and plays a number of songs daily, watched over by 4 stone eagles at the summit of the tower. Oddly enough, the mausoleum contains a 6 passenger elevator; can't seperate the industrialist from his gadgets even in death! Dupont's 3rd wife, Jessie and her brother, Edward Ball, are also interred at the Carillon.