HEADING FOR RUIN

GEMS (in more ways than one!) on Peter Carl Fabergé.  I've been reading up like a madwoman.  I'm obsessed and heading for ruin (see "on heading for ruin," below).  Is it evident?

On Peter Carl Fabergé, the man:

...If we are to find some explanation for the goodness of Fabergé...we must go once again to his sense of humor, his sense of the ridiculous.  Shortly put, I would say this, when anything presented itself to be done, he never thought of it as 'bad' or 'good' as generally defined, but as silly and stupid or not silly and not stupid.

On "killing the diamond," rethinking luxury:

Carl and Agathon Fabergé drew in their horns when they made a departure from objects of jewelry to objects of fantasy. Alexander III drew in his horns when he commissioned Fabergé to make him a set of Easter eggs and not tiaras.... These three men virtually killed the diamond and all the other precious stones; not as objects of brilliance and beauty in their own right, but as those symbols of power and riches and magic...  From henceforth it was assumed that to offer any gift in which the value of the workmanship was exceeded by that of the materials employed, that is to say any article which had blatantly written across it 'I have cost a lot of money' was taboo.  To the rule there was one exception only, when the recipient was a near relative or very dear friend.

And, on heading for ruin (in style.  This is how it's DONE, yeah!):

[Alexander III, Carl and Agathon Fabergé] pointed [out] that only by the work of his own hands can man fully realize himself, that to obsess himself with those things in which he has had no hand in the making is to induce a state of creeping sickness leading finally to ruin.

Text from Peter Carl Fabergé: His Life and Work by Henry Charles Bainbridge.
Images from Russian Imperial Style by Laura Cerwinske.

You Are What You Read

Well, maybe not. But at the very least, your design aesthetic is informed by what you read and look at; of this, I am convinced.

For that reason, I've always loved looking at the books that are used as props in shoots. It's sort of one of those guiltily satisfying games, you know? Books on display in rooms are funny things: either someone reads them and loves them, or wants you to think that they read them and love them. Involve stylists, decorators, proud homeowners and magazines with international readerships, and well, what you get is a fantastic game of artifice!

That having been said, these are a few of my (genuine) favorites at the moment (clockwise from top left.) As a side note, any of these would make fab gifts for the design minded and creatively inclined:

1. Artists' Houses by Gerard-Georges Lemaire, Jean-Claude Amiel. The lives and personal spaces of creative and eccentric people are a source of never ending interest to me. This book has all of the standards (Church, William Morris) and impressively, some more bizarre finds.

2. Faberge and the Russian Master Goldsmiths, by Gerard Hill, G.G. Smorodinova, B.L. Ulyanova. Gorgeous, glossy images of the famous eggs, jewelry, and other objets d'art. We've all seen the eggs—in my opinion its the copious images of snuff boxes, jewelry, and imperial gifts that make this book really worthwhile.

3. Inside the White Cube: The Ideology of the Gallery Space by Brian O'Doherty and Thomas McEvilley. A really thought provoking look at the confines of the "white box" gallery and the ways in which artists have reacted to it. This one always makes me think about context, and how I choose to display art.

4. Vogue Living: Houses Gardens People by Hamish Bowles. This hefty volume has gotten a lot of hype, but in my opinion, it's well deserved. Of course, glossy images of interiors are always more interesting when there's a character involved, and there's a whole lot of character in here— everyone from Madonna to Julian Schnabel, and plenty in between.

5. Beds by Diane Von Furstenberg. Beds are an intimate window into their owner's lives, and good old Diane has assembled quite an impressive collection of some of the finest bedrooms around.

6. Dictator Style by Peter York and Douglas Coupland. This one is all in good fun. The tone is casual, but the writing leaves a lot to be desired. Some of the images are surprisingly posh, some are riotously hilarious.

7. Tony Duquette by Wendy Goodman, Hutton Wilkinson and Dominick Dunne. The images in here are literally like dreams. Think fantastical sets, elaborate costume balls, and creative, over the top interiors.

8. Confessions of a Window Dresser: Tales from the Life of Fashion by Simon Doonan. The bizarrely cool creative director from Barney's shares stories of eccentricity and comedy, alongside images of imaginative and surreal window displays. What's not to love?

9. Interiors by Minn Hogg, Wendy Harrop and the World of Interiors. Some of the best interiors you'll ever encounter, divided into several decorating "categories". I go back to this time and again. Enough said.

10. The Hermitage: The History of The Buildings and Halls ed. by Nina Grishina and Maria Lyzhenkova. Bar none, my favorite museum is the Hermitage. The way one views art here makes it worth the trip to Russia alone. This book is about the building itself, rather than the artwork hanging on the walls. Take note of the richly textured finishes and luscious use of color.

Inspired by Fabergé

Assorted Fabergé enamel boxes

Left: Painted jewel accent table with faux malachite boxes. Right: Painted tortoise accent table with faux malachite boxes.

Painted malachite box detail

Painted decorative box

Ebonized turquoise table

Ebonized turquoise table detail

It's undeniable: Fabergé, the Russian imperial jeweler, knew how to put together drool-inducing objects rich in texture, color and minute detail. And those lumpy briolette diamonds? What bling should be. So, naturally, Fabergé has been serving as my latest muse and inspiration.

Why stop with jewels? I figure the world could use some Fabergé inspired furniture. I wanted these to be extremely decadent, to approximate the mouth watering nature of Faberge's work.  To avoid tackiness deluxe, I incorporated a fair share of patina, a hefty dose of age. My apologies in advance for the lack of briolette diamond encrustation. I do what I can, my dears.


All furniture and painted boxes created, styled and photographed by (In)Decorous Taste.