Cabbages and Kings

Blame it on the rapidly approaching Australian summer, the design world's fascination with foliage (witness the number of collections inspired by horticulture this year, such as H&M's S/S 2011 Raw Nostalgia range and Chanel's S/S 2011 collection, which was influenced by the gardens of Last Year at Marienbad), or just our move to the country and my new appreciation of the beauty of a hand-grown vegetable. Whatever the reason for it, I have become completely obsessed with gardens this year.

One vegetable, in particular, has become rather prominent in my cuttings and images. It's the humble cabbage, which really isn't humble at all, but rather magnificent. You only have to look at its lush dark layers  to see how magnificent it is. And I'm not the only one with a fondness for the star of the Brassicaceae family. (NB I prefer the Russian word for cabbage – капуста, or kapusta – which sounds like something a mafia head would threaten his enemies with. "If you don't pay up today, you'll get kapusta tomorrow, y'hear me?") King Louis XIV was also rather partial to a little cabbage leaf (as well as peas and pears), instructing his garden designer, Jean-Baptiste Le Quintinie, to ensure there were plenty of these in the royal potager at Versailles. As well, Lewis Carroll was fond of it, incorporating a now-famous "cabbages and kings" line into his poem, 'The Walrus and the Carpenter'. And John Cleese reportedly loves it so much he ordered 'bouquets' of it instead of flowers from a top London florist.

And then there is the dominance of cabbages in all things culinary. Think of the Cabbage Soup Diet, cabbage rolls, coleslaw, Asian vegetable rolls, saurkraut, and stir-fried cabbages and noodles. Not to mention the fact that it's extremely good for fixing hangovers and painful breasts.

Here, in no particular order, are some of the most inspirational cabbages seen this year.

Chateau Villandry, France. You may not believe me when I tell you that this entire garden in the Loire (below) is crafted from vegetables, and in particular cabbages. Shocked? So were we, when we saw it in person for the first time. It is truly spectacular. Thousands of vegetables, including cabbages, artichokes and Swiss chard, are used as a decorative element, and the plantings change every year according to the colors and foliage desired. It's worth the airfare to France, trust me.

Hennes & Moritz's witty, whimsical S/S 2011 collection, entitled 'Raw Nostalgia'. So pretty. No wonder it sold out quickly.

'Rabbit & Lettuce' cushions, made from handprinted fabric produced by Thornback and Peel. {Photo courtesy Rume.co.uk.} This gorgeous print reminds me of Peter Rabbit running from old Mr McGregor's garden...

A couture cabbage frock. How sensational is this dress? Perhaps not one for the Oscars, as it might start to wilt by the Vanity Fair party (and smelly cabbage isn't a good look when you're chatting to Jack Nicholson), but for a Vogue shoot on gardens, it would look magnificent. Grace Coddington would love it. {Via greenandwhitegarden.blogspot.com}

Cloris Leachman's ad for PETA. Okay, so this is two years old, but it's still gorgeous. Who would have thought a gown made from leafy greens could be so chic?

Cabbage bouquets. How beautiful do these look? Perfect for brides who love gardens or cooking! {Via peach-pearl.blogspot.com.} {Image at the very top of post is via greenweddingshoes.com}

Cabbages & Roses. One of London's loveliest stores, Cabbages & Roses specialises in romantic, English-style frocks, coats, homewares and fabrics. The King's Road store is a little treasure trove of charm and prettiness. But if you can't make it to King's Road, the Jigsaw stores also sell the Cabbages & Roses collections.

And the last word comes from The Independent, as always...

Meeting Miss Tricia (Foley)

It's always lovely when you meet a renowned interior designer and they turn out to be just as beautiful as their rooms. Tricia Foley is one such person. Charming, gracious, wonderfully hospitable and extraordinarily talented, this New York-based interior designer, stylist, author and former magazine editor can put together a space like nobody I know – and then turn around and (just as quickly) whip up a stylish spread of food and drinks to entertain people in it.

I had the great pleasure of meeting Tricia Foley at her Long Island hideaway last year. I spent the day with her, photographing her glorious riverside cottage and garden. Later, we had dinner together at a fabulous little restaurant owned by friends of hers in a village nearby. And as we were chatting, I remembered, with one of those serendipitous flashes, that her book, The Romance of British Colonial Style, had been the first design book I'd ever bought. I loved that book when it was first published, and now here we were together, sharing stories of our photo shoots, and magazine careers, and where we hoped to be in another ten years. It was one of those days, full of laughter, conversation and inspiration, that lingers in your memory for some time afterwards.

I want to share some of my images of Tricia Foley's house, which were featured in a book called Coast: Lifestyle Architecture. It's been featured around the Blogosphere before, but here are some new angles, for those who love its elegant lines and surprising details. Tricia's signature look is, as you can see from these images, derived from using an understated, mostly monochromatic palette. She's not big on colour, preferring to draw her inspiration from the classic, pared-back simplicity of early American colonial and Shaker styles. Black, white and natural tones dominate here, creating serene spaces of calm and sophistication. Vintage is mixed with modern, and high-end pieces with flea-market or hardware finds. The result is a home that has all the elegance of a styled photo shoot, and all the comfort of a much-loved weekender.

www.triciafoley.com

Six Places Not To Miss In Paris

The Design Quartier centred around Place Furstemberg in the 6th (pictured below). Not only is this square one of the most charming in Paris (and the subject of countless tourist photographs), it's also the centre of a great little design neighbourhood. There's three of the best fabric and homewares companies in the world here – Flamant, Pierre Frey and Manuel Canovas – plus a great gardening bookstore on Rue Jacob and Assouline's bookstore on Rue Bonaparte (a company known for great design titles and great interior design). The lovely Delacroix Museum is also here. (Don't miss his studio and garden). And when you need refreshment from design overload you can stop in Ladurée's ornate tea salon and shop for some of their fabulous interior design. And, okay, their macarons.

The northern part of the Marais (pictured below). The main part of the Marais has suffered from over-exposure in the last few years and has lost much of its character. The northern part, however (which is technically the 3rd arrondissement), is still full of charm and loveliness. There's Cafe Charlot on Rue de Bretagne, one of the most atmospheric and liveliest cafes in Paris (Such sexy clientele! What DO they put in the coffee?), the great furniture and vintage stores of Rue Charlot, the gorgeous, whimsically decorated Lacroix-designed Hotel du Petit Moulin, which was created fro an old boulangerie (pictured directly below) and the fabulous taxidermied exhibitions of the Hunting and Nature Museum (Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature), which are more intriguing than you'd think. 

The Musée Carnavalet (pictured below). Perhaps my favourite place in Paris. If you haven't yet been here, put in on The List. It's a museum that chronicles the history of Paris through fascinating architecture models, maps, images and replica interiors. The interior exhibitions are truly fascinating if you're into interior design. And there's an idyllic parterre garden behind it, which is perfect to have your picnic lunch in. Oh – and the museum is also free: what more incentive do you need?

Au Petit Fer a Cheval While you're idling around the Marais, drop by here for a coffee and a peek at Parisians at play. It's loved by locals, and you couldn't get a more quintessential Parisian cafe. The absinthe green colour is a classic Parisian green. You can't help but love it.

The new design department of Le Bon Marché department store (pictured below). You may come here for the architecture, the incredible interior design, the extraordinary ceiling detail or just the sublime fashion and style. But there's one thing you shouldn't miss in this, the world's first department store, and that's the new La Maison d'Edition department. Inspired by books and publishing, this sleek new section features the best new architecture and design titles, plus gorgeous journals, pens and stationery, great furniture and accessories, and lots of lovely things to furnish your Parisian-style salon with.

Catherine B (pictured below). If you want discount Chanel, Hermés and other classic French labels, don't go to Didier Ludot, who is so expensive that only Hollywood actresses and Arabian royalty can afford him. Go to Catherine B instead. Loved by Left Bank stylistas, Catherine B is a beautiful little boutique near the St Sulpice cathedral that stocks top-quality Chanel, Hermés and other luxury labels for very little. Last time I was here I found an almost-new black Chanel suit for so cheap, I was tempted to buy it! (I will go back and buy another one day.) The owner is a delight to deal with, and the stock is superb.

{More Paris posts in coming weeks}

Picture Perfect

Hanging pictures isn't easy. Sure, you can tack a few nails in a wall and toss on some frames. But if you're not careful, the display can look a little, well... 'dishevelled', as my grandmother would say. I'm not the most adroit picture placer, but having learned a tip or two from some of the best interior designers in the world, I'm now on a vertical learning curve. So to speak. Here, in a little design lesson to kick off the design week, is a selection of the tricks I've picked up from those who are far more adept at this than me.

Lesson No 1: Go Up, Not Across

Don't feel compelled to always position your frames in a 'square' grouping, or even along a horizontal line. A vertical placement of identical frames can look dramatic, especially above a chair. We positioned these black-and-white prints in a strong vertical line because it complemented the strong lines of the tongue-and-groove walls.

Lesson No 2: Find Frames That Complement The Wall

If you have a strong colour on your walls, consider grouping your images in an equally dramatic way. We could have gone with mahogany frames here, or all-white ones, but the black and white mix seemed to be more sophisticated – and surprising. This was a difficult wall to decorate because the old 1970's tongue-and-groove was on a diagonal and rather than rip it all out we just painted it in Kate Spade green, which reflected the garden outside. These garden prints and photographs brought it all together. 

Lesson No 4: Frame Whatever Pleases You

Don't think you have to hang priceless art work, or expensive paintings and prints. We have black-and-white photographs everywhere in our home, so I wanted to veer away from that 'gallery' look in the bedroom and library. Instead, I found four of my favourite magazine covers from Vogue, Vogue Living and Vanity Fair and threw them in some cheap black Ikea frames to dress up the bedroom. You could do an entire wall in magazine covers. Imagine them on an all-black wall in a study or library? How beautiful would that look? And for the corner of the library, we used a cheap tourist map of Midtown Manhattan (which was surprisingly well-designed) and the front of an exhibition catalogue from the International Centre of Photography in New York. 

Lesson No 5: Group similar images close together. We didn't leave much of a gap between each of these frames because I wanted the whole grouping to look very dramatic. The black frames blend into the glossy black wall, leaving only the white mounts and photographs as contrast.

{NB Will happily accept criticism on these lessons, so just email the comments through!}

Rose By Any Other Name

Inspired by Mrs Bettina Bachmann's fabulous, tangerine-and-pink boudoir in the post below this, I thought I'd post some more rose-tinged images. Yes, I know – we're all a bit pinked-out this year. But here are a few encores before we close the curtains on the rose show for a while. Thank you pink. It's been a great season.

Fresh figs on a pretty pink-and-white striped platter from Pigotts' gorgeous store in Sydney. 

This is a culinary rehearsal for Christmas. (The figs are just deciding how they're gonna fit.)

 My niece, Alex, in a retro-style pink bikini.
(This shot always reminds me of Ursula Andress in Dr. No.)

Detail of a wall in the Carnavalet Museum, Paris

(NB If you haven't been here and you love all things interior design, then go! It's full of amazing interiors, both the museum's and replicas of famous homes.)

Snapper Lodge at Newport in Sydney.
This cuter-than-cute fisherman's cottage has been photographed a million times for various magazines and books, including one of mine, but it's still fab. Who would have thought all this colour would work in a tiny studio space?

A house in Oak Bluffs on Martha's Vineyard.
Look at that door! I had a pink fit when I saw it. Even the deck had been painted in pink diamonds. I wish I'd met the owner. I'm sure she had a memorable personality.

The pink-shuttered Doll House on Harbour Island.
I promised more pix of this dainty house and here they are. Did you know you can rent it out? Details are here, if you can cut and paste this mess: (or just Google Doll House, Harbour Island)
http://www.brilandrealestate.com/index.php?pg=nav&sectnum=3&catnum=2&listnum=66&session=d66257af7dd3d343ac73aa52922de382

Some retro-style bathing caps, spotted hanging on hooks in a friend's pool house.
Aren't these gorgeous? I'll take the pink one, thanks.

The deliriously, gobsmackingly over-the-top, pinker-than-pink Atlantis hotel in the Bahamas. 

It's so enormous, I don't think they had any pink paint left in the world when they finished. And yes, those black shapes in the pools are sharks. There were dozens of these shallow pools, FULL of sharks. Bored sharks. Just waiting for a child's toe to dip in... We wouldn't do this in Australia. We have a healthy respect for anything with a fin. Those Bahamians... They like to live on the edge a bit...

That's it. That's all the pink for this year! (And hopefully next...) 

As Elizabeth Taylor famously said: "I fell off my pink cloud with a thud." 

Okay, one more for the road. Here's our dog Coco, getting ready for her big Christmas cabaret... She's playing Liza Minelli this year.

(Oh – and the very top pic is from Tybee Island. You can rent that house out too. Just google "Luscious Little Cottage Tybee Island" and you'll find it!)