Eye for Beauty: Simon Upton

Source: Elle Decor

I am a great admirer of Australian photographer Simon Upton's work. He's responsible for some of the most gorgeous images I have come across in Elle Decor (my favourite interior design magazine). He also does glamour and fashion photography and has worked with some really big names like Naomi Watts, Cindy Crawford, Milla Jovovich and Christy Turlington.

Scroll down and drool!

Source: Elle Decor

Source: Elle Decor

Andrew Gn's Paris apartment for Elle Decor

Villa Repeto

Milla Jovovich

 I love this image of Milla Jovovich. At first glance it looks like a painting, then like a photograph. I still can't make up my mind which. Too cool!

Naomi Watts

Ollie Henderson

Source: Harper's Bazaar Australia

Source: Harper's Bazaar Singapore

Serenity

Source: The New York Times

I recently stumbled upon this  gorgeous house while leafing through House & Garden magazine. It is the home of Vietnamese writer Nguyen Qui Duc, situated outside the hill town of Tam Dao in northern Vietnam. The building is almost loft-like in feel, exposing rough stone walls and wooden beams and soaring windows that slide open directly onto the pool, which features a built-in bath tub. Contemporary yet timeless, the decor is unpretentious, rather bare-bones in its approach, leaving the vast view of the hills to dominate.

Dreaming of creating a little space for myself to get away from the noisiness of a household with five year old twin boys, this is something I could certainly get my head around, albeit for a brief period of time. Too much solitude might drive me crazy - Jack Nicholson in 'The Shining' certifiably insane! However, this type of solitude and serenity is certainly something to aspire to. In the meantime, it's enough to just drool over these images and imagine.

Source: The New York Times

Source: The New York Times

Source: Living Inside

Source: The New York Times

Source: House & Garden UK

Source: House & Garden UK

Design crush: Sally Wheat

Houston-based interior designer Sally Wheat is my kind of designer. I love her combination of styles and periods, which add a touch of whimsy to her interiors and make them feel loved and lived in.  I like that her rooms exude calm, without becoming too serious or stiff and precious. I can imagine living in them - that's my most important criteria and she delivers. My only regret is that she lives an ocean (and then some) away!

The gold accents add warmth to the cool grey tones in the living room above and the fur-covered stools give the room a bit of kick. Notice the Beni Ourain rug in the foreground? Still love it!

Tuck me into that bed right now and I would happily stay there. Despite the dark walls, this room appears warm and welcoming. Using leopard print (in small doses) adds a dash of glamour to a room.

Malachite curtains alert!! Yum!

Source: Laurie Perez

Another favourite (see earlier post): the black on white abstract work of art.

Enduring elegance

"Excess is never elegant" - Anonymous

Lee Radziwill

Elegance, like taste or class, is one of those indefinable qualities that many people have tried to put into words and even more have tried to emulate. I guess it's another case of 'you either have it or you don't'. A strict definition as given by the Free Dictionary reads:  a. Refinement, grace and beauty in movement appearance or manners; b. Tasteful opulence in form, decoration or presentation; c. Scientific exactness and precision.

Elegance can therefore be applied to people, animals (think horses!), interiors, architecture and mathematics. Although my math leaves a lot to be desired, I know an elegant woman or interior when I see one. Could I tell you why, exactly? Despite writing for a living, I would be hard pressed to find the right words. I do believe it is a state of being, a gentle curiosity, a clean line, a beauty that needs little enhancement - the bare bones are usually enough. It is genteel, often restrained (although this need not always be the case) and never has to try too hard.

Glamorous women like Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Lee Radziwill, Talitha Getty and Marella Agnelli - to name just a few - have or had it in spades. They were elegance personified. These days, it's so much harder to find younger women who embody that intangible quality. God, I sound like such an old school marm! Sorry about that! But it's true, isn't it? The young starlets really don't seem to have it. Maybe, if you were to hold a gun to my head, Lilly Collins or Camille Belle. In my opinion, the most elegant of my peers is Aerin Lauder. There's a quiet, unassuming beauty about her. There's nothing loud or vulgar there. Her look, her homes, her office. She gets my vote. Who do you think is truly elegant?

Aerin Lauder's dressing room

Aerin Lauder

Aerin Lauder's office as seen in Architectural Digest

Talitha Getty

Grace Kelly

Ines de la Fressange

Carolina Herrera

Marella Agnelli

Daytime drama

The other day I was doing the groceries when I passed by a fashion store I see almost on a daily basis. Somehow, though, I finally paid attention to it and I saw a seriously pretty sequined skirt hanging in the window, which I was immediately drawn to.

To people who know me, the idea of me and sequins probably seems a little incongruous. No one has ever accused me of being flashy, although, like any other healthy woman I love a bit of bling. I just don't like to call too much attention to myself. Having said that, sequins do something to me. They make me want to throw off these Calvinistic Dutch shackles, sheath myself in sparkles, drink cocktails (the only alcohol I can endure is extremely sweet and potent!) and party like it was 1999 again!

Meanwhile, back in the real world, I really love the look of a sequined skirt (mini, midi, maxi - take your pick!) or even pants paired with a denim shirt, casual jacket or a simple cashmere tee. And why reserve it for after dark? The best time to wear this stuff is when the sun is out!  I'm not sure the matrons in our little village would agree, but you know something? I don't care! Bling it on babe!

PS How about a bit of that glittery stuff on a piece of furniture, or even a whole wall, for that matter! That may be a bit much, particularly for me, but I love the idea of it and the fact that, somewhere, someone is preparing breakfast in that sparkly kitchen!

Source unknown

Source: House & Home

Source: Seams for a Desire

Kate Spade store in Soho

In the abstract: Black and white art

As a teenager I was obsessed with Renoir's sugary images of rosy-cheeked beauties. As a college student my attention turned to the 16th century Venetian masters like Giorgione and Titian and the great Dutch masters of the 17th century. In fact, I wrote my master thesis on the subject of courtesan portraiture in Venice and Amsterdam. After several internships at auction houses like Bonham's and Christie's in London, followed by a segue into the world of finance, I worked as a curator for a private modern and contemporary art collector. As I've grown and aged, my taste in art has evolved from the pretty and figurative to the paired down abstract. While my taste in interiors has become decidedly more colourful (what, you hadn't noticed?), my preference for abstract forms, often a careless shape executed in black and white acrylic, has grown.

There is something about the apparent simplicity of a black and white canvas, particularly in combination with a somewhat classic interior, that really gets my blood pumping. Since my budget won't allow for any major investments, I have been thinking of heading over to my mother's studio (she does a mean portrait and one of her rare abstracts has pride of place in my living room) and creating my own version. However, for anyone who thinks this process is just a matter of slapping a bit of black paint on a white canvas, think again! It's about layering the paint, and believe me, it's really easy to mess up a blank canvas. 

Aerin Lauder's family study

Source: Lonny Magazine